Are you sick and tired of Houston’s scorching summers or surprise winter cold snaps? Is your old HVAC system struggling to keep your home comfortable year-round? You may not want to face it—but, it may be time to replace your system.
We realize that buying a new HVAC system in Houston can be a daunting task as it’s a significant investment. However, to make it less intimidating we’ve put together a quick reference guide to purchasing a new system.
With these tips and our experts guidance, you’ll be able to make sure you don’t get taken for a ride but also get the best for your home’s needs.
Houstonians understand the need for reliable HVAC systems as temperatures can reach extremes in both summer and yes, even in winter months. Not to mention, the weather in Texas can change in the blink of an eye, serving to underscore the need for an efficient HVAC system in Houston.
The problem most homeowners run into when shopping for a system is the overwhelming amount of brands, features, and jargon involved. So, let’s break it down and show you what you need to look for when buying a new HVAC system for our unique climate zone.
Understanding Different Houston HVAC Systems Available
When shopping for an HVAC system for your home, there is a wide variety of systems to choose from. Some you may be very familiar with and others you may not. However, we are only going to focus on the systems most often used in Houston.
Central Air Conditioning: This system is among the most widely-used type of HVAC system in Houston. It uses a central unit to cool your entire home evenly with energy efficiency and minimal maintenance costs. The benefits of using central air include even temperatures throughout your house, energy savings, and lower maintenance costs.
Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioning: This type of HVAC system works in a different way to cool your home. However, it should be noted that is not necessarily the most economical route for whole-home cooling and heating. Rather, many homes in Houston use mini-splits for add-on rooms or converted garages. You see, a mini-split doesn’t use a large condenser unit outside that feeds into an indoor blower and ductwork.
Instead, a modular unit is placed on the wall and it contains a blower and evaporator unit. Rather than one unit providing cooling for all rooms, each room is controlled separately. You could have one room at 74° and another at 80° where you may not be occupying as much.
Heat Pump: Despite the misleading name, a heat pump is an all-in-one heating and cooling system. Think of it as an AC that can run in reverse. Since the Houston winters are rarely bone-chilling as in northern states, this can be advantageous and cost-effective. A heat pump uses no fuel to heat your home unlike a furnace, making it up to 3 times as efficient as a furnace.
Factors To Consider When Shopping For A New HVAC System In Houston
When purchasing an HVAC system, there are a few key considerations you must keep in mind. Above all else, make sure the size fits into your home – too small will leave it struggling to heat or cool effectively while too large can also cause costly problems. There are other considerations you need to be aware of as well:
Climate Zone
Where you live and the climate for that region is extremely important. For example, Houston has consistently high humidity as our climate is semi-tropical. Make sure your system can deal with this effectively.
Check The Warranty
Before purchasing an HVAC system, be sure to consider its warranty. Most systems come with a standard warranty of at least a year. However, an HVAC system is not a small purchase, so consider buying a unit with a longer warranty. It will cost you less upfront than major repairs down the road. Also, to get the longest service life from your unit, become an AIRTEAM MVP member. Our preventative maintenance plan extends the lifespan of your system with regularly scheduled maintenance.
Size & Speed
We briefly touched on system specs when we discussed the size of the system you should buy. The logic behind that is if you buy too small, the system will always be playing catch up with the ambient temperature—it will burn out.
However, you can also buy too large—sounds crazy but it’s not. When a system is too large it cools way too quickly and doesn’t have time to perform its secondary task—dehumidifying. That leaves you with condensation on the vents and in the ducts which can lead to mold and mildew—not good. You need to do a proper load calculation based on the size of your home. This includes things like insulation, efficiency of your doors and windows, as well as how well your home is sealed. Any qualified HVAC tech will know how to perform this calculation.
You will also need to get the most efficient system your budget allows. If you can increase your budget a bit for better efficiency—it’s worth it. Our suggestion is a variable speed system—which means the unit can vary its speed based on needs.
Cheaper, single-speed systems run full blast no matter what, and this is the least efficient system. Two-speed is a bit better but still pales in comparison to variable-speed systems. In the long run, the variable speed system will always save you more money.
A system that doesn’t have to work as hard to cool will endure less wear and tear versus a system that gets pushed to the max all the time.
Plus, AIRTEAM offers very reasonable financing options to make it easier for anyone to get the most efficient system for their home.
Wrapping It All Up
So, we’ve unpacked a lot of info here and obviously, there are finer details we haven’t the time to go over here. Let’s review and give you a quick checklist so you can be prepared when shopping for an HVAC system in Houston.
- Determine which size unit you require. HVAC units come in many shapes and sizes; make sure the one you pick can effectively heat or cool your space. Not too big, not too small—balance is key.
- Evaluate which features you would like. HVAC systems often include features like air filtration and humidity control, so decide what’s most important to you and look for units with them.
- Compare Prices. HVAC system costs can differ drastically, making it important to compare options before making your final purchase decision.
- Seek professional assistance. If you need assistance selecting an HVAC system that best meets your needs, you can always just contact AIRTEAM and save yourself the hassle.
Get The Best HVAC System In Houston From AIRTEAM
Listen, we understand that a lot of HVAC companies will make wild promises to get you in the door. Once they visit, then you get a bunch of surcharges here, an upgrade fee there, and all the gimmicks.
We don’t do that here. At AIRTEAM we pride ourselves on being your neighborhood friend in the business—transparent, fair, and reputable.
Contact us today and let us find the perfect system for your needs and get it installed before summer.
