As the temperatures rise, you may be thinking about buying a new Air Conditioning Replacement. But how do you figure out how much you should spend on a unit? Let’s talk about the 4 Cost Factors of a New Central Air Conditioning Replacement.
Four factors determine the size of your air conditioning replacement, which are:
- Technical Requirements
- Safety Requirements
- Environmental Choices
- Installer Choices
Before going into what each of those factors entail, you should know: the first two factors concern requirements. They are specific to your home and location. Unfortunately, these factors are not flexible. These are your base for pricing. The last two factors are based on your preferences. These are flexible. You can choose the options you want.
These first two categories are constants, and do not change based on preferences.
Factor #1: Technical Requirements:
- Size of home
- Square feet of living space
- Floor plan, layout, or style
- One, two, or three-story
- Construction type requirements
- Forced air, steam, or hot water
- BTU Load
You’re going to want to get a notebook and record the above information. First, write down “Size of Home” at the top of the page. Second, under that write: “Square Feet of Living Space = ”. Third, write the answer to the right of the =. Finally, continue the steps for the entire list. Copy it in your note book and write the answers alongside them. This information is great to have handy when shopping for a New Air Conditioning Replacement. AC Installation Contractors will need this information. Having it already can help make the process go faster and smoother for you. If you don’t know your BTU Load, don’t worry, just give us a call and we can help you with that.
Factor #2: Safety Requirements
(working with electrical & plumbing)
- Safety, licensing, and building code requirements including:
- Town, State, City, Federal, and County
Anytime that you are going to alter your furnaces, ductwork, hot water heat, commercial kitchen ventilation, gas piping, exhaust ventilation, and such work in Minnesota, you need to check with your City, County, State, and Federal safety requirements. You need to mindful of building codes, licensing, safety, and all the required inspections. In the city of St. Cloud, MN you can find all the necessary information on the City of St Cloud’s Webpage. If you don’t live in St. Cloud, MN, simply contact your city or your county and ask about the safety requirements.
These next two categories are flexible and the options depend on your preferences
Factor #3: Environment Choices
(energy efficiency, add ons like de-humidification, type of thermostat)
- Energy Efficiency
- Comfort-enhancing options
- Purity and freshness of air you breathe
- One, two, or three-story
- Convenience in operation and maintenance
Energy choices for your new air conditioning replacement are entirely up to you. However, you should be aware of the benefits for which you may qualify through city, county, state, and federal programs. Contact Us to find out what programs you may qualify for.
In Minnesota, some incentives can be found here:
Beyond energy efficiency, other add ons include comfort-enhancing options, purity and freshness of air you breathe, and convenience in operation and maintenance. Do you or someone in your home suffer from allergies? Allergy suffers can benefit greatly from purity of air add ons. The choice is yours.
Factor #4: Installer Choices
- Commitment to excellence
- Expertise
- Character
- Morals
- Ethics
- Safety
- Honoring warranties
When it comes to choosing your Air Conditioning Installer, you have many options. Some options you’ll want to consider is commitment to excellence. You don’t want someone who is going to do a sloppy job and leave you with an inefficient system. You may or may not want an installer with expertise. Character, morals, and ethics are also options you have when choosing an installer. The most important options to look for in installer choices are safety and honoring warranties. Once you find an installer that has all of the options you wish to see in an installer, you are ready to go.
Want More Individualized Help?
At Neighborhood Plumbing, Heating, A/C and Electrical, we stock a number of top name central air conditioner makes and models. Determining the best AC system for your home can be tough and is a job best left up to our trained and professional AC Installation Technicians. We will help you throughout all aspects of your new AC purchase, from design options to proper sizing to installation, maintenance, and repair.