In Northern New Jersey every summer comes with a heat wave, there is nothing better than stepping into a nice cool and comfortable environment after spending sometime in the heat. Having an air conditioner in your home can be the difference between melting on the sofa and lounging in your living room.
When looking for an air conditioner, it’s important to keep in mind several things: size, Btu, energy efficiency, fit, and price. You want an air conditioner that will do its job for a decent price, so choosing the correct one can be a bit of a doozy if you’re not sure where to start. Here are a few tips to help you choose the right air conditioner for your home.
Consider that a smaller Btu AC can cool a room (or small apartment) that is up to 150 square feet, and a larger one (about 8,000 Btu) can cool a room or apartment up to 550 square feet. The trick is finding a compromise – just because you have a larger AC doesn’t meant that it’s going to do a better job cooling your home or office. Likely, if you have an air conditioner that is too large for the space it’s cooling, it will overwork and overheat itself. This will give you larger energy bills and an apartment that still isn’t cool.
Generally you want something that has an energy star label on it – this means it complies with the national standard of efficiency. You want an AC that has a spectacular EER (energy efficiency ratio) to ensure that you’re getting the best cooling for your money – remember that the higher the EER, the better the energy efficiency. Every 1.0 increment means a 10% increase of efficiency on the EER scale.
When choosing an air conditioner you want to make sure that the AC you’re considering will actually fit in your home. Whether you’re going for a mini-split system (leave room for the AC to get inside), a central air unit (make sure you have space for ducts!), or a simple in-home air conditioner that sits in your window, if you don’t have room for it, it’s not going to work.
Since choosing the proper air conditioner can be extremely tricky, having a professional on hand to assist you is extremely helpful. Try your local HVAC company to get a good deal with great installation prices.
