Most often, for probably everything that we buy or look for we feel that the Bigger it is the Better it is. But this adage might just not hold true for some and specially when we talk about selecting an AC for your home. So, if your planning to buy an AC, then it should be something which is not larger than life and should properly fit your room. Do you know an AC which doesn’t match the size of your AC room incur higher maintenance and electricity cost vis-à-vis an AC unit that perfectly matches the size of your AC unit? So before buying an AC, we’ll advise you to ask few simple questions from your HVAC contractor.

Before you purchase an AC, try and seek a professional advice in terms of whether you should purchase a window AC or go for a centralised one. Your HVAC expert will advise you based on three things primarily: Size of your House, Frequency of running an AC and your environmental conditions. Other broad factors that he takes into consideration are:

• Total volume of your home - not just the square footage.
• Area of heat-exposed walls.
• Number of windows – are they sun faced?
• The amount of heat your house absorbs on a daily basis-exposure to hot climatic conditions
• How old is your home constructed?
• Avenues of sealing air inside the house and amount of insulation.
• Existing ventilation system if any and ductwork – how old and well-functioning are they?
• Area covered by trees and shrubs.

Mostly reputed HVAC companies make standard sizes that usually fits well. The reason being an undersized AC will guzzle more electricity and increase your electricity bills.  So how does an HVAC contractor calculate the size of AC required: (Square foot x 25/12,000) – .5

This formula is usually applied while figuring out the size of an AC unit.

These ratings indicate the energy efficiency of an AC. The higher the rating of an AC, electricity bills will also be less. In short, the operational cost of running an AC will be much lower with a high star AC rating.

AC fitting is perhaps the easiest thing one could think off but these small nitty grittiest make a lot of difference in AC’s operational efficiency. It’s not difficult to judge the size of an AC yourself but if in case you face any problem or you are surrounded by doubts then its best to take professional advice of an HVAC expert.