For most people, the biggest factor when looking for HVAC Installation Services in Charleston, SC is price. While price is important, the true suitability of an air conditioning system should be its efficiency. A cheap air conditioning unit will save you money, but the cost of running it will ultimately not be worth it.
Understanding efficiency
Efficiency depends on the cooling capacity of the air conditioning unit. Cooling capacity is measure in BTU, which stands for British thermal units. BTU rating is a complex idea. It is not always that a bigger BTU will result in greater efficiency. The BTU should depend on the size of the room. Units that have either too large or too small a BTU rating will not be as efficient. Other factors that might affect the BTU include the height of the ceiling, the shade and sunlight on the room, number of people that regularly use the room especially in commercial air conditioning and whether or not the house or room has a kitchen.
Electrical requirement
This is another factor of efficiency. The electrical requirement is a direct consequence of the BTU rating. There are two types of circuits that can be used to serve air conditioning units. Most normal systems use the basic domestic ratings of between 115 and 125 volts. Air conditioning units that range below 15000 BTUs fall under this category. Units that have a cooling capacity of more than 15000 units run on circuits rated at 220 volts. The electrical requirements are often listed on the air conditioning unit.
Energy efficiency
Energy efficiency is another important factor of the overall efficiency of the air conditioning unit. Different types of units have different energy efficiency ratings. Ducted heating and cooling systems are considered less energy efficient than window air conditioning systems in some circles. When investigating the energy efficiency, look at the energy star and EER ratings. Units that have an energy star rating are often up to ten per cent more efficient in their uptake of energy. The EER rating stands for energy efficiency ratio. This tells what the cooling capacity of the air conditioning system is for every unit of power.
These are the most important factors to consider when looking for true efficiency in an HVAC unit.
