When choosing an air
conditioning system, the following are the main criteria to consider
There are two main
ways of buying air conditioning. The first is to go direct to a number of
contractors and get each of them to do a design and price it. The
disadvantages of this approach are that it is usually not possible to
compare the proposals in a fair manner. The contractors are likely to
offer widely diverging equipment capacities, and there will be other
differences, which won't be obvious from the quotes.
It is the contractor who can make or break an installation. A good unit,
installed by an inexperienced contractor will not satisfy you. Among other
things, check:
The alternative is to use Clive Blanchard, Consulting Mechanical Engineer. I will give indicative costs for various system concepts. Once the appropriate system has been decided upon, I will prepare a design and normally get three prices from appropriately
qualified
contractors. I will then supervise the installation ensuring the
contractor installs it as designed.
Because only one detailed design needs to be done, not three, the total
cost is usually no more and is often less, than the cost if done by a
contractor. In addition, a good consultant will spend more time
determining what you need than a contractor can afford to. This will
generally result in a greater level of satisfaction.
To help select a
consultant who is going to give you satisfaction, find the answers to the
following questions: