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Baltimore Air Conditioning

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Take a quick peek at the average high temperatures during the summer in Baltimore, and you might be fooled into thinking that air conditioning is a take it or leave it proposition in Monument City. That's not really the case, however. All you have to do is walk outside in the middle of July or August, and there's no question that air conditioning is as much necessity as it is luxury in B-Town. If there is a new air conditioning unit in your future, here's a breakdown of what you need to know as you start shopping around.

Baltimore Air Conditioning Costs
The first question on the minds of most homeowners in Monument City is how much air conditioning is going to cost to install. We can help. Based on in-house data that ServiceMagic collects from homeowners who use our online referral services, we can tell you that our research puts the average price of air conditioning in Baltimore at about $7,400, though prices can range anywhere between $3,500 and $11,000. What accounts for the large disparity between our high and low numbers? Costs will vary depending on a number of factors, including the size of your home, its current readiness for air conditioning, and the cost of the unit itself.

Baltimore Air Conditioning: a Quick Lesson About Efficiency
Energy efficiency is a huge factor when it comes to the initial cost of your air conditioning in Baltimore, and the energy costs associated with air conditioning your home over the life of your unit. Truth is, not all air conditioners are created equal. Each air conditioner comes with a SEER rating that indicates its overall energy efficiency; the higher the SEER rating, the better. Current SEER ratings run between 13 and 21 for new units, while it's not unheard of for older units to sport SEER ratings of half those numbers. Up front, the higher the SEER rating, the more expensive the air conditioner, so if you choose that 21 SEER rated unit, you should plan to pay a pretty penny for it. When you contrast that with the fact that Americans spend about 11 billion dollars a year on cooling their homes, accounting for a full 5 percent of our nation's energy usage, however, it's easy to see why you'd want to place efficiency at a premium as you shop around for air conditioning for your Baltimore home.

Baltimore Air Conditioning Installation
SEER ratings aren't everything when it comes to installing air conditioning into your Baltimore home. Any number of factors can negatively influence the cooling efficiency of even the most sophisticated unit. Here's a list of things to watch out for if you're ready to install air conditioning in Baltimore.

  • Sizing—Poorly sized air conditioners do one of two things. If sized too large, your air conditioner will cycle on and off too frequently, which leads to noisy operation, inconsistent cooling, erratic indoor temperatures, and a higher frequency of parts failure. If your A/C is too small, it will run around the clock as it tries unsuccessfully to meet the cooling demands of your home, which ends up costing you money. That said, it pays to talk to your HVAC technician about making sure that your new A/C is the perfect fit for your Baltimore-area home.

  • Installation—Making sure an A/C unit is installed correctly and tuned properly is just as important as purchasing a high-efficiency unit when it comes to efficient operation. In fact, if your contractor does a shoddy job in this department, all that money you paid for a high-efficiency air conditioner will go right out the window.

  • Delivery—Finally, a good HVAC technician should check over your ductwork when they install your new air conditioner. Poorly sealed ducts, and lack of insulation in hot attics and crawl spaces, can result in a 35 percent reduction in overall cooling power, making it well worth your time and money to make sure your air conditioner's delivery system is in tip top shape.

    Finding a Qualified Contractor to Install Air Conditioning in Baltimore
    If you're ready to install air conditioning in your Baltimore home, you're smart to do your homework before you hire. Get at least three bids from different contractors, check references, and think about using a contractor referral service like ServiceMagic to help you narrow down your selection even more. By following this simple advice, you'll be going a long way toward making sure that you get the best contractor, and the best deal possible, for your new air conditioning in Baltimore.

    Matt Goering, formerly a carpenter and house painter, is a freelance writer for the home improvement industry who has published over 600 articles.

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