I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “You get what you pay for”? That doesn’t just apply to throwing the waiter a few bucks before he serves you or spending extra for a reliable car. This holds true to for your air conditioner, too. Below are a few tips to show you that cutting corners will most likely result in you not saving money.
1. Efficient Units vs. Cheap Units
In this economy, many people try and save money wherever they can – buying generic-brand groceries, shopping less, etc. There are certain things, however, that you simply cannot cut back on – and one them in your air conditioning unit. The less expensive the unit, the lower the SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating is. Central air conditioning units should have a SEER rating of at least 14. To show you just how much of cost difference you’ll have in the long run, an air conditioner with the lowest SEER rating (8) will cost $100 in energy costs per month, while the highest rating (21) will cost $39 per month. That saves you 61% every month! You may be spending a few hundred now, but you’ll be saving over $700 every single year.
2. Strong Filters vs. Cheap Filters
A filter is an essential part of any air conditioner because its job is to trap all the contaminants from entering the air you breathe in. Now, clearly you want your family, friends and coworkers breathing in fresh, clean air. The sturdier the filter, the better it’ll work. However, if you decided to purchase a very cheap filter, the odds of breathing in those impurities increase dramatically – and no one wants that.
3. Name Brands vs. Cheap Brands
Spending extra money on an air conditioning unit with a name brand isn’t like buying a fancy purse or wallet – a knockoff will hold your money just as well as a Louis Vuitton. A name brand air conditioner, though, will take you from crazy heat to a cool home or office. The reason? Like we said before, you get what you pay for. Cheaper, non-brand name units are physically built cheaper and are, therefore, more likely to break down. What’s worse is that when (not if) they break down, their parts are that much harder to find.
The goal of our blog is to help educate our customers and the public about all different air conditioning & heating related topics, issues, technologies, and tips. Interstate Air Conditioning & Heating is located at 1133 Broadway, suite 706, New York, NY 10010 for Air Conditioning Installation in NYC please call us to schedule an installation consultation.