Installing a new air conditioning system is not cheap. And since you will be spending a considerable amount of money on this necessary appliance, it is in your best interest to ensure that you are making the right decision so that the new system can last you for decades down the line. The major mistake that some homeowners make is assuming that they should pick either the biggest system or the cheapest one, depending on their budget. In truth, your home should be the guiding factor, along with other considerations. Before you opt for air conditioning installation, here are a couple of things that you should have in mind to ensure that you are making the right decision.

What tonnage will your house require?

As mentioned above, your house should be your first guiding factor when deliberating on air conditioning installation. Tonnage may sound like a complicated term, but it simply refers to the degree of heat that will be eliminated in your home with each passing hour. This measurement is known as a British thermal unit (BTU), and one type of air conditioning system will have a different BTU number than another.

So how do you figure this out? Typically, the specifications that your house needs will be dependent on the degree of heat removal that will be carried out by individual systems. Therefore, it is crucial to have your HVAC contractor take measurements of your home so that they can establish the precise amount of tonnage that will be required, particularly during the summer. Overall, the bigger the structure, the higher the tonnage required.

What energy star rating does the air conditioning unit have?

The second thing that should guide your decision when contemplating air conditioning installation is the energy star rating of the different units that are within your budget. The energy star rating refers to how a unit will qualify to be considered as energy efficient depending on how much energy it consumes when in use.

Picking an air conditioning unit with the highest energy rating will be beneficial to you in two main ways. Firstly, the higher the energy star rating, the more you will save when it comes to your electricity consumption. This benefit is crucial during the summer, when the air conditioning system will likely be on throughout the day. Hence, even if you are heavily reliant on the new system, you will not have to contend with exorbitant electricity bills. And secondly, opting for an energy star–rated air conditioning system will ensure that your home is not having a negative impact on the environment.

For more information, contact an air conditioning installation technician.