It’s October, so why are we writing a post about air conditioning? Because there is no better time than the fall to make significant upgrades to your HVAC system, whether it’s the heater or the AC. This is when you’ll find our expert technicians have extra time to help you with installing and maintaining equipment. If you believe your current AC just had its last productive summer of cooling, you’ll find it straightforward arranging for a replacement air conditioning in Bossier City, LA with our team.
We recommend you think about putting in a high-efficiency air conditioner. These systems can save significant amounts of money over their service lives, and most are better at providing even cooling around the house.
The Secrets of the High-Efficiency AC
A high-efficiency air conditioning system can have a SEER rating (its efficiency rating) of greater than 20. Your older AC may have a SEER rating of 15 or lower, so the improvement is major. But how does a high-efficiency air conditioner manage to be this much better at changing electrical power into cooling power?
There are several factors involved:
- Better coil construction: Newer ACs are built from lighter material for the evaporator and condenser coils, which allows for more efficient heat transfer. This is true for even non-high-efficiency units, however, which is why the ENERGY STAR standard for efficiency has risen over the last few years.
- Multi-stage compressor: The compressor in an air conditioner uses the most power of any component, since it’s the part responsible for turning the refrigerant of the system into a high-pressure gas so it will circulate and perform the heat exchange that lets the AC cool. A standard AC runs the compressor at one power level. It’s either on or off. A high-efficiency air conditioner can run the compressor at stages depending on the cooling needs of the house. The thermostat will power the compressor down to work at a lower capacity when there’s less demand. (This is especially helpful if the house has zone controls.) This cuts down on the amount of power the AC uses in general.
- Variable-speed blower fan: The blower fan of an HVAC system uses a large amount of electricity to run, and it also works at only one speed in a conventional AC. The variable-speed units will drop the fan power to lower capacity when possible. In fact, 60% of the time the fan will run at this lower capacity level. Not only does this reduce electrical consumption, but it also makes for better comfort as well, distributing cooling more evenly and avoiding making parts of the house too cold. We highly recommend variable-speed systems in connection with installing zone controls.
High-efficiency air conditioners cost more than mid-efficiency models, so they are not ideal for all homes and budgets. This is why you always want to work with the best professionals when it comes to HVAC installations. Our experts will work closely with you to see you have an AC upgrade to match all your needs.
