Sizing an Air Conditioner to Your Home
The most common mistake in cooling is a system that is too large. Somebody reads the label on the old condenser, orders the same size again, and the new unit reaches the thermostat setting within ten minutes and shuts off. The rooms are cool and the air is still heavy, which is why so many houses feel clammy while the system is running.
A system sized to the house runs for much longer stretches instead, and a long run is what removes the moisture. We count the rooms and the windows, allow for the shade you have, and check what the duct work can move before we put a size on paper. That one decision does more for how the house feels in August than the rating on the equipment.
That is also the reason a house that will not dry out in July is one of our commonest summer calls.
Choosing Where the Outdoor Unit Goes
Placement is the part of a cooling job that most often goes wrong on install day. We settle these four questions while the technician is at the house.
The position that suits the house
Woodstock's zoning by-law leaves this equipment out of the setback rules it applies to sheds, so we can choose the position that works best: clear of the drip line, out of the snow that falls off the roof, and close enough to the indoor coil.
How far the refrigerant lines must run
The refrigerant lines run from the outdoor unit back to the coil above your furnace. A short, tidy run costs less than a long one around a deep lot, and we tell you which one your house needs before you sign anything.
How quiet the unit needs to be
If a neighbour's bedroom window faces the pad, we will tell you that the quieter model is worth the difference. A level pad and a correct refrigerant charge also do more for noise than most people expect.
Whether any permit applies
The city's residential list names furnaces, duct work and boilers, and says nothing either way about an air conditioner. We put the question to the building department rather than assume an answer, and if a permit is required its fee goes on your quote.
We settle all four on the quote visit, not on install day.
Central Air, Two Speeds, or Heads on the Wall
One output, at the lowest price
The unit has one setting and it runs at full output. In a sound house with healthy duct work it cools perfectly well, and nothing cools a home for less money.
Two speeds, and a drier house
It runs on the lower speed for most of the summer and lifts to the higher one on the hottest days only. Those longer, gentler runs remove far more moisture, so 24 degrees feels the way 22 used to.
Heads on the wall, where there are no ducts
We fit one small unit in each room that needs cooling, with no duct work at all. On the older streets in the west end, where the upstairs was never ducted, it is often the only sensible answer.
The duct work usually decides this before the budget does. We will tell you plainly which of the three your house suits while we are there. Our air conditioner installation page shows the Lennox equipment we fit, and ductless mini split installation covers a house with no ducts to work with.
Seven Findings That Decide Your Price
The yard and the duct work account for as much of this price as the equipment. If your furnace is also near the end, doing both together saves pulling the same sheet metal apart twice, and our financing page covers monthly payments instead of one cheque.
The size your rooms call for
It rarely matches the label on the old condenser, and you live with the result for fifteen summers.
Basic, two-speed, or adjusting as it runs
These are three machines at three prices, and three different Augusts. We show you all three and tell you which one your house justifies.
Where it sits in the yard
You have a real choice here, and the choice has a price on it. A position behind the house with a clean run costs less than the far corner of a deep lot.
How quiet you want it to be
Your lot decides this, not the by-laws. If a neighbour's bedroom window faces the pad, paying more for the quiet model is the right call.
The sheet metal above the furnace
The new coil has to fit inside it. When it will not fit, we cut and rebuild that metal on install day, and those are billable hours rather than a part.
The panel and the circuit
If there is capacity to spare, this stays a small line on your quote. A new run across a finished basement, or a panel that is already full, adds to it.
Anything you add while the system is open
A filter cabinet or a smart thermostat costs far less fitted on this visit than booked as its own appointment.
Who Will Install Your Air Conditioner
We choose the position of the condenser on every job, and no setback table makes that decision for us, so it matters who does. Sina owns this business, has been doing this work for over 10 years, and is usually the technician in your driveway. The person who chooses the position is therefore the person who answers for it in August. We are an Authorized Lennox Dealer, and homeowners have voted us the HomeStars Best of Award five times.
I was in urgent need of someone to temporarily disconnect my A/C for a concrete pour. So I called Local Heating and Cooling and set the appointment for the very next day. Quickly and professionally he disconnected my unit. Then one quick text and he was back when I needed my A/C reconnected (its been hot lately). Top quality guy, I would recommend to my friends and family. Positive Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value
Brandon Pace, Google review
How We Get From Your Call to Cold Air
We agree the position at step two, before anybody orders equipment.
You tell us what July is like
Call us or complete the form. Please tell us how old the system is, which rooms stay warm after dark, and anything the outdoor unit has started doing that it did not do last summer.
We measure, and we agree the position with you
Your technician sizes the system from the rooms rather than from the old nameplate, then walks the lot with you and settles where the unit will sit and how the lines will reach the coil.
The price arrives in writing
Your quote lists the equipment, its capacity, the agreed position and the work itself, each on its own line. We will have asked the city about a permit before it reaches you.
We install it and prove it works
We recover the old unit and take it away, level the new one on its pad, vacuum the lines, and weigh the refrigerant charge in rather than estimating it. Most installations are done in a day.
What Woodstock Homeowners Ask About Cooling
Can the air conditioner go in my front yard?
Does an air conditioner need a permit here?
What size do I actually need?
Will the neighbours hear it?
Can I have air conditioning with no duct work?
Should the furnace go in on the same visit?
The Woodstock districts we cover
A row house off Devonshire Avenue, a Victorian in the west end and a new build at Sally Creek give us three different lots and three different answers about where the condenser goes. Tell us the street when you call.
- Downtown Woodstock
- Vansittart Avenue
- Southside
- Sally Creek
- Havelock Corners
- North Woodstock
- Northeast Woodstock
- East Woodstock
- Park Row
- Southside Park
- Springbank Avenue
- Parkinson Road
- Norwich Avenue
- Juliana Drive
- Devonshire Avenue
- Athlone Avenue
- Finkle Street
- Mill Street
- Montclair Drive
- Highland Drive
We also install and service these systems in Woodstock: high-efficiency furnace installation and heat pump installation. Our Woodstock HVAC page lists everything else we do here.
