Air Conditioning season is almost here; are you ready?

Its hard to believe that air conditioning season is close upon us and it seems to be coming much sooner than it usually does.

We have been seeing much higher than average temps on an almost daily basis. What does this mean, well I believe that we could see one of the hottest summers on record.

This leads to one question – are you ready?

Generally speaking most air conditioning and refrigeration companies are slower in the month of February and March due to a few factors, weather, first quarter, etc.… Because of this the cost to have air-conditioning installed at this time is usually much less expensive, like anything, demand goes up and cost follows.

If you have been planning to install air conditioning in your home or office the best time for that is now. That being said if you have an existing system now would be a good time to have it serviced to ensure it will be ready to operate when the time comes.

If you are in the market for an air conditioning system there are a couple things to consider.

 The first thing everyone looks at is price, well its always a good idea to shop around the best price doesn’t necessarily mean quality. There are many unqualified people out there installing these units on the side and many companies that send out unqualified technicians to install them as well. Now a residential A/C system is pretty basic in terms of a refrigeration system but it still requires a knowledgeable person to ensure the unit will preform properly over the long term. Do your homework, get quotes and check equipment reviews to see that what you are purchasing is right for you.

One of the most common selling points many people will use to upsell a unit is efficiency or SEER rating (seasonal energy efficiency rating); higher the number means more energy efficient. In a day and age where we are becoming much more aware of the impact we have on our earth sales people will really try and push you to purchase a more efficient system. Well this is great and it will consume far less energy the problem is in our climate the unit will never run long enough within a year for it to be cost effective. It would take some twenty years for the additional cost of the unit versus the cost of powering it. That being said if you lived in California where it would operate for ten months a year then it would be very beneficial to use a high efficient model, in Canada; not so much.

If you currently have an air conditioning system here are a few items to consider also.

First of all is your furnace filter. With an A/C system it becomes very important to use good filters and to ensure you are changing it on a regular basis. An A/C coil is a very difficult, expensive and time-consuming thing to clean. The coils cleanliness will effect its operation not only in cooling months but in heating months as well, if it is not kept clean it will act as a restriction to air flow within the system greatly reducing the systems efficiency and comfort levels within the space.

Another part to the comfort cooling system that requires cleaning is the outdoor unit itself. It draws air through it when in normal operation and will over time become coated and potentially plugged with dirt and debris if not attended to. Once per year with your garden hose and a spray nozzle simply spray the unit out. One thing to keep in mind when doing this is to always point the water flow straight at the unit and move in an up and down motion, never at an angle as this could damage the fins and ultimately reduce air flow over the unit. Never use a pressure washer to clean the unit unless you hire a qualified technician, the added pressure will cause great damage to the condenser if not done correctly.

If you are in the market for an Air conditioning system or currently have one and you have any questions ask our knowledgeable team how we might be able to help.