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A/C Brands Are Not What You Should Worry About






I started researching this entry to find THE BEST air conditioner in Los Angeles for my readers. Unlucky for me, I soon realized that’s not the question to ask.


A/Cs are a strange wild west of manipulated scores, unrealistic criteria, and measurements that just don’t mean a thing. Lucky for you, I put in the legwork for some clear cut answers.
Air Conditioning Brands Don’t Matter
You ask me what the best blender is and I’ll research the finest strawberry to smoothie machine you’ve ever seen. I did that with double-hung windows.
But ask what the best central air conditioner is, and I’ll say that’s not the question you should be asking.
Here are a few brands you’re perfectly fine to choose from:
Goodman
Trane
American Standard
Rheem
Ruud
Bryant
The technology behind air conditioners is not rocket science. Essentially, you have an evaporator, a condensing unit, and a fan. You can only spice up those parts so much.
There are bigger questions to ask. Like -


How powerful does my unit need to be?
Central A/Cs specifically speak in the languages of TONS, which is how much hot air they can fight off. When choosing a central A/C you need to know your SF (square footage of home).


Find your zone, then find your square footage, and the answer to your left are the TONS needed to cool your space off. Notice these are broken up in brackets because you DON’T want too many TONS or too few. You want it just right.
Lower air conditioning TONS don’t cool down your house enough, which is absolutely not what you want. Higher TONS end up cycling. Which means your A/C cools your house too fast, then stops, then starts up again over and over. This skyrockets your energy budget and again, you absolutely do not want that. Which brings us to -
Remember, these are ballpark answers. A trained specialist from Novel Remodeling takes into account sunlight, region, ceiling height, and a whole lot of other factors that truly go into determining the right A/C for you to save energy, and of course, money.
How energy efficient is this unit?
Everyone wants to save some money on their next energy bill. It’s the largest motivating factor for buying a central A/C as opposed to a window-mounted unit.

Easiest way to find the right unit for you is the SEER rating which lets you know how energy efficient your unit is.13 - 14 is the usual number you’ll find on an A/C, with the full spectrum (higher the better) going up to 28.
It does get a little more complicated than this, but luckily energy star has a SEER rating calculator that makes it all simple.
Which brings us to the most important question you need to ask.
How reputable is my air conditioning installer?

This is it. After researching what the experts had to say, it was unanimous. You can buy yourself the most expensive, full proof, warrantied, energy saving behemoth of a central A/C in Los Angeles and STILL end up in trouble.
The installer is king. No matter the quality of your A/C the setup itself can either solidify that performance or completely destroy your unit within three years.


Read reviews. Read a lot of them. Do research specific to your area and see what people have to say. A company’s history trails after it, and if their performance is shoddy, you’ll find out. If you're lucky enough to live in Los Angeles, Novel Remodeling can take care of you.
Is a central A/C right for me?
Not owning a central A/C is often a deal breaker for potential buyers for your home, so keep that in mind when we just talk about efficiency.
Central A/Cs can be incredibly energy efficient in comparison to their window mounted counterparts, but that all depends.If you are willing to only keep one room in the house conditioned it might be better to go with a single unit. It’s a lifestyle decision.
However, at all costs, ALL, avoid portable A/Cs. They’re inefficient, costly, and overall a bad time considering how often they break down. It’s not worth it. Wait for the technology to get better.
Got it all?
These are the basics you should know before talking to a contractor to ensure that you aren’t given a raw deal or berated with lingo you had no business knowing in the first place. That said, if you don’t want to deal with any games, Novel Remodeling offers free inspections on central A/C installation. The installation, more than the product itself determines the viability of your unit. Choose right. Click here.

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Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA

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