Are you ready to replace your air conditioner?  At Norstar Heating and Cooling, we understand that no other single system in your home plays a larger role in your comfort or how much your utility bill will be.  That is why we specialize in high efficiency heating and cooling solutions that can warm and cool your interior space in the most cost effective way.

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What is an Air Conditioner?

An air conditioner seems as if it cools your home's air, but in reality an air conditioner makes your home less warm by removing heat from the indoor air and transferring that heat to the outdoor air.  Heat is extracted from the home by passing indoor air across a refrigerant coil in the indoor unit. Refrigerant lines then carry the heat to the outdoor unit, where it is released into the outside air. The cooling cycle continues until the indoor temperature reaches the thermostat setting.

Central air conditioners circulate cool air through a system of supply and return ducts. Supply ducts and registers (i.e., openings in the walls, floors, or ceilings covered by grills) carry cooled air from the air conditioner to the home. This cooled air becomes warmer as it circulates through the home; then it flows back to the central air conditioner through return ducts and registers.

What is a SEER Rating?

A SEER rating (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) is an efficiency rating for air conditioners.  The higher the SEER rating, the less your unit will cost to operate.  National minimum standards for central air conditioners require a SEER of 9.7 and 10.0.  But you do not need to settle for the minimum standard, there is a wide selection of units with SEERs reaching nearly 18.

Before 1979, the SEERs of central air conditioners ranged from 4.5 to 8.0.  Replacing a 1970s-era central air conditioner with a SEER of 6 with a new unit having a SEER of 12 will cut your air conditioning costs in half.