Choosing the type and kind of central air conditioning system to install in your home's heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is complicated. There are many physical factors about your home's cooling at play that directly affect the performance quality, efficiency, and the cost of how well a central air conditioning system will work in your home. You also must consider the wide variety of central air conditioning systems, as well as their size, efficiency, and installation requirements. So, it's no wonder that homeowners can get anxious when they want to know what size air conditioner they need for their home. Central air conditioning uses a compressor and condenser coil housed in an outside unit and an expansion valve and evaporator (also called an "A coil") mounted above the furnace heater inside your home's HVAC system. Air conditioning works by cycling refrigerant from gas to liquid and then to gas again through the use of pressure. The refrigerant (known as R-410A) begins the cycle as a low-pressure, low-temperature gas.

It enters the outside unit where it's first compressed into a high-pressure, high-temperature gas. Next it enters the condenser's coil where the fan cools the gas into a high pressure liquid. The liquefied refrigerant flows through tubing inside your home to the HVAC unit. There it first enters the expansion valve which limits the flow of the liquid as it enters the evaporator. This valve lets the liquid expand inside the evaporator coil into a gas, chilling to about 7 degrees Celsius as air from the HVAC blower moves over the coil. ac unit making bubbling noiseThe refrigerant then heads back to the outside unit as a low-temperature, low-pressure gas to begin the cycle again.nissan altima ac control unit Air is cooled by being blown over the chilled coil, and it's then circulated throughout your home. daikin split system air conditioner reviews

The AC system continues running until the desired temperature is reached. Any humidity in the air condenses onto the coil as water and drips into a condensation pan. In this way, your home is both cooled and de-humidified by a central air conditioning system. Choosing the correct size of your air conditioner is a key a factor for setting up a home cooling system. Sizing an air conditioner requires a consultation with a professional Energy Management Consultant who looks at the factors that effect your home's cooling: Likewise, it's not a simple matter of dropping-in any air conditioning system. The size is very important because the correctly sized air conditioner should run a proper full cycle and ensure your home stays cooler longer. An over-sized AC system will quickly over-cool the air in your home and shut off too soon. However, the building structure itself (walls, wood, furniture, etc.) will not be cooled adequately and allow heat and humidity to creep back in, and the AC will kick-on again and again.

As a consequence, over-sized systems run for too short a time far too often. And it can cost you far too much. An undersized system, however, will not effectively cool your entire home. It will run continuously, waste energy, and wind up costing you more. Air conditioner sizes are rated in tons of cooling capacity. One ton of cooling is equal to 12,000 BTU's (British thermal units) per hour. For example, a typical residential unit is a 2-ton unit that cools 24000 BTU/hour and a larger 3-ton unit cools 36000 BTU/hour. While two air conditioners be the same tonnage, they could be completely different in terms of their energy efficiency or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio(SEER) . Once you have found the right tonnage-size to cool your home, you'll want to look over which ones have the best SEER rating as is practical within your budget. The higher the rating, the less energy it will use - roughly 5% less per SEER. So an older 12 SEER upgraded to a higher efficiency SEER 16 will be approximately 20% more efficient and will cost less to run.

Systems that are Energy Star qualified range between 12 and 23 SEER. Because air conditioning is one of the most expensive conveniences you can have in your home, it's important to be able to rely on a trained professional that you can trust to listen to your needs and guide you through this complex process. Direct Energy's central AC sizing experts have years of design and installation experience. They'll inform you about the different cooling options for your home and design the right-sized energy efficient cooling system to work with your home's heating system and help save you money.“14 SEER vs. 17 SEER: Is the Difference in Price Worth the Extra Efficiency?” We’ll cut straight to the point: No, the energy savings alone most likely won’t make purchasing the 17-SEER air conditioner over a 14-SEER worth it. All other things being equal, a 3-ton, 17-SEER air conditioner will likely save you just $66/year in cooling costs over the same size 14-SEER air conditioner (see our calculations below).

So even with the $300 federal tax credit, the 17-SEER air conditioner is unlikely to pay for the price difference over its lifespan. So why do we think you should you still consider the more expensive 17-SEER unit? Higher SEER often means better comfort A higher efficiency 17-SEER air conditioner usually comes with 2-stage cooling and a variable-speed fan. These features not only improve the energy efficiency of the unit, but provide better cooling than the 14-SEER AC can provide. You see, a standard air conditioner has only 2 modes: on and off. But a 2-stage air conditioner with a variable-speed fan can meet your cooling needs about 80% of the time with its lower setting, meaning it will run more often, but at a lower setting and without as many starts and stops. This has 2 benefits:The longer run times help the air in your home mix better and provides more even temperature control throughout your home.Running longer helps the air conditioner remove twice as much moisture/humidity from your air.

And that’s a big deal in Atlanta! “But won’t longer run times actually mean higher cooling costs?” Good question, but no. Like a car, an air conditioner costs less to operate when it stops and starts less often. Each time the AC starts up, it costs more because of the greater energy needed to start up. Plus, when it does run, it’s using only a fraction of the energy a standard AC would. Read more in our article: Single vs. Two-Stage Air Conditioners You may also find these articles helpful: Replacing an Air Conditioning System? 3 Things You Ought to Know How Much Does a New Central Air Conditioner Cost? Now, here’s how we calculated the energy savings of the 17-SEER air conditioner vs. the 14-SEER... Estimating the annual savings between 14 and 17 SEER 1. Calculate the estimated amount of energy each air conditioner will use annually using this equation: [(Size of AC system x 12,000) / SEER] x 1500 = amount of Watt-hours used annually

So with 14-SEER and 17-SEER options, we get: 14-SEER= 3,857,000 Watts/hour (rounded to nearest thousand) 17-SEER= 3,176,000 Watts/hour (rounded to nearest thousand) 2. Subtract the 17-SEER AC’s annual energy use from the 14-SEER’s. 3. Convert step 2’s number to kWh by dividing by 1000. 4. Multiply step 3’s number by your electricity rate. In Atlanta, the average electricity rate is around 9.4 cents/kWh. 699 x $.094= $65.71 So, for a 3-ton air conditioner in Atlanta, a 17-SEER unit can save you around $66/year when compared to a 14-SEER unit. Every energy-saving estimation has some built-in assumptions. You’re replacing both the outside unit and indoor air handler/blower. This is called a matched system and it’s the only way to get the advertised SEER ratings. Your home doesn’t have any major duct issues. The air conditioner is only part of a system that includes your ductwork. If your current ducts are undersized or leaking, you won’t see a lot of actual savings from a more efficient AC.