When I decided to finally have central air conditioning installed into my home, I didn’t want to make any mistakes.
While the ductwork and air handler are already in place because of the furnace, adding a cooling unit was still a significant investment.
I did a whole bunch of research into the major manufacturers and the high end models on the market. Most of the options are quite similar. There’s a slight difference in SEER ratings but the warranties and features are nearly identical. Reading up on how to choose the right air conditioner for my specific home, I learned that the sizing of the equipment is most important. A lot of contractors don’t want to bother with the process of calculating the heat gain/loss of the home. It’s much easier and quicker to simply install an oversized model. The bigger air conditioners cost more, so the company makes more money. An air conditioner that is too large for the square footage will cool the home down very quickly. That isn’t always a good thing. The short cycles don’t provide enough time to combat excess humidity and fails to allow the air conditioner to achieve peak energy efficiency. Plus starting up and shutting down over and over causes wear and tear that increases the chance of malfunction. Overcooling can be downright uncomfortable, and the air conditioner probably won’t last as long. Finding a reputable HVAC contractor who will go to the trouble of customizing the design of the cooling system is essential. I switched to reading customer reviews, checking Better Business Bureau ratings and looking for a factory authorized contractor who backs the job with a satisfaction guarantee.