Cooling Sized for a Kitchener Summer
The Building Code's summer design condition for Kitchener is 29 degrees dry bulb and 23 degrees wet bulb. The wet bulb figure is the humidity, and it is the part most quotes ignore, which is how a house ends up cold and clammy at the same time.
So we size on a cooling load for your rooms, not on the tonnage of the unit coming out. An oversized air conditioner satisfies the thermostat quickly, shuts off before it has pulled much moisture out of the air, and leaves you with the humid house you were trying to fix.
Long, steady runs remove moisture. Short bursts cool the air and leave the damp behind, which is why the size of the unit matters more than its badge.
The Kitchener Details That Decide an Air Conditioner Install
The equipment is the easy part. These are the local details that decide how the job runs.
The design day we size to
Kitchener's summer design condition is 29 degrees dry bulb with a 23 degree wet bulb. We size for both, because the humidity is what makes the difference between cool and comfortable.
Where the outdoor unit is allowed to sit
The city's zoning by-law puts air conditioning equipment in a rear or interior side yard, at least three metres back from a street line and screened from it. Kitchener still runs two zoning by-laws, and corner lots and narrow side yards are where the rule bites.
A noise chapter of its own
Kitchener's municipal code has a chapter for residential air conditioning noise, tied to the provincial NPC-216 limits. Placement and the model you choose are what keep a quiet backyard quiet.
Permits, and the part the city does not handle
The city names changing your heating system as permit work, not cooling, and it says plainly that it does not review or inspect electrical work. That side goes to the Electrical Safety Authority as a notification filed by whoever does the wiring.
Each of these is settled before the quote goes out rather than discovered on install day. Our guide to air conditioner permits here sets out what the city reviews and what it leaves to the Electrical Safety Authority.
Central Air, Two Stage or Ductless Heads
Single stage central air
One output, on or off, which suits a house with sound ductwork and a straightforward layout.
Two stage or variable central air
Longer runs at lower output pull more moisture out of the air, so the house feels dry at a higher setting. The quiet is the other reason people choose it.
Ductless heads
Cooling room by room with no ductwork at all, for century homes with no ducts upstairs, additions and finished attics.
Ducts, or the lack of them, usually decide this before anything else does. Our air conditioner installation page covers the Lennox equipment we carry, and ductless mini split installation is the route for rooms the ducts never reached.
What Sets the Number on a Kitchener Cooling Quote
We quote after we have seen the house and the spot the unit has to live in, so the number holds. If the furnace is also near the end, doing both at once usually costs less than two visits, and our financing options page sets out the ways to spread it.
The load, not the old tonnage
The calculation can land a size either side of what came out, and the right size is the one you live with.
Staging and efficiency
A single stage condenser, a two stage and an inverter are three prices for the same house.
Where the unit has to go
A placement that satisfies the setback and screening rule can mean a longer line set and more labour.
The indoor coil and plenum
A coil that does not drop into the existing plenum means sheet metal work on the day.
Electrical
An adequate circuit and disconnect keeps it simple. A new circuit, a breaker change or a tired panel does not.
Ductwork
One undersized return will hold back any new system, and correcting it is what makes the quiet, even result stick.
Anything added on the day
A smart thermostat or a filter cabinet is cheaper fitted while we are there than booked as its own visit.
Why Kitchener Homeowners Call Us for Cooling
Our main office is on Bridge Street East, so a Kitchener install is a short drive rather than a regional dispatch. We have worked in this city for over 10 years as an Authorized Lennox Dealer, with five HomeStars Best of Award wins behind us, and Sina still runs the tools on the jobs he sells.
Sina is very professional and friendly. He paid attention to details and kept my house's aesthetics in mind. I would recommend him to anyone looking for air conditioning installation service.
TYVM, Google review
Four Steps, From the Call to the Cold Air
Four steps, and the placement question is settled before install day rather than on it.
You tell us what summer looks like
Call or send the form with the age of the system, the rooms that stay warm and where the outdoor unit sits now.
We measure and check the spot
Your technician runs the cooling load, looks at the ducts and the electrical, and checks the placement against the by-law.
The quote comes in writing
It names the equipment, the size, the placement and the work, so there is nothing to decode later.
We install and test
Old unit recovered and removed, new unit set and connected, the line set vacuumed, the charge weighed in and a full cycle run.
Common Questions About Cooling a Kitchener Home
Do I need a permit to install an air conditioner in Kitchener?
Where can the outdoor unit go?
Will the new unit be loud?
Can I get central air in a house with no ducts?
How long does an installation take?
Is there a rebate for a new air conditioner?
Where we fit air conditioners in Kitchener
Side yards get tight in the older parts of this city and open up in the newer subdivisions, which changes where a condenser can go. Give us the street when you call and we will confirm a date.
- Downtown Kitchener
- Victoria Park
- Central Frederick
- Civic Centre
- Cherry Hill
- Mount Hope
- Westmount
- Victoria Hills
- Forest Heights
- Laurentian Hills
- Country Hills
- Rockway
- Vanier
- Stanley Park
- Chicopee
- Idlewood
- Grand River
- Bridgeport
- Pioneer Park
- Doon
- Doon South
- Huron Park
- Williamsburg
- Rosemount
- Southridge
- Alpine Village
Also in Kitchener: furnace installation and heat pump installation, and the full list on our Kitchener HVAC page.
