You are here » » » Air ConditioningSummer is here, which means for many of us, thoughts are turning to air conditioning. Let’s face it—central air conditioning will change your life. No more sweaty nights tossing and turning because you haven’t installed the window units yet. For that matter, no more installing the window units—or bashing your knuckles carrying them up and down the basement stairs each spring and fall. If you’re thinking about upgrading to central air, be prepared to spend between $6,000 and $15,000, depending on the size and complexity of the job. Installation usually takes several days, and the new system will increase your property value by as much as 10%, according to Twin Cities appraiser Alan Hummel. Here’s what else you need to know. Air conditioning is measured by the ton, which is the cooling energy released by a one-ton block of ice melting over the course of a day. You’ll pay about $2,000 to $4,000 per ton, and a typical two-story, 2,000-square-foot house might require 3 to 3.5 tons of air conditioning—but getting the tonnage exactly right is essential.

An oversized system will cool the house so quickly it doesn’t effectively dehumidify the air (a major key to comfort), and if it’s too small it will run almost constantly, increasing your energy bills and prematurely wearing out the equipment. The contractor should show you a printout of a heat-load calculation for your house, which factors in such things as your home’s location, cubic feet of living space, number and size of windows, and orientation to the sun. In general, today’s systems must be 14 SEER—which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and is a measure of how much cooling you get for each watt of power used—or about 40% more efficient than the 10 SEER standard that was in place until 2006. installation of air conditioning unitsGiven that your old system isn’t running at peak efficiency anymore, your cooling bills should drop by about half. ac unit hard start kit

Or you can opt for even higher efficiency, all the way up to 24 SEER. A 16 SEER system, for example, might add about $2,000 in upfront costs—or perhaps just $500 if your state offers an energy incentive program (you can find a list here)—and will reduce your cooling costs by another 14% a year. If you have an old central air system or forced air heat, your contractor can connect new AC equipment to the ducts that already exist inside the walls and floors of your home. air conditioning unit for deskOld ducts aren’t necessarily good ducts, however. If they’re leaky, you could lose 20% of your cooled (and heated) air into your attic and basement, says physicist Max Sherman, of the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. So have the ducts checked, and if necessary sealed. That will add another $1,000 to $3,000 to your costs. If you don’t have ducts, or the old ones are super inefficient, you have two choices: A contractor can install new ducts in the attic and or basement—and run between-floor connections through closets—for the cost of about $4,000 to $5,000.

Or you can opt for ductless air conditioning: Unlike central air conditioning, which has one or two central blower units (usually in the attic) that push air through ducts, these systems have individual blower units that usually get installed on the house’s perimeter walls. You need one unit for each conditioned space, and therefore you have multiple zones throughout your house that can be more efficient than the all-or-nothing approach you get with central air conditioning. Not everyone likes the look of the blower units hanging on the walls, however, and ductless equipment will cost about 30% more for the system than for connecting new central air to existing ductwork. Do not install central air conditioning without adding a high-efficiency filter to the system. By cleaning the air as it moves through the system, it will reduce pollen and dust in the air inside your house—and it will help keep the inner workings of your AC equipment clean and efficient. A system with a “media filter” with a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating of 12 will add $500 to $1,000 to installation costs but reduce your maintenance costs by about $500 every two years, says Wes Davis, of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, a trade organization.

Like shopping for a flat-screen TV the week after the Super Bowl or a 2015 model year car after the 2016s hit the lot, timing your air conditioning purchase right can save you big. “In the spring and summer, our phones are ringing off the hook,” says Robert Wilkos, of Roussos Air Conditioning in Panama City, Fla. In the winter, contractors are trying to find enough work to keep their crews busy, he says, so they typically knock 10% to 20% off their bids. Farther north, fall and spring offer similar off-season pricing and milder weather for doing the installation. If you’re shopping for a new central air conditioner for your home, this is the bottom line question on your mind - “How much is it all going to cost me?” The answer is somewhere between $4,000 and $15,000, on average. If we could be more exact, we would. But there’s just so many things that influence the price of a new air conditioner. Here are just a few examples. Factors that affect the cost of the a new air conditioner

Looking for a new air conditioner is a little like looking for a new car - there’s a wide range of prices available. But while the differing prices of cars are based on things like miles per gallon and if it has a moonroof, the cost of a new air conditioner is affected by: The size of the air conditioning system We’ve talked about how air conditioners are sized by tons before, but the basics are this - the bigger your home, the bigger air conditioner you’ll need and the more expensive it will be. Basic 2-ton air conditioners start around $4,000 and go up from there. Larger air conditioners up to 5 tons can start at $6,000 with only basic features. The efficiency of the air conditioner When you purchase a vehicle, you are probably concerned about the long-term cost of ownership. One of the biggest factors is the efficiency of the car, which is measured in miles per gallon (MPG). In the same way, when you purchase an air conditioner, you should consider the long-term cost of ownership along with the initial cost.

The biggest part of this long-term cost is the air conditioner’s energy efficiency, which is measured in SEER. And the more energy efficient an air conditioner is (the higher the SEER) the more expensive it will be. Of course, this initial cost difference can be more than made up for if in the long run. The most efficient air conditioners can be $5-8,000 more than lower end models. Whether you are also upgrading the heating system If you have a packaged air conditioning and heating system (usually found on the roof), you will likely be replacing the entire packaged unit at once. Even if you have a split air conditioning and heating system, it’s highly recommended that you replace both the furnace and the air conditioner at the same time. You’ll get better energy efficiency and save more money in the long run - here’s why. The functionality you’re looking for Many air conditioners come with additional features to improve both energy efficiency and your home’s comfort.