Is Your A/C Unit Running All The Time?

In the case of Florida, your air conditioning system is an important investment and will account for some 44% of your energy use. In the case of a resale home purchase, it is imperative that the system be thoroughly inspected, prior to the purchase of the property by a thoroughly qualified inspector.

Maintaining your system following a purchase and keeping it top shape will help it to deliver maximum performance. My suggestion is that you have your A/C contractor on a scheduled maintenance program twice a year. When he is working on the system, I would ask a lot of questions, so that you are totally familiar with your system.

I would want to know things like, if I add another room to the home, is my system adequate. I also want to know the specific capacity of the unit. In the case of air conditioning units, more is not better. In other words, if you have too much tonnage for your home, it is just the same as if you have too little. You need to have just the right amount for your square footage.

If eventually you need to replace your unit, remember the more efficient, the more money. But in the long run, if you purchase a super efficient unit, it will save you a lot of money over time. A/C units are now rated by Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER). The higher the number SEER, the more efficient. In the old days, (in the early 1990s), new construction required a minimum of 10 SEER. Today that number has risen to 13 SEER. If you want to have even greater saving, you might want to consider going as high as a 19 SEER unit.

Again, with the high cost of energy today, it’s a small price to pay to keep your unit running efficiently!