Hot! Hot! Hot!

Summers here in AZ, as you can no doubt infer, are super hot. We've spent the last two summers with our swampie on full blast, ceiling fans a-spinnin', and one window AC unit in the bedroom for sleeping.

This Friday we're getting estimates on AC installation costs for summer 2011. Woohoo! Here's hoping that 1) It's affordable and 2) They can do it before June.

Here is some helpful info to consider from Apartment Therapy:

A. The goal is to buy an efficient unit that will cool the room using the least amount of electricity.

B. Know what you need. Figure out how many btu's your room requires.

Simplest way to do so is length x width x 35=btu's. Or sq ft x 35.

If you have high ceilings, are on a high floor of a bldg, have a kitchen attached to the room you are cooling, or get a lot of sunlight you want to multiply by 45.

Since we are using pre-existing vents, I'm hoping that installation will be pretty straightforward. The questions that I want to ask are:
  • How big of a unit do you estimate that we'll need? (BTU's)
  • What are the price ranges of Energy Star products that are in that size?
  • How much do you estimate installation will cost? How long will it take?
  • When is the earliest that schedule our installation?
  • What kind of follow-up/maintenance do you offer?

Comments

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Tucson Trekker said…
Glad to hear that you are progressing with your air-conditioning quest. Another factor that could be considered is, can I air-condition in zones? [ie, only air-condition the bedroom(s) at night and the living room / kitchen during the day.] The cost of use could be significantly reduced this way while still maintaining your comfort.
Mom
That's a great idea, Mom. Sadly, I don't think that's what they do. Although there was the illusion of choice, it was more like: you can buy this expensive package or this REALLY expensive package. Customizing would be even more wickedly costly, but an excellent idea.