Central Air Conditioning Facts

Central air conditioning is a system that delivers cool air to each room in your home via ductwork in the walls and/or floors, and returns warm air back to the system to be cooled and redistributed. It uses a condenser that is usually located outside or in an attic, and a fan-coil system.

A central air conditioning system uses the existing ductwork from a forced air furnace. If, however, you do not have a forced air heating system, you will have to have ductwork installed in your house for central air to be an option. Installing new ductwork can range in cost from a few thousand dollars up to $10,000 or more, depending upon the size of your home and the difficulty of the installation.

The type of air conditioning that is right for you will be determined by the size of the home you want to cool, the number of windows and entryways to the house, and the climate you live in. It's critical to make sure that the air conditioning unit you install is right for the job to avoid having it break down from being overworked.

Individual room air conditioners or window units are an alternative to central air conditioning systems. These are ideal if you are on a limited budget or only need to cool certain rooms in the house rather than the entire structure. Most modern units, whether individual or central, allow you to program temperature preferences so that when the room hits a certain temperature the system will turn on or off. The added benefit with a central air system is that if you have a programmable thermostat, the air conditioning can be integrated into the existing system. You can set the unit to start cooling the house at specific times that work well with your schedule.

Room air conditioners usually fit into a window, which may sometimes be problematic. Getting a proper seal so that cool air is not escaping through the window the unit sits in may be a problem for some windows and models. A window unit also requires that you leave a window open and unlocked, which may be a security concern. Central air conditioning systems are installed out of sight in a basement, attic, garage, utility room or other similar space, leaving your windows unobstructed and secure.