Look for These Key Features in a New Central A/C

If you’re shopping for a new central A/C for your Coastal Bend home, it’s important to make sure you shop smart, making sure your new air conditioner has features that will save on energy bills, enhance comfort in your home and adequately remove moisture from the air. Any effective cooling system should both cool and dehumidify. Here are the most important features to look for in a central A/C.

Proper Size for Your Home

This is probably the most important factor since it has such a great effect on other factors. The problem with an undersized A/C is obvious; it doesn’t have enough capacity to cool your home, especially during the continuous heat and humidity of the Texas Gulf Coast. However, an oversized A/C also is problematic. It quickly cools your home and then shuts off and continues to short cycle. This results in wasted energy, stress on A/C components, uneven cooling and inadequate air filtration and dehumidification.

Energy Efficient

There’s a wide range of cooling efficiency levels in modern air conditioners, ranging from a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 14 all the way into the mid-20s. The higher the number, the more cooling you’ll get for less electricity. You’ll pay more for high efficiency air conditioning, but you’ll reap monthly dividends throughout the life of the system.

Dehumidification

Different air conditioners have different capabilities when it comes to moisture removal. Make sure you select one that effectively dehumidifies your home. This, to some extent, is related to proper sizing, as mentioned above but also efficiency.  Some high efficiency match-ups get a high SEER rating but get it because they remove less moisture from the air.  Don’t assume all 16 SEER systems are the same when it comes to moisture removal.

Advanced Features

The most important modern features in central A/Cs are multi-stage or modulating compressors and variable-speed air handler motors. These features allow the A/C to adjust refrigerant flow and fan speed, respectively, to meet temperature needs in the home. They don’t just run full blast during operation, as is the case with standard cooling systems.  But these systems need to be installed correctly and the ductwork is much more critical to making sure the system will operate properly.

To discuss the features to look for in a central A/C, contact us at CCAC. We proudly provide quality service to the Coastal Bend area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about central A/C and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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