Central air conditioning

[Bill Bumface]

+1 for the compressor blanket. We added one after as I sit outside a ton in the summer and the noise, even on a "quieter" unit was obtrusive. They aren't exactly expensive, and it will take them 5 minutes to install it while they're in there.

[Sliver]

-1 for the blanket. I like to let mine run at full volume as a motivator to my neighbour to work a little harder - maybe one day he too can have an air conditioned house.

[Nyah]

The quote was right around $3500, so pretty much what I was expecting. He said the unit I'm getting is not really loud at all but that they could come back and install a compressor blanket if it bugs my neighbors. On the other hand, they have a yappy dog that's outside all hours of the day so maybe that'll help drone him out and issue a little payback

I cannot wait to be able to be comfortable in my house when it's 30 degrees. I used to dread those days but not I feel like I'll be able to look forward to them.

[bagofpucks]

Originally Posted by Sliver

-1 for the blanket. I like to let mine run at full volume as a motivator to my neighbour to work a little harder - maybe one day he too can have an air conditioned house.

Hah! Touché!

Yes, AC has been a game changer for us. I love to be outside, but I do not want to come into an oven of a house when I’ve been enjoying the heat. AC was especially awesome during the smoky summers when it was gross to have windows open.

I think I told this story on here before, but a buck completely obliterated our first AC unit for some unknown reason. Put a bunch of holes right through it and almost knocked it off the bracket. Thankfully, insurance covered it, but that was quite a funny phone call.

[uofaflamesfan]

Similarly we are looking to get central AC this year.

Any companies to avoid? Was just going to get a bunch of quotes from the well known places: Arpis, Reliance, etc.

[DoubleK]

I bought both my units from Arpis. They are excellent to deal with.

[kcin]

Anyone installed a mini-split in a loft and have comments or suggestions? Third floor, south facing loft with open floor plan that gets uncomfortably hot whenever the sun is shining. Existing central AC and poor duct work aren't enough to cool the loft.

[Nyah]

As this is our first year with central AC I'm just wondering what to expect with the electric bill? We got a high efficiency Lennox installed. Just wondering what to expect for our first bill as next week looks hot!

[Calgary14]

I notice about $50-80 per month extra now that I have central AC compared to when we didnt have it. But it totally depends on how much you use it (ie. keeping your house at 21 will mean higher costs than 24) and also the weather is a huge factor too, a couple hot weeks in July can really add up but a couple weeks of cooler temps means less usage

TLDR - it all depends on weather and usage

[Raekwon]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

I notice about $50-80 per month extra now that I have central AC compared to when we didnt have it. But it totally depends on how much you use it (ie. keeping your house at 21 will mean higher costs than 24) and also the weather is a huge factor too, a couple hot weeks in July can really add up but a couple weeks of cooler temps means less usage

TLDR - it all depends on weather and usage

$50-$80? no way, I keep mine at 17-19 and don't see nearly that much of a change.

21? I thought you bought AC to cool the house

Looking back at last years bills I can't compare to weather but its Jun $274, July, $348, Aug $306, sept $336. Compare to Dec it was $371

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Raekwon

$50-$80? no way, I keep mine at 17-19 and don't see nearly that much of a change.

21? I thought you bought AC to cool the house

Looking back at last years bills I can't compare to weather but its Jun $274, July, $348, Aug $306, sept $336. Compare to Dec it was $371

Is that just electricity or electricity + gas? Seems pretty high for just electricity. If gas is in there winter would be high for heating.

If not, do you have other stuff that would be higher in winter (ie hot tub)?

[Calgary14]

Maybe it's lower I will have to double check. I am going off memory from last year but pretty sure we had about a week in there when it was around 29 degrees and sunny and we were home all day everyday so kept it lower than if we were away during the day

I would love to keep it at around 19 but that would lead to marital issues

But all that said the bills in winter seem way higher, especially in Jan/Feb

[DionTheDman]

We had central AC installed last year. Consulted with a bunch of different companies including Arpi's (via Costco), Action Furnace, Gavin Rairie, Aquality.

Ended up going with Action Furnace. Felt they were the closest to giving us what we needed without trying to upsell unnecessarily, and had the most detailed assessment when they came to do a quote/assessment. Arpi's was by far the priciest option.

[Raekwon]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Is that just electricity or electricity + gas? Seems pretty high for just electricity. If gas is in there winter would be high for heating.

If not, do you have other stuff that would be higher in winter (ie hot tub)?

Yeah it’s gas and electricity and I forgot I do run an electric heater in the garage in winter.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Nyah

The quote was right around $3500, so pretty much what I was expecting. He said the unit I'm getting is not really loud at all but that they could come back and install a compressor blanket if it bugs my neighbors. On the other hand, they have a yappy dog that's outside all hours of the day so maybe that'll help drone him out and issue a little payback

I cannot wait to be able to be comfortable in my house when it's 30 degrees. I used to dread those days but not I feel like I'll be able to look forward to them.

No worse than an average utility bill in the winter, but obviously higher by a bit than what you might expect for your dips in utility bills in the summer.

One thing that helps is to get used to using a smart thermostat. That way, if you go out, leave your AC totally off when you're gone. Use your phone to turn on your AC around 30-45 minutes before you get home. You're new to AC, so being able to drop the temps to comfortable is the pure awesome you're pursuing for now. You're not used to having a pure climate controlled home, so that ignorance is bliss for now.

[Iggy_12]

Anyone know what i could expect for the cost of a unit for a 2600 SQfoot house (includes basement)

Im interested but holding off on quotes so i dont get pressure sold

[Hemi-Cuda]

I think this week will be the first real test in our new house for how hot it gets in the summer. We moved in last September and until now I've never once thought it was hot enough to warrant getting AC, wonder if I'll still feel that way after a couple of 30 degree days

[sleepingmoose]

Originally Posted by Iggy_12

Anyone know what i could expect for the cost of a unit for a 2600 SQfoot house (includes basement)

Im interested but holding off on quotes so i dont get pressure sold

A couple years ago ours was around $5000 - the house is 2100sq ft without basement, so probably roughly the same.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Iggy_12

Anyone know what i could expect for the cost of a unit for a 2600 SQfoot house (includes basement)

Im interested but holding off on quotes so i dont get pressure sold

I think a developed vs non-developed basement and straight line/curved hook up from the outside could also skew costs a bit depending if you need to do any additional prep work to connect the AC to the utility room.

[sleepingmoose]

True, ours was very straight forward with a quick shot through the wall to the furnace and breaker panel. And in all honesty, you don't need AC in the basement. To get it cool enough in our house everywhere else, we keep all of the basement vents closed, and it's still like a meat locker with all the cold air sinking.