These days it’s getting hot. It’s the middle of May on Ottawa, and we all know what’s coming in a few short weeks…. summer. And with summer comes hot and humid weather. Being in the heating and cooling business, our phone is ringing off the hook these days and almost everyone is asking:
What does a new air conditioner cost?
What sparked this article is a phone call that I received this past week. A fellow called me up to ask me a about a certain brand of air conditioner that I had never heard of before. I”m not saying that I know everything about everything, but I do tend to know what brands are in the marketplace.
Anyway, this guy told me what the system was, and he told what the price was that he saw online. I’m going to call this air conditioner BrandX… mostly because I con’t remember the actual brand name he quoted me… and this particular sized system that he quoted me was $614. He asked me if I could match it, and If I could then he would give me the business.
Well… first of all… $614 is not going to get you a full air conditioner up and running… not even close! It seems that with Google we are able to research everything. We can find a 13 SEER air conditioner on Ebay right? Maybe Kijiji has one too that is priced too good to be true! And how much is it going to cost you to ship it? Pay the duty?
2 stage air conditioner
What this guy was quoting me was an air conditioner condenser, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner…. the part we all know of as “the air conditioner”. The reality is that when installing a new A/C system, there is a heck of a lot more than just the outdoor unit.
On top of the outdoor unit, an air conditioner has and indoor unit, called an evaporator coil. Connecting the coil to the condenser is a lineset made up of insulated, copper refrigeration lines and an electrical circuit. There is also the refrigeration to consider and the electrical connection at the panel…. and everyone of these things has a cost to it. There are the incidentals too… the other things such as an electrical disconnect box, low voltage wiring… how about a new patio slab and crushed stone to place your new condenser at the side of your house…. maybe a new set of wall brackets?
Skilled Labor is not Cheap! Cheap Labor is not Skilled!
Then there’s the installation of your new system. Getting a good qualified technician to come and install a system that they did not have the opportunity to provide to you is tough. What I mean by the this is that the person you will likely find to install your “cheap system” is not someone reliable who does good work… because that highly skilled and qualified tech is working for a good firm and couldn’t be bothered to do a side job on a Saturday.
So what does a new air conditioner cost then? It is going to depend on the size of the house as naturally there are different sized air conditioners?
What does a new air conditioner cost? It will depend on the installation of the whole system. How long is and how will the lineset be run? Where is the condenser going to be located? What is the electrical situation?
What does a new air conditioner cost? There are many different efficiency air conditioners… ranging from 13 SEER to 26 SEER. A 26 SEER air conditioner is going to cost you more now, but will no doubt save you a pile of money later?
What does a new air conditioner cost? Do you want a single stage air conditioner, a two-stage, or a modulating system? What type of furnace do you have (single stage, 2-stage, or modulating) as this will dictate what type of air conditioner can be installed?
So… What does a new air conditioner cost? Call me and find out. Let me show you why we are so good at what we do. On my visit to your house, we will look at your furnace capabilities. We will discuss the options available to you, efficiency and what it really means, and I will do a load calculation. to determine the right sized system for your house. Just because a 2.5 ton system was installed in your house 15 years ago, for example, does not mean that a 2.5 ton is the right size now. We change our house, upgrade insulation and windows and alter our cooling loads.
Call me for a quote and site visit at 613-301-2112
John Chapin
By the way… want to find out how to keep your second floor of your house just as cool as the main floor… and then keep the basement from feeling like the inside of a deep freezer? Click on this link and see how you can cool the upstairs of your house.