Air Conditioning - New a/c unit

1. Hi, can anyone confirm for me a price for a Rudd Rheem 13 seer 10 compressor/(5-10) coil a/c unit for a town home in FL? I just need a ball park figure to price shop, thanks. Oh and this is installed, TOTAL price.

2. Are there any vital questions I should be asking the a/c guy before getting it?

3. How many of you live by that add on UV light unit? Does it really help and easy to install yourself?

Thanks!

1st id go with at least a 15 seer. 2nd your AC company must do a heat load on the home. Don't ask for it! This should be standard practice. If they don't find another company. 3rd UV lights are uselly a waste of money. Your Money would be better spent on a service contract.

I understand 15 seer will be better but also more expensive correct? He quoted me $3500, which seems like a decent price for the 13, and I dont plan on living here forever so.... I am strapped for cash now!

And what is a heat load? Is it a test of some sort?

A heat load calculation is a survey of each application's insulation, windows, doors, roof color, vegetation, orientation to the sun, whatever affects heat gain. Every building is different. If someone attempts to give the old rule of thumb: 1 ton per every 400 or 500 sq. ft. find someone else. That was fine before the cost of energy skyrocketed. And it won't get any lower without major infrastructure changes.
The higher the SEER, the better. It will add to the value of the house if you're not there to take advantage of the payback.Beer 4U2

Oh ok.... yea i dont have to worry about that here bec in my city we probably have about 2000+ homes with my exact same townhouse template, so its basically if u know one u know them all, except for maybe the sun to window location, so this is kinda a no brainer here, he is familiar with these.

Do home buyer really ask what rating a/c unit u have in the home to sell? I may have been ignorant, but as a first time home buyer, I never even thought of asking about what type of a/c unit u have, only how old is it/when did u last replace it. Mine right now is about 8-9 yrs old i think.

Even in homes that have the exact same floor plan the heatload calculation can be important. This is especially true if it has been several years since the homes were built because the individual homeowners may have made significant changes that could skew the calculation one way or the other from what it may have been originally. Since heating systems can be (and usually are) oversized with no detrimental effect (other than cost of operation) it is commonly thought that cooling systems can also be oversized or undersized with minimal problems. This is simply not true.

A cooling system, for several reasons MUST be properly sized for maximum comfort. Oversizing will not simply result in high energy costs but WILL be less comfortable (often far less comfortable) that a properly sized unit. The same is true of undersizing a unit.

When it comes to energy efficiency (SEER) one factor that is often ignored is the average hours of usage versus the capital cost of the system. Where I live central air conditioning of single family residences is uncommon. We have maybe six weeks of the year when central cooling would be really desirable and they are usually broken up to a four or five day stretch and then several days of pleasant to unseasonably cool days before another four or five days of unseasonably hot weather. In this scenario the lowest SEER is usually more cost effective over the life of the equipment than the higher SEER models.

As for the question of a higher SEER model increasing the value of your home when you go to sell it...that may or may not be an issue. While the television real estate shows might make one think it is all about the size of the bedroom; stainless steel, granite and tile in the kitchen and a huge living room for entertaining the reality is that a smart home buyer will indeed look at the mechanical systems (heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical) either themselves or through a home inspector. In a situation involving two similar homes the presence of a high SEER air conditioner (in a climate where A/C is important) in one home may indeed tip the scale in favor to the home with the higher SEER unit.