If you’re wondering how much a new air conditioner should cost at the beginning of August, we’re going to guess that you didn’t plan on needing a new one right now, and you’re probably feeling a bit rushed to get comfortable again. We really want to encourage you, however, to take your time on deciding on an AC purchase. As for the answer to this question–the short version is “it depends.” Read on as we explain why.
The Many Factors of AC Installation
When you go to buy another appliance, like refrigerator, or an oven for instance, it’s pretty black and white on what it will cost you–the price of the equipment plus whatever the retailer charges for installation in general. But equipment costs are only part of the equation when it comes to AC installation. The very first thing our professionals will do when you’re having an air conditioner installed is look at your home and do what’s called a cooling load calculation, where we look at things like your home’s square footage, how high the ceilings are, how many windows and doors there are, the level and type of insulation you have, and any energy upgrades you’ve made to determine how efficient you need this air conditioner to be.
We’ll even look at your current air conditioning system to see if that’s the best option for your home still, and if it’s not we’ll make recommendations–meaning you might have always gotten by with a “perfectly fine” traditional central air conditioner, but perhaps it would cost you less in the long run to operate a heat pump system or even a ductless cooling and heating system.
What System Is Right For Your Family?
As we just mentioned, you might want to consider if you’d benefit from a different type of air conditioner than you’ve been using–this will impact the cost! Standard central air conditioners vary in price, since there are many factors to consider outside of simply having the system put in–such as the state of your ductwork and if you need that repaired or replaced. A ductless system installation isn’t black or white either. Ductless cooling and heating systems are extremely versatile and save homeowners hundreds of dollars throughout the years, plus they’re relatively easy for our technicians to install, requiring some minor structural changes to your home. Small holes are drilled into the drywall behind each air handler so that we can attach a conduit that contains a power cord, refrigerant line, and condensate line. How your home is set up and how many air handlers you might need will impact the cost too.
How Efficient Should Your New AC Be?
No matter the type of air conditioner you have installed, it has a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating that measures the efficiency of the cooling system. The higher the SEER, the better the system will run, but also, the higher the SEER, the more costly it will be upfront to install. So although you might want the highest SEER rating, you may find that your budget doesn’t allow for that. But you can still get a powerful and highly rated AC system that doesn’t cost you as much to run as your current, broken down system! Just ask our team to help guide you through the process.
For professional and reliable AC installation and more, contact HendrixAir, Inc. Delivering friendly, five-star service, every time!