Before you plunge in to determine the costs of HVAC installations, you need to study the technical terms, definitions and factors that will help in picking the right installation service provider. As for selecting the right contractor or service provider, that is a separate topic for study. While for this blog post, let’s go through two important cost-related factors you need to consider before undergoing the HVAC installation service PA for your home.
1. HOUSE SIZE
Do note that central air conditioners come in a variety of sizes (measured in “tons”), and obviously the cost of installation will also vary as per size. But be clear the tonnage of an HVAC unit is not determined on its weight. Simply put, a “ton” is based on the ability of the unit to provide cooling in the home. On an average, a 1-ton air conditioner is able to cool 12,000 BTUs in one hour. Likewise, a 2-ton air unit will cover 24,000 BTUs per hour. As for the definition of a BTU, it is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. In short, a 1-ton air conditioning unit is capable of cooling 12,000 pounds of water by 1 degree each hour. It’s better to get clear figures with these calculations to help you in understanding that larger the house, the more work or tons will be required by the unit to cool or heat.
Normally a 1-ton unit is designed to handle 400 sq/ft. of the home floor. For instance, it’s apply simple mathematics a 2,000 sq/ft. structure will call for a 5-ton unit.
2. THE DUCTWORK
Quite often clients are left confused whether they have overspent on a cooling unit. For example, if someone pays around $10,000 to $11,000 on a new air conditioning unit, I would say that’s a fine purchase for a well-equipped unit. But an additional question arises: what type of ductwork have you installed? Not necessarily everyone is aware of the fact that the quality and type of ductwork is very important for the performance of the cooling or heating unit.
It will incur you around $2,000 to $3,000 more for a new, standard, R-6 insulated, Mylar-sheathed flex ductwork. The cost is justified due to the intensive labor work and time required to do the job professionally. The technical structure of a duct may look simple to you, but in reality is much more complicated than that. For example, there should be custom fabricated manual dampers installed at each T-Y junction responsible for proper air balance. You don’t want one room freezing while beside one having no air flow at all! Further each T-Y junction should be insulated to prevent the accumulation of condensation and mold.