While you’re really only using your Air Conditioner in Southern Ontario about 3 months a year, those three months can be torturous without one. Anyone who’s AC unit has broken down in mid July can attest to this. If you’re in need of an air conditioner replacement, you’ll understand the importance of selecting it carefully, and fitting it to suit your home’s needs. An improperly selected AC unit can end u costing you oodles of money, which you simply don’t want to spend. On the other hand, a properly matched unit can save you in the long run with high-efficiency standards. For your benefit, we’ve assembled a guide to the selecting an Air Conditioner, as well as the best Air Conditioner products available on the market.

Stay tuned for a band new article on the difference between ductless and central air conditioners. Read on below for Central AC Tips from DeMarco Mechanical!

CALCULATE YOUR HOME’S NEEDS.

Your first instinct will definitely be to hop on the internet and start going through prices, features, sizes and installation costs. Before you start doing any of that however, you’ll want to know what you’re looking for. Determine the needs of your home and family before you start looking. Generally, this can be done based on your home’s square footage. As a rule, an air conditioner energy requirement is calculated by taking 20 BTU for each square foot of space you want to be cooling. So, a 2,500-foot home multiplied by 20 BTU is a 50,000 BTU capacity for an AC unit. This is the number you’ll want to look for when shopping for your new unit.

However, never simply go by BTU alone. Remember to factor in the location of your vents, the air circulation in your home, your windows and doors, the insulation of your home, the amount of light various rooms get and more. Even something as seemingly minuscule as regular traffic can affect the amount of energy required to heat a particular room.

The most accurate way to correctly judge all this is to simply hire a professional. Most certified HVAC contractors and experts will provide you with these calculations, and suggest AC units based on the results and needs of your home. Contact a professional like DeMarco Mechanical and start looking for the proper AC unit to save, not cost you money.

CONSIDER THE UNIT’S SEER RATING.

Canada’s laws dictate that the minimum SEER efficiency is 12 for a single unit. SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio, and is a measure of energy efficiency which defines the ratio of energy needed to produce a specific amount of cooling. The highest the SEER rating the less energy is lost, and the higher the air conditioner’s efficiency in cooling your home. Remember that while higher efficiency units do save you money on electricity, they cost drastically more than lower end models. This means that if you live in Canada, where your AC unit is used at most 4 months out of 12, a top of the line 26 SEER model may not be the most cost-effective option. Contact a professional today for the best solution for your home and area.

CONSIDER HOW MUCH NOISE YOU WANT YOUR UNIT TO MAKE.

While some noise is a given, many units are marketed as quiet, or noise reductive. Choosing a model which makes an appropriate amount of noise when working is a good idea for people who are light sleepers, or people with children.

OUR AC UNIT SUGGESTIONS FOR ONTARIO:

Keep in mind that these prices do not factor in installation costs, and vary widely based on the range of unit: from economy to premium tier brands. Contact a local HVAC professional for the most accurate estimates regarding prices and installation costs. Without further ado, these are our top choices for economy, mid-range and high-end air conditioners.

ECONOMY:

Goodman, Keeprite and York offer economy price range AC Units from 13 to 19 SEER, but are limited in the additional innovative tech seen in higher end units. Technologies such as insulation, noise reduction, air purification and humidification capacity as well as modulation are absent from these lower end units.

If you’re looking for inexpensive, reliable cooling, choose the lower range units available from these three companies. Prices for lower end units vary between $2,000 to $4,000, plus costs of installation.

MID-RANGE:

For mid-range brands, you should expect an increase in prices of about $1,000. Certain features such as noise reduction, high-performance cooling, and more are present in mid-range AC units from Amana, Bryant, Rheem, Trane, American Standard and Napoleon. We recommend Amana and Rheem for their durability and reliability. This range is recommended for Canadians in Central Ontario as well as Southern Ontario, as the 13-18 SEER product efficiency rating are the most cost-effective when operating your unit only a few months of the year.

As you move into the mid-range brands you can expect to see a slight increase in price.  This increase is due to some additional features/options that Amana, American Standard, Bryant, Rheem, Trane, and Napoleon offer, that are not offered in the economy tier.  Like the economy tier you will notice a wide range of options from 13-24.5 SEER. However, given that air conditioners are only operating during a few months of the year, most Canadians choose central ACs in the 13 to 18 SEER range.

HIGH-END:

 Luxury units from Carrier or Lennox offer the highest efficiency ratings, of up to 26 SEER for the newest Lennox Series models, as well as high-performance cooling, enhanced quality and durability, as well as optimization for large homes.

We recommend reading through this Consumer Reports guide on Central Cooling systems: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/central-air-conditioning/buying-guide/index.htm, or this article from PickHVAC for a detailed chart outline of top 2017 brands: http://www.pickhvac.com/central-air-conditioner/.

DeMarco Mechanical installs a variety of furnace products, and can help you match the best furnace to your home’s heating needs. Contact us today for a free consultation, and allow us to guide you to the best possible selection for your home. We stock and install Goodman/Amana, Lennox, Trane, Keep Right, Rheem, York and Carrier. Contact DeMarco Mechanical for heating and cooling services, ductless HVAC installation, furnace and air conditioner repair, and general HVAC contracting services throughout the GTA.

We service Toronto, Markham, North York, Vaughan, Scarborough, Oakville, Mississauga, Concord, Newmarket, Oshawa, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Hamilton and further. Get in touch with us today!