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Movable air conditioner for free#
To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. Unless you live in a very cold region, installing an EnergyStar rated air conditioner will ensure that you’re saving the most possible money on your electric bill. To be awarded an EnergyStar rating, an air conditioning system must have a SEER number of 14.5 or higher. Many air conditioner brands offer only EnergyStar rated systems. Units with SEER ratings above 20 are considered very efficient. All air conditioners sold domestically must have a SEER rating of 13 or above. The higher the SEER number, the higher its energy efficiency. In simple terms, calculating an air conditioner’s SEER rating is done by determining the total cooling amount needed all season and dividing it by how much energy is used to provide that cooling. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. What Is SEER?Ī SEER rating is a number assigned to a product to communicate its peak energy efficiency. EnergyStar rated systems must have an acceptable SEER rating. Outdoor components still have to deal with weather every day, and sometimes not running a system for long periods can have adverse effects on components as well.Īn air conditioner’s energy efficiency is possibly its most important quality. Warranties are important even if you’ll only be using your AC seasonally. This is especially true in warm climates where reliable cooling is crucial. Be sure that the installation company you’re working with offers a workmanship warranty along with any manufacturing warranties.Ĭhoosing a cheaper model or company may not make sense if their warranty is weak. Warrantyīefore making your purchase, carefully consider all warranties offered. If they’re unwilling to share some information with you, move on to the next company.
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Don’t be afraid to have them explain any details that you don’t fully understand. Only sign a contract for installation after they’ve answered all your questions. Be sure to find one with a strong history of satisfactory customer service. As you’re shopping around for quotes, look up each company that you’re thinking about doing business with. Having the best system installed by the best installers won’t guarantee that future problems won’t arise. Customer ServiceĪn air conditioning system can be complex. Weigh the long term costs between higher priced ultra-efficient units and lower priced basic units. Things to not skimp on include warranties, good customer service and inexpensive energy-saving additions if available. If you’re looking to save on upfront costs, forgoing a fully linked, internet-accessed monitoring system for a simple programmable thermostat will help keep costs down, for example. Essentially, the more bells and whistles you prefer, the bigger the price tag. Featuresĭeciding the level of convenience that you’d like can have a profound effect on cost. Cooler climates, where air conditioning is only needed seasonally, will require different maintenance than will hot places that are cooled all year. Be sure to keep in mind the long-term costs as well. Hot climates demand more durability and expense than colder ones. If you live in a hot climate, be prepared to spend quite a bit more for your system than if you lived in cooler areas. Your potential installation representative should discuss all of these things with you. House size, quality of insulation, cooling capacity, the number of stories, efficiency rating, features, how many people live in your home, how many BTUs you need and compatibility with existing systems are all factors that must be calculated to determine cost. Consider the following factors while making your decision. Now that you have the information about which are the best air conditioning brands, let’s look into deciding which brand is best for you.
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