How to choose right air conditioning system

Air Conditioning systems have two main components: an indoor unit, such as a furnace or air handler, and an outdoor unit. The outdoor unit works by cooling a refrigerant, which in turn cools air in the indoor unit for circulation through your home. Indoor and outdoor units are designed to work together. When the air conditioner is properly matched with a furnace or air handler, you get maximum efficiency and longer system life.

There are many things to consider when purchasing a quality air conditioning system:

Air Conditioning System Seer efficiency?

The First thing to consideration when purchasing a quality Air Conditioning system you should is the units SEER value. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is a measure of the cooling efficiency of your air conditioning system. The higher the SEER number, the more efficient the system is at converting electricity into cooling. The SEER for your new Air Conditioning system should be at least 13, preferably 14.5 or higher. A qualified Ottawa heating and Air Conditioning contractor can tell you the SEER of new equipment, or you can look for an energy label on the air conditioning equipment.

Take advantage of current promotions and government rebates:

Another important factor is to research your product, try to take advantage of current promotion and government rebates. Ie The HEATING & COOLING INCENTIVE is available for residents and businesses (and businesses with residential-type systems) in Ontario who have purchased and installed* eligible replacement central heating or cooling equipment through a participating contractor.

• $250 incentive when you have an existing furnace replaced with the purchase and installation of a high-efficiency furnace equipped with an Electronically Commutated Motor (ECM).

• $250 incentive when you have an existing central air conditioner (CAC) replaced with the purchase and installation of an ENERGY STAR qualified CAC system (NOTE: ENERGY STAR qualified criteria = minimum 14.5 SEER and 12 EER ).

• $400 incentive when you have an existing CAC replaced with the purchase and installation of a stand-alone CEE “Tier 2″ level central air conditioning system (NOTE: “Tier 2″ level qualified criteria = minimum 15 SEER and 12.5 EER).

Is the Air Conditioning Contractor Qualified?

You should always be looking for quality Air Conditioning contractors when work is to be done in your home. The contractor should be able to demonstrate to you that there work is covered when they are working in your home.ie insurance and liability coverage, TSSA licensing, ODP licence, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic Red Seal Certificate.
The contractor should never give a quote over the phone. In order to get accurate pricing and proper unit size, there should always be a site visit.