Which new AC system is right for me and my family?
There are a lot of options to sort through. Here are some tips on picking the right one.
Summer seems to start earlier every year.
Temperatures of 90+ degrees are common as early as April and as late as Halloween these days. Having a reliable and has always been a big part of living comfortably in Florida, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to be changing anytime soon.
If your old air conditioner has conked out on you, you’re probably trying to decide on a replacement for it. The marketplace is flooded with different brands, models and styles, and it can be easy to let yourself feel overwhelmed by it all.
The best way to stop that is by educating yourself. And lucky for you, there’s plenty of information out there. We know this brief guide doesn’t have all the answers - but we hope it gets you started in the right direction.
Start at the beginning: Assessing your needs
Your air conditioning needs are going to depend - at least in part - on some of the details of your home. Specifically, you’ll need to consider things like:
- Where you live. The average summer highs and winter lows have an enormous influence on how you’ll use your system;
- The type of home you live in. Is it a mobile home? A freestanding single-family home? A condominium?;
- The size of your home. How many square feet? How many stories?; and
- The most important question: what’s your standard of comfort? How cold or warm do you want it to be inside your home?
Just answering these questions can go a long way toward narrowing the field. But that’s just a starting point. Pinpointing the best AC system for you takes a good bit of work and a lot of specialized knowledge that most people just don’t have. In fact, it’s usually best to talk to a AC professional about any questions you might have.
Chilling it, old-school: the window AC unit
Window units have a strong instinctive appeal for a lot of people. That’s because they’re fairly inexpensive to buy and pretty simple to install - so after a quick trip to the hardware store, you can be enjoying frosty-cold indoor air by tonight.
But that unit is probably only good for that one room. If you want to cool your home evenly, you’ll need more than one unit. Not only that, but it doesn’t take long before the seals start to leak, allowing heat, humidity and moisture to seep through.
And when you throw in the fact that they’re usually the least energy-efficient options, you can see how window units can quickly turn into a more expensive option than a central air conditioning system.
Central air conditioning: one unit cools the whole house
If you’re looking for even temperature control across the entire house, it’s tough to beat a central air conditioning system. But they’ve also got other advantages beyond comfort.
For one thing, a new central AC system will almost certainly boost the value of your home. People like central air and are willing to pay a premium to make sure the house they buy has it. Plus, a hidden unit, properly installed, can even enhance the curb appeal of your home - which is something to think about when it’s time to sell your home.
Breaking it down: the split AC system
We recommend a split A/C system for most of our customers. They cool (or heat) the entire home evenly and quickly, and can easily handle larger spaces. Because of the way they’re designed, they tend to be more efficient - some customers have saved hundreds of dollars per month on their electric bills. And most of them include anti-allergy filtration and UV light bacteria-killing technology, which minimizes up to 99.9% of air pathogens.
It’s true that these systems can seem a little pricey at first glance. And they’re certainly more expensive than a window unit. But when you factor in the long-range cost of ownership (which naturally includes your monthly energy bills) and the high level of comfort these systems can provide, the split systems become a very compelling option.
Interested in financing your new AC unit?
Easy AC offers financing options to help keep you comfortable year round. Read more...>What about a mini-split?
Mini-split systems are becoming quite popular these days so we decided to give them their own page to further explain the benefits - just click here to read more about them.
Think you can live without AC? Think again.
Maybe the heat doesn’t bother you. Maybe you positively revel in it.
That’s great. But it doesn’t mean that you don’t need air conditioning in your home.
We get a lot of moisture in the air here in Florida, and as we all know, moisture is a key contributor to mold growth. In humid weather it’s absolutely vital to keep the interior air circulating and at least somewhat dry, if only to prevent mold from taking hold and spreading.
And no, just using a fan isn’t good enough. Sure, it’ll feel cooler by pushing air across your skin - but it won’t do anything for the indoor humidity than can be such an issue in Florida.
What Next? If you think you might need a new air conditioner, call Easy AC first. We offer a free first-time service call, which might keep your old unit running longer. And if that’s not an option, we’d be happy to provide a full custom analysis of your home’s air conditioning needs.
Just call us at 813-265-3247 to schedule an appointment.