The Best Central Air Conditioners

HOW TO CHOOSE = The size of the best central air conditioners has to be determined by the contractor installing the system. He (or an engineer who has produced shop drawings) will compute your cooling load in BTUs and then specify the size of the unit, in tons (12000 BTU/hr = one ton).

The higher the SEER rating, the more to buy and less to operate. Your local utility and the government might have appropriate rebates for high efficiency units. Look for sound dampening features such as vibration isolators for the compressor and/or sound insulation.

A ten-year warranty on the compressor and five years on other parts is common. A variety of extended service plans are optional, and you might be able to get 5 years of free service as part of the deal.

The overall cost of the best central air conditioners will vary significantly if you have an existing system in your house. If you have no ductwork, or if it’s old and leaky and needs replacing, the cost will be at least double the cost if your new system can be connected to existing ductwork.

Don’t get hung up on a brand name. The consensus among contractors appears to be that all brands are essentially the same. Of course, some push for the brands they sell, but in neutral forums where there is no sale to be made, many candidly express no brand preference and insist that quality of installation is more important than the hardware used.

These reviews did not distinguish among brand names – Carrier and Trane being the most common.

THE REVIEW = The best air conditioning systems sold today are the high-efficiency systems (16 to 23 SEER). Since their initial cost is higher, they make sense if you will be in your home for the long term, if you live in an area with high electric rates, or long cooling seasons, or are willing to pay more in order to reduce consumption for moral/environmental reasons. Most models are two-stage units, which cool with less on/off cycling. They all use an environmentally friendly coolant rather than Freon (which will not be available after 2009). These systems start at $3500 and go up.

Other top performers include:

Best mid-range efficiency (14.5 to 17 SEER) = $3,000 & up.

Best for low use, rental units, tight budgets (13-14.5 SEER) = $2500 & up.

An option for those without existing ductwork = Mini-split ductless systems.

Best price will be found by shopping around to your local contractors.

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