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What Does a Quality Air Conditioning Installation Look Like?
Brand new energy-efficient air conditioners promise significant energy savings. But if you hire irresponsible or unqualified HVAC contractors to manage the installation procedures, your lofty expectations may soon be dashed.
If you purchase a high-efficiency air conditioner but cut corners when choosing a company to handle air conditioning installation services, you’ll regret that decision immensely in the long run.
The Four Most Important Factors in Air Conditioning Installation
According to studies by government analysts working with the Energy Star program, poorly installed air conditioners may waste up to 30 percent of the energy they consume. Bad air conditioning installation means bad performance, it is just that simple, and if you aren’t careful about choosing an HVAC contractor you might end up with an air conditioner that operates far below peak efficiency.
Great contractors understand the keys to high-quality A/C installation, which are:
1. Proper sizing
Undersized air conditioners will run all the time, in a futile attempt to keep up with a home’s cooling needs. On the other hand, air conditioners that are too powerful will cycle on and off constantly, which will hinder operating efficiency, put excessive strain on the equipment, and prevent the air conditioner from adequately dehumidifying the humid summertime air.
Trained HVAC technicians rely on a system known as Manual J to calculate the cooling requirements of any residential or commercial space, and with this information in hand they will recommend the proper-sized air conditioner for your home. Skip Manual J (as the hack contractors often do) and the choice of equipment becomes a matter of guesswork.
2. Sufficient air flow
Air conditioner manufacturers always specify the volume of air that should flow through the unit’s air handler, and if installation technicians come up short it will hamper the performance of the equipment and leave a home badly undercooled.
Factoring in air flow need is just simple attention to detail, but you’d be surprised at how often cut-rate contractors ignored the basics.
3. Satisfactory levels of refrigerant
The refrigerants used by air conditioners do yeoman’s work regulating the absorption and transfer of heat out of your home, and as long as your system is kept fully charged with these miracle chemicals your A/C should work like a charm.
But sloppy or dishonest contractors are often stingy with the refrigerant (it’s a costly product), leaving unlucky homeowners with an air conditioner that runs constantly yet still can’t hit the preferred temperature targets.
4. Airtight ductwork
Leaky ductwork is responsible for about half of that 30 percent energy loss associated with bad air conditioning installation services. Poorly trained or unprofessional technicians tend to rush through the ductwork installation process (or the inspection process if you’re going with a retrofit), on the assumption that “good enough” is good enough.
But it isn’t. Ductwork must be properly sealed to eliminate leakage, and the smartest professionals are now using the Aeroseal Duct Sealing system to get the job done. Invented by the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA, the Aeroseal system fills cracks, crevices, misaligned seams, and tiny holes from the inside, reducing air leakage by as much as 90 percent.
Poor contractors don’t know much about Aeroseal, but it’s all the rage with the top HVAC companies.
Pick the Best and Forget the Rest—and Northern Climate Control is the Best
If you’re looking for fully reliable air conditioning installation services in the Denver Metro Area, look no further—Northern Climate Control is here and we’re ready to help. Our technicians are highly-trained, highly-skilled, and fully-licensed and insured, and we deliver first-rate installations time and time again.
