HVAC & Air Conditioning Contractors in Seattle, WA

Seattle Air Conditioning

For many homes in Seattle, air conditioning is provided by window units rather than an outdoor condenser and a system of ductwork. This, of course, is no surprise since a mild summer may never see the thermometer hit 90 degrees. Unpleasantly warm weather, in general, may last only a week or two and/or may be spread out intermittently over June through August. That said, many Seattleites don't take kindly to warm weather. Since you don't need top-of-the-line air conditioning in the Emerald City, many local homeowners are more than willing to shell out the money for a window unit, but not quite ready to make the investment in central air conditioning. Seattle homeowners may find that window units suit their needs well enough, but other available options offer quite a bit more than you might expect.

The Problem with Window Units
Though the summers might not get as hot in the Pacific Northwest as they are in other areas of the country, in Seattle air conditioning is still something that is a great benefit to any property, as well as the people inside it. Adding a few window units can certainly relieve some of the tension of a hot day, but because they are typically only powerful enough to cool a single room, you'd need a lot of them to match a quality central air conditioning installation. Seattle homeowners might balk at the price of installing central air, but this is one investment that pays off big time down the road!

Not only are window units less effective than central air conditioning systems, they are less desirable for prospective buyers. If you're sure your home will never go on the market and you're fine with the window unit(s) you have, there's no real reason to worry about property values. However, since so many of us will eventually sell our homes, the investment in central air conditioning will raise your property value, set your home apart from those that don't have A/C, and make your home more comfortable more efficiently.

Using Heat Pumps for Air Conditioning
Heat pumps are a dream come true for folks in Seattle. Air conditioning is something that most Seattleites will only use sparingly, but because heat pumps can provide both heating and cooling through a single system of ductwork, you'll have the best of both worlds! Not only are heat pumps convenient, they are extremely energy efficient, too. If a heat pump is in your future, the best time to install air conditioning in your home may very well be when your heating system breaks down.

Keep in mind, too, that you may want to talk to a Seattle HVAC contractor, as different heat pump units can have different heating and cooling capacities. If you already have a home heating system, you might look for a heat pump more geared toward cooling capacity and efficiency. For a higher-end model to take care of your heating and cooling needs, you'll naturally want to look for a model that will have sufficient heating for the cold Seattle winters. The good news is that the one major disadvantage of heat pumps is that they can fail in the extremely hot or cold temperatures, which are nonexistent in the Puget Sound area.

A/C Contractors
That said, when you talk these factors over with Seattle HVAC professionals, different companies may frequently suggest different solutions. This is why it's important to solicit as many estimates as possible and also to have each contractor explain why he or she thinks a particular air conditioning system is best for your home. Like many complex situations, there's probably more than one right answer. You may even end up taking a suggestion from one HVAC contractor, even if he or she is not the person who ends up with the job. You should also take a look at our quality controlled online customer ratings and reviews section to see what other Seattle homeowners have said about each contractor.