Central air conditioning is a priority for my home in Palm Bay, Florida.
When I purchased the property, there was a cooling system already installed.
It was already quite old, not overly energy efficient and struggled to manage an ideal temperature on especially tepid afternoons, and due to the severely long, tepid and humid summers in Palm Bay, I decided to invest into the upgrade of a current AC unit. Determining the right a/c was a decision that would significantly affect comfort, energy efficiency and running costs. I wanted to understand what to look for in a cooling system. I researched in order to educate myself and make the best of the opportunity, and one of the main considerations is cooling capacity. It is measured in BTUs and works to match the size of the cooling device to the demands of the home. A system that is too small will struggle to properly cool the home. It will run regularly, experience wear and tear and use a wonderful deal of energy. An oversized device will short cycle and fail to reach optimum efficiency levels, leading to higher weekly bills. I knew that I needed a licensed HVAC professional to accurately calculate the appropriate capacity for the square footage of the living space. Energy efficiency is actually a priority, affecting expenses and comfort. I was prepared to spend more money to purchase a device with a higher SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating. The SEER indicates how efficiently the a/c operates. The higher rating, the lower the operating costs. Those units that achieve Energy Star qualification help to save money and reduce carbon footprint.