Central A/C ?? Pro/Con?? Anything better out there??

[TwingleMum]

We are on the brink of a major renovation project and I've always wanted central a/c. But given that here this was the summer that wasn't weather wise I'm having 2nd thoughts. Currently we only have a/c upstairs in the bedrooms. If its warm enough during the day I go up around 4 or 5 pm and put the a/c on in the bedrooms with the doors closed. Get snice and cool. I really like the bedroom cold. I'm worried I won't be able to get that real "Ahhh" cold bedroom with a/c. What do you think??

 

[jen0610]

We have central air and if we shut the door to bed or bathrooms, you will get slapped in the face with cold air when you walk in that room.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I only have central A/C.

I am guessing you have window units?

If you are doing major renovations on your house, I would put in a central unit. One of the reasons is just for "upgrading" your house. It will sell better and you may even see a return on that.

How is your neighborhood? Do the people around you have central air?

As far as that "cold feeling", you won't get that because your whole house will already be cold.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am so glad that we chose to install our CA unit when we renovated the house. No more units hanging out of windows, even temperatures throughout the house, no more blasts of cold in one room while another is barely cooling off. We have had it of most of this summer but tht is fine with me. It has already paid for itself IMO!

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I have window units. I would guess 90% of the houses in my neighborhood have central a/c. Could I get more vents in my bedroom to make it extra cold??

 

[Disney Doll]

As far as resale alone, if most of the houses in your neighborhood have central air and you are in the midst of a renovation, you should put it in too. You will be amazed at how much $$ you will save by not running window units all the time. Trust me, we had window units for years until we renovated about 8 years ago and put in central AC and our electric bill went down.

As far as your extra cold bedroom, close the door...when you open it to go in, it'll be cold!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Where I live, everyone has central AC. I don't even know of any neighborhoods that even allow window units. AC is a core part of surviving here. Our heat index has been well over 100 almost every day since before May ended.

As far as super cooling a room, it all depends. A central AC has to be balanced. This is typically done by having more or fewer vents, larger or smaller vents, and where you place the return air ducts. If your AC company is good, you can tell them what you want and they can do it.

If you want to get really fancy, they make systems that allow you to set the temps separately in different zones or rooms. With that, you could adjust your room to whatever temp you want. Those systems aren't popular, so I assume that they are either expensive, don't work very well, or both.

I would also advise that you get a programmable thermostat. During the school year, I let the upstairs get much warmer during the day since no one is up there. The savings are even better for families that entirely leave their house during the day.

Also, if you have a two story house, you might consider getting two units. The heat load is very different upstairs vs downstairs. On the other hand, if you are an area where AC is a luxury, that might be overkill. Down here, if you have a two story with dual zones, you have to put up with annoying temperature differentials between the floors.

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks Doll & Mark. I live in a suburb of NYC so we can can hot during the summers ~ just not this year. Believe it or not we just put the units in the windows last week. Our house is a 2 story colonial so all the bedrooms are upstairs. Two zones would probably make sense. I'm glad to hear that it may save me $$ on the electric bill. Any little bit helps

 

[Demosthenes]

You make me jealous that you live in a place where that is even a question! Of course, I don't envy your winters, but central AC is an absolute must here in GA. I think you'll find the air much more evenly distributed, with central air. Fewer hot and cold spots. Be sure to get a test and balance done on the system. That will ensure that dampers are adjusted to allow for even cooling.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

We are also having the summer that wasn't. I've even considered putting the heat on a time or two...

 

[RNMOM]

It will be a big issue if you were to sell your home. Everyone wants C/A. You can always choose not to use it. It doesn't expire or anything. A ceiling fan in each bedroom and the family room is enough for us this cool summer.

 

[minkydog]

Where I live, everyone has central AC. I don't even know of any neighborhoods that even allow window units. AC is a core part of surviving here. Our heat index has been well over 100 almost every day since before May ended.

You make me jealous that you live in a place where that is even a question! Of course, I don't envy your winters, but central AC is an absolute must here in GA.

What they said. I live in a suburb of Atlanta and we've been just dying. I came home last Friday to no A/C. It was almost 90 degrees in my house at 11pm. Our HVAC guys came yesterday and worked like dogs out in that heat. It finally got cool sometime during the night. I'm jealous of anyone who can get through the summer with temps in the 70s. Of course, I would NOT want to have the long, dreary, snowy winters.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

We are also having the summer that wasn't. I've even considered putting the heat on a time or two...

Same here. We have yet to turn on the AC this summer. That said, I would never buy a home without central AC...