The Most Important Question To Ask Before You Buy A Central Air Conditioner

When a salesperson from one of the typical air conditioning companies in Denver comes to your home to give you a price quote, he (or she) will follow a predictable routine. They will look at your existing furnace and air conditioner, check the thermostat and the electrical panel, all while sizing you up and maybe asking a few questions to see if you’ve gotten any other quotes. Then they will show you a price for the air conditioner they want to install for you, regardless of whether it’s the best unit for you.

Some companies will even have their salespeople give you several different air conditioners to choose from. Most of the time the choices they offer you range from an incredibly expensive ultra high efficiency unit down to maybe a mid-tier unit that seems more reasonable in comparison.

What most of them will not do however, is ask you the most important question there is when trying to decide which central air conditioning unit is best for your home...

Do you plan to stay in your home for more than the next 5 years?

Why is how long you plan to live in your current home so important?

Because If you think you’re likely to move in the near future, you will probably want to install a basic, workhorse air conditioner like a 13 SEER unit. It simply doesn’t make good financial sense to install an expensive ultra high efficiency ac unit if you won’t be staying in your home long enough to recoup the additional cost of that type of unit through utility bill savings.

There are exceptions of course. Homeowners who live in larger or more expensive homes might want to go ahead and install a higher efficiency air conditioner, because prospective buyers are likely to be expecting upgraded heating and cooling systems in the home.

So before you decide to install new air conditioner in your home, ask yourself how likely you are to move in the next 5 years. If there’s a reasonable chance you might sell during that timeframe, you will almost always be better off installing a basic, workhorse air conditioner instead of the ultra high efficiency model most companies will want to sell you.