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femalej
LIF Adolescent
Member since 7/11 833 total posts
Name:
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central air
about how much does it cost to get this installed? and is it worth it (or are the electric bills crazy $$$$)?
tia!!!!
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Posted 8/20/12 5:48 PM  |
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PhyllisNJoe
My Box Is Broken
Member since 6/11 9145 total posts
Name:
Phyllis
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Re: central air
Can't help you on price of install bc it was here when we bought the house.
Electric bill is pretty crazy, but we also have it running 24/7 and cold (Dh is always hot)
Having C/A is friggin awesome lol and to us, worth the higher electric bills in the warmer months. Nothing beats comfortable
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| Posted 8/20/12 6:49 PM |
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Re: central air
I think the cost will depend on a variety of factors -- the style of the home, whether there is existing ductwork, the size of the home (and whether you are putting in one or two zones).
For example, I see a lot of the ductless central air units in cape cod style homes, because it is very difficult (and cost prohibitive) to install ductwork in capes. If a house has a forced hot air heating system -- as opposed to water or steam that would use baseboards and/or radiators -- the ductwork is already there and can be used for the CAC. It's not ideal, because heating vents are typically low to the ground (heat rises) and cool air sinks, so you'd want the CAC vents up high (in the ceiling). But it's a big cost savings so most people just do it that way if they have hot air heat.
As far as electric bills -- again, I think the size of the house, whether you have multilpe zones, and the age of the unit would come into play. I have CAC in my house, but the previous owners installed it in the late 1990s, so it's an older unit that will probably need to be replaced soon. I am sure a newer unit would be more energy efficient. Even still, our bills are not crazy - we do balanced billing, so we don't get a huge spike in the summer. I think CAC can be less costly than running a lot of wall units or window units, turning them on and off to cool off the house.
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| Posted 8/20/12 9:04 PM |
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pnbplus1
Family
Member since 5/09 5751 total posts
Name:
Mommy
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Re: central air
Cost us about $10,500 to have it installed. I think our house is between 1300-1500 sq ft not including the basement. We have a really efficient unit so our electric bills are not at all crazy. We run it from May-September non-stop 24/7 (at 69 degrees). We NEVER turn it off during the warm season. Our highest bill has been $205. We DO NOT do balance billing, we pay for what we use per month.
If you expect to stay in your home long enough to recoup the costs (we did the math using a spreadsheet based on # of SEERS) spend the extra money and get a really efficient unit. The savings per month will eventually negate the extra expense up front.
It is soooooooooo worth it.
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| Posted 8/20/12 10:08 PM |
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PhyllisNJoe
My Box Is Broken
Member since 6/11 9145 total posts
Name:
Phyllis
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Re: central air
Posted by pnbplus1
Cost us about $10,500 to have it installed. I think our house is between 1300-1500 sq ft not including the basement. We have a really efficient unit so our electric bills are not at all crazy. We run it from May-September non-stop 24/7 (at 69 degrees). We NEVER turn it off during the warm season. Our highest bill has been $205. We DO NOT do balance billing, we pay for what we use per month.
If you expect to stay in your home long enough to recoup the costs (we did the math using a spreadsheet based on # of SEERS) spend the extra money and get a really efficient unit. The savings per month will eventually negate the extra expense up front.
It is soooooooooo worth it.
WOW! What unit do you have f you don't mind me asking. Maybe we should look into changing it. Our electric bill was Double it's usual. Like i said earlier, it's worth it, But wow - I'd like to save money if we could
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| Posted 8/20/12 11:24 PM |
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chilltocam
LIF Adult
Member since 11/11 9141 total posts
Name:
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Re: central air
Posted by pnbplus1
Cost us about $10,500 to have it installed. I think our house is between 1300-1500 sq ft not including the basement. We have a really efficient unit so our electric bills are not at all crazy. We run it from May-September non-stop 24/7 (at 69 degrees). We NEVER turn it off during the warm season. Our highest bill has been $205. We DO NOT do balance billing, we pay for what we use per month.
If you expect to stay in your home long enough to recoup the costs (we did the math using a spreadsheet based on # of SEERS) spend the extra money and get a really efficient unit. The savings per month will eventually negate the extra expense up front.
It is soooooooooo worth it.
Would you mind sharing what company you used to install your A/C?
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| Posted 8/21/12 10:19 AM |
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pnbplus1
Family
Member since 5/09 5751 total posts
Name:
Mommy
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Re: central air
Posted by PhyllisNJoe
WOW! What unit do you have f you don't mind me asking. Maybe we should look into changing it. Our electric bill was Double it's usual. Like i said earlier, it's worth it, But wow - I'd like to save money if we could
Our unit is made by American Standard. It has 2-stage cooling, and is 16 SEERS I think. It also has a "communicating" thermostat. That's all I know about it though.
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| Posted 8/21/12 2:13 PM |
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pnbplus1
Family
Member since 5/09 5751 total posts
Name:
Mommy
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Re: central air
Posted by chilltocam
Posted by pnbplus1
Cost us about $10,500 to have it installed. I think our house is between 1300-1500 sq ft not including the basement. We have a really efficient unit so our electric bills are not at all crazy. We run it from May-September non-stop 24/7 (at 69 degrees). We NEVER turn it off during the warm season. Our highest bill has been $205. We DO NOT do balance billing, we pay for what we use per month.
If you expect to stay in your home long enough to recoup the costs (we did the math using a spreadsheet based on # of SEERS) spend the extra money and get a really efficient unit. The savings per month will eventually negate the extra expense up front.
It is soooooooooo worth it.
Would you mind sharing what company you used to install your A/C?
I actually wouldn't recommend the company I used (Lyons Air). DH knew exactly what unit he wanted and they sell/install American Standard.
We met with another company, Air Design and I really liked them. But they will only install the Carrier brand. Still, check them out, they were courteous and professional. We also met with TF O'Brien but they were priced the highest.
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| Posted 8/21/12 2:16 PM |
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PhyllisNJoe
My Box Is Broken
Member since 6/11 9145 total posts
Name:
Phyllis
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Re: central air
I was thinking we are getting robbed by this AC unit but then thought - is that $200 a per month bill? We pay bi-monthly so our last bill was JUNE & JULY and it was $500. So $250 a month.
If you pay Bi-Monthly then my AC sucks! LOL
Our average electric bill before AC was turned on is $250 - so $125 per month and I work from home.
So the Central AC has doubled our electric bill
Message edited 8/21/2012 2:47:21 PM.
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| Posted 8/21/12 2:46 PM |
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LoveMyFamily
LIF Toddler
Member since 1/11 418 total posts
Name:
Alyson
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Re: central air
I'd recommend Apple Air in Seaford...they did our install...cheapest quote, great & professional service... Loved them! And, my 16 SEER system raised our electric by about 60/month this summer so far (just installed in March) & we have a 973 sq ft house...not bad! Oh, and I love it cold as well!
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| Posted 8/21/12 10:00 PM |
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