Most people start shopping for an air conditioner in the middle of a heat wave, which is the worst possible time to decide. You take whatever is in stock, it goes in fast, and you live with it for the next fifteen years. An hour of thinking before the season is worth more than any amount of brand comparison. Here is what actually decides whether you are happy with it.
Getting the size right matters more than the brand. An air conditioner that is too big is worse than one that is slightly too small, which surprises almost everyone. Cooling and drying only happen while the unit is running. An oversized unit cools the air fast, hits the thermostat setting, and shuts off before it has pulled any moisture out, so you get a house that is cold and damp at the same time and a compressor that wears out from constant stopping and starting. The right size runs longer and steadier, dries the air properly, and leaves you comfortable at a higher thermostat setting, which is cheaper. Sizing is a real calculation that takes in your windows, insulation and ceiling heights. If someone gives you a size over the phone without seeing the house, get a second quote.
One number tells you what it will cost to run. That number is SEER2. Higher means less electricity for the same cooling. The lowest you can buy new in Canada is 13.4, and most homes end up somewhere in the mid-teens. Whether it is worth paying for a higher one depends entirely on how much you run it: if the air conditioning is on all summer, the difference is real money, and if you use it for three weeks in July, it is not. Ask what SEER2 the quote is for, and ask what the upgrade would save you per year. A good contractor will answer that in dollars rather than in ratings.
Decide whether you want heating too, because it is the same machine. A heat pump is an air conditioner that also runs in reverse. It cools in summer exactly like an air conditioner, and through most of the winter it heats your home for a fraction of what electric heating costs. The gap in purchase price is usually smaller than people expect, and efficient heat pumps qualify for government rebates that air conditioners generally do not. This is the one decision worth slowing down for, because you only get to make it when you are replacing equipment anyway. Our comparison of the two lays it out. If you decide you only want cooling, that is a perfectly reasonable answer and we install air conditioners too.
What actually goes wrong, and when. A well-installed unit lasts twelve to fifteen years. What kills one early is almost always the same short list: it was the wrong size, the filter was left dirty, or it was never serviced. None of those are the manufacturer’s fault and all of them are avoidable. On the warranty, ask three plain questions before you sign: how long on parts, how long on labour, and who do I call. Those are often different answers. The one thing to be wary of is a cheap unit with a one-year warranty, not because it will fail sooner, but because when it does fail in year three the parts have usually stopped being made.
The installation decides more than the model does. The same unit put in by two different companies will not perform the same way. Refrigerant charge, airflow through the ducts, and where the outdoor unit sits all get set on installation day and all of them are hard to fix afterwards. This is why the contractor is worth more of your attention than the badge on the equipment, and it is what our article on choosing a contractor is about. Whatever you buy, plan on two service visits a year to keep it in the condition you paid for.
If you are still weighing central against wall-mounted, our article on what type suits your home covers that choice. Once you know the type, talk to one of our advisors and we will size it against your actual house.
