If you are looking for ducted air conditioning, what you are really looking for is, quite simply, air conditioning because virtually all air conditioners are ducted air conditioning systems. The only different type of air conditioning available to the average person is the window air conditioner. Of course, there are other types, but they are meant for large buildings, such as apartment complexes. Keep in mind that ducted air conditioning expenses will make up around 15% of your electric bill. In some hot areas around 65% of your electric bill is due to the air conditioner. Here are some helpful tips if you want to save money on air conditioning…

Make sure that your walls are properly insulated.

If you have an old air conditioner, consider getting a new one because these days you can get a very energy efficient air conditioner, which will save you money in the long haul.

Turn your ducted air conditioner off if nobody is home. Although you are conditioner will be working overtime once you get back, the overall effect is that you’ll save money.

Make sure that you don’t get a ducted air conditioning unit that is too big or too small for your house. If it is too big, you’ll end up wasting money on your monthly electric bill. If it is too small you will, quite simply, have a hot house!

Consider replacing your light bulbs to a fluorescent. Not only do they use less energy, they also use less heat, which may lower your ducted air conditioning costs. Make sure to also turn lights off when you don’t need them.

Make sure to not make the area around the thermostat hot. The thermostat will apply more duct air conditioning into your house if it feels that the temperature is getting hotter, even if that rising temperature is only in the vicinity of the thermostat. As such, if it’s the summer, don’t leave your doors open. Also, make sure that no sun get anywhere near the thermostat. In general, you’d want to draw the curtains and close the blinds all over your house if there is sunlight because sunlight heats up your house pretty fast.

Install a ceiling fan. You can try using them and increasing your thermostat to save money. Depending on how you feel you may be able to just use ceiling fans and turn off your ducted air conditioning. Because fans don’t actually lower the air temperature around you’ll only feel cooler if they are in the same room as you. They work by blowing away the hot air around you, not by lowering the temperature inside your house.

Check to make sure that your windows are doors are shut. If they are not, you are wasting money by having your air conditioner try to cool down the outside warm air, which is always a losing battle.

Make sure replace your AC filter every month. If you don’t replace the filter your air conditioning expands more energy to cool down your house. If you don’t use your ducted air conditioning that often simply replace the filter whenever it gets dirty.
You can buy a ducted air conditioner unit or a central AC unit by checking out your local business directory or Yellowpages.com for “HVAC Contractors”, which stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning contractors. If you are looking for a window AC system you can get one at stores such as Walmart, Sears, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and the Home Dept. Before you purchase one it is a very good idea to check out Consumer Reports so that you know you are getting a quality air conditioner. For both ducted air conditioning systems and window AC units, you’re going to have to measure the dimensions of each room in your house so that you can decide how powerful (in terms of Btu’s per hour) you want the air conditioning to be.

When shopping for a ducted are conditioning central unit you want to get multiple quotes from HVAC contractors so that you know you aren’t wasting any money on someone who may be ripping you off. Once you get multiple quotes you’ll know what the market price is and have bargaining power when someone gives you a really steep price. However, you want to make sure that you are making fair comparisons by comparing the same or similar ducted air conditioning systems. Although you may be quotes for different types of conditioners you want to make sure that they have the same energy efficiency because that one variable can sway your installation costs mightily. It will cost your around $500-$5,000 to get a ducted air conditioning unit in your house. Although energy efficiency and overall quality are all factors, how big your house is will largely decide how much you’ll need to pay to get an air conditioner installed.