Buying Guide for Your New AC or Heat Pump

The last thing you want when installing a new central cooling system in your home is for the work to be done hastily or without sufficient care. A new central AC or heat pump system is a significant household investment up-front, but also a decision that will bear consequences (either good or bad) for many years into the future.

You’ll reap both short-term and long-term benefits if you follow these helpful tips for buying a new central air conditioning or heat pump system.

Suggestions for Buying a New AC or Heat Pump

• Make sure it’s sized correctly. Ask the installer what method they’ll use to determine the capacity of your new AC or heat pump. If the installer suggests that sizing is no big deal, “bigger is always better,” or will use a “rule of thumb” method, it’s time to look for a new installer. The correct method is to start with a cooling load calculation on your home, which takes into account multiple factors, starting with your home’s cubic footage and layout (especially number of floors). Other factors may include the number and type of windows, the amount of shade on the house, building materials that comprise the house, and how well sealed and insulated the home is. Once the cooling load calculation is completed, that information is used to determine the right size for your new cooling system. Both under-sizing and over-sizing an AC will result in problems with energy efficiency, performance, and stress on the equipment. If you’re getting a heat pump, a heating load will need to be completed for the same reasons.
• Don’t accept an estimate for a central AC or heat pump over the phone. A competent cooling system installer should insist on inspecting your home in person, along with discussing your household’s energy use, habits and preferences, before recommending a certain system. You wouldn’t buy a car over the phone, would you? The same applies for a central cooling and heating system.
• Central cooling systems are available in a variety of different efficiency levels, most of the time measured in terms of SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). A higher SEER number means higher cooling efficiency, which means you’ll get more cooling for the amount of energy that powers the equipment. Not surprisingly, while higher energy efficiency means lower cooling bills, it also costs more at the time of the system’s purchase. A helpful HVAC technician should aid you in choosing the most efficient AC or heat pump for your budget. The decision on energy efficiency will take an area’s climate into consideration as well. Efficiency grows in importance with the amount of use an HVAC system is expected to get.
• Some electric utilities and states offer rebates and tax credits for homeowners who purchase high-efficiency cooling and heating systems. Ask your HVAC contractor what sort of incentives are available when you buy a new central AC or heat pump. Incentives connected to energy efficiency tend to ebb and flow with the political party in power, so make sure you check before assuming that the incentives either exist or not.
• No matter how good your new cooling system is, if you neglect to maintain it regularly, it eventually will lose efficiency and under-perform. Consider signing a maintenance agreement (or joining a maintenance club) with your chosen HVAC contractor, which will ensure annual maintenance tune-ups. Don’t forget DIY maintenance, too, including such tasks as inspecting and changing the air filter when it gets clogged with dust and debris, and keeping vents and registers clear of obstructions.

Warranties and Guarantees Are Important, too

Make sure that the Cincinnati HVAC contractor whom you’re working offers 100 percent customer satisfaction on the quality of their HVAC installation and service work. The best contractors will offer 1 year labor warranty and manufacturer part warranties on products and installation of your new cooling or heating system. If you’re not totally satisfied with your HVAC installation, the company should do whatever it takes to make you happy.