We’re shopping for our first home and often see this advertised as a selling point. Is this an improvement over other options? Why? How much does it cost to install if we buy a home without it?
Central air means that you have a system that moves air throughout the home. Many older homes do not have this, because it was not available when the house was built.
Install price can vary greatly, depending on the size of the home, the design, and how “hidden” you want it.
In our experience there are two ways to cool the air in your home: central air and evaporation coolers.
Evaporation coolers work by blowing air through water and into your home which adds humidity and is not very efficient in humid conditions.
Central works by compressing refrigerant which gets very cold and blowing the cooler air into the home through duct work running from a central unit, hence the name central air.
Central air is an improvement to homes in humid areas or in very hot climates.
Central Air would be your Heating/Air conditioning system. What they mean by central air is your furnace system with installed duct work, also called forced air. The Furnace blows the warm/cool air to the rooms throughout the house using the the heating ducts as carrying system, like water through the plumbing pipes. Depending on the size of the house and the model/efficiency of the furnace and heat pump the price can vary drastically. Usually a complete install for a retro fit (house that is already finished, not new construction) runs anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000. Your other options of heat would be Cadet heaters, Baseboards, wood stove, etc. The central air or Heat Pump system is often more desirable since they are more energy efficient, clean, and usually have the option for Air Conditioning. Just make sure if you are looking for a home with an already installed system, that it has the outdoor unit. That would be your heat pump/Air Conditioner. It is the square unit approximately 36" x 36" x 40" tall that sits on the outside of the home on a concrete pad with copper refrigerant lines running inside the house. Hope that was somewhat helpful.
Thanks, Travis
O.G.C. Construction
Central air, is at it implies. It is, for the most part, a standard these days to utilize this style of HVAC. It replaced the window units and baseboard heat of the older days. If you look at older homes, you may still find that they utilize the older style HVAC solutions. Typically speaking, those older solutions cost a bit more to operate. However, you do have the ability to control each room individually with those older systems. A newer system will have a singular thermostat and vents through out the home.
If you need/want a more defined answer we would be happy to explain in further detail if needed.