With the warmer weather upon us, it is almost time to reinstall those handy dandy fixed unit air conditioners! Because who doesn’t love doing the rounds and fitting their heavy A/C units each and every window of the house, right?
We’re being sarcastic of course. Don’t worry though, there is an alternative.
Believe of not, not everyone has to go through the burden of air conditioner installation.
In fact, those who are lucky enough to have a central air conditioner in their place, can stay put, relax and simply enjoy the arrival of summer.
Therefore, for those of you still with “the traditional system,” it may just be easier and more cost effective to invest in a central air conditioner system.
We will outline some of the pros and cons of central air conditioners in the following article to help you make up your mind about how to deal with the temperature of your home!
Major differences between single air conditioner units and central air conditioners:
Functionality-wise, central air conditioners work a bit differently from traditional A/C units.
Here is how they work.
Central air conditioners run cool air through a system of ducts that travel through your floors and ceilings of your home. As this cool air circulates, it naturally becomes warmer. Then once the warmer air comes full circle, it goes back into the central air conditioner ducts and restarts the process.
On the other hand, traditional A/C units work in a very different, more limited way. In terms of the process, air conditioners pull humid air from the outside of your house and cool it, via compression heat absorption, and condensation.
We should mention that these singular A/C units, unfortunately, can only work so hard. They are capable of cooling not much more than one room at a time in your house.
Plus, if you buy too small of a unit for too big of a room, it will skyrocket your electricity bill given that they use more energy than a centralized unit would.
The major benefits of central air conditioners
Better Quality Air
Central air undebatably provides better air than an A/C unit would. While a single unit air conditioner may filter some of the dirt and dust, it is not 100% effective.
Actually, single unit air conditioners can release more dust particles into your air. This is because it traps the dust within the unit and then filters it into the air.
Central air conditioners contrastingly prevent dust from circulating by the use of an air handler in every room.
Having better quality air can help with allergy problems and overall cleanliness!
They are more convenient
Purifying your air is one thing. On top of that, however, central air conditioners just make life easier.
No longer will you have to uninstall and reinstall your air conditioners in each, and every room. This means you can enjoy the seasonal changes without stressing about your air conditioners! The best part: the unit itself isn’t located in your house!
A last point of convenience: noise. Single air conditioner units are unarguably a LOT louder than a central air system would be.
Easy to Use
With each room having its own air conditioner and each with its own unique buttons, it can be frustrating to use.
However, central air systems control the house under just one system. You can also set automatic programs on your central air conditioners so it can work, the way you want it to, without you touching a thing!
In additional, this automatic function can help you save energy overall. It can shut off in the middle of the night, or once the house is cool enough. And it can turn on automatically as well allowing you to come how to a comfortably cool house.
In addition, with a programmable thermostat you can save 20-30% on your energy bill!
Things to think about before investing in a central air conditioner system…
The first question customers ask themselves is… “Wait, but do I REALLY need this?”
As we’ve already discussed, central air poses a lot of benefits. For example, for one thing, cooling your entire house at once isn’t always efficient, especially if there are rooms in which no one is ever in.
For this type of situation, there is a solution. You can customize your central air system and separate your central air conditioners to target specific areas of the house.
But still, there is always the chance that the members of your family each prefer a different temperature in his or her own room. Then perhaps, separate air conditioning units would be the best route for you to go.
How long do central air conditioners last?
It is important to maintain and keep your system in check every year.
With this in mind, central air conditioners, with the right care, should last for up to 10-15 years!
However, it will only last this long if it is operating at top efficiency. Be sure to clear debris that lies within two feet of the unit and keep shrubbery away.
In the summer season, be attentive to branches and shrubs that can fall on or rub against your unit.
How do you pick the size of the unit that best fits your needs?
Professionals can help you out with these particular functionality questions. Generally speaking, central air conditioners come in all shapes and sizes which depend on the size of the job.
They are measured in “tons” but this is not tons as in pounds and weight. A ton is a metric which specifies how well the unit can cool.
1 ton = cools 12,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units) in one hour
2 tons = cools 24,000 BTUS in one hour
And so on and so forth. A British Thermal Unit is how much energy is needed to cool one-degree Fereineight.
Put simply, the size of your unit matters and bigger is not necessarily better!
So what now?
Cleaner air, comfort during the warm weather, money saved on your energy bill? With all these benefits, central air conditioners can be the way to go.
To know how you may compare, today more than 75% of Canadian homes have “traditional” air conditioning and more than 90% of new homes have a central air conditioner installed.
With all these advantages and disadvantages in mind, we hope to have been able to guide you in the best direction that suits your individual home needs.
If you would like to read more on the topic or for other tips and tricks on installation, you can continue your search here.