If you want or need a new air conditioner, the first thing you'll need to do is contact an HVAC company and ask for a quote. Usually, in order to offer the most accurate quote possible, the HVAC company will send a tech to your home to look over the space, talk to you, and recommend the best equipment to suit your needs. During this quote process, your HVAC contractor may ask you a few questions. Keep reading, and you'll learn what those questions might be and what you should consider as you respond.

Do you want a new furnace too?

If your furnace is working but your AC is broken, your first instinct might be to replace just the air conditioner. However, if your furnace is the same age as the AC unit, you are often better off replacing both units at the same time. This will save you from having to go through the whole quote and installation process again in a year or two. Most HVAC companies also offer a better deal if you have both replaced at once.

Where do you want the outside unit?

People often just have the outdoor AC unit put in the same place as their old one. But this is not your only option. If your outdoor AC is currently in the way, or if you feel it is an eyesore, you can always ask your HVAC contractor to put the new one in a different location. Just know that this may add to the cost of the job since your contractor may need to run new electric lines or put in a new vent.

Do you keep all of your vents open?

When you're cooling your home, do you leave all of the vents open so that all of your rooms can be cooled? Or do you close some vents so that you don't waste energy cooling certain rooms? Your HVAC contractor needs to know this information so they can recommend the right size AC for your needs. A larger air conditioner may struggle or waste energy if you usually run the AC with a lot of vents closed.

If your AC contractor asks you one or more of the above questions during a quote appointment, answer as clearly and thoroughly as you can. Hopefully, the information above has given you some guidance as to what your answers might be.

Contact a local AC service to learn more.