Central Air Conditioning Installation, Repair, and Maintenance Company

Call today if you want to install a brand new central A/C for your home.

Whether you need a new central air conditioning installed or your central air conditioning repaired, Hilliside’s HVAC technicians have the training, certifications, and knowledge to repair these cooling systems.

If your air conditioning system has stopped working, call us at 302-738-4144 (DE&PA) or 410-398-2146 (MD). We’ll come to your home and give you a HONEST & FREE ESTIMATE for any Central A/C Installation.

Why You Can Trust Hillside

What is Central Air Conditioning?

Central air conditioners, often called “central air” or “split-system air conditioning,” circulate cool air through supply and return ducts. Supply ducts and registers (i.e., openings in the walls, floors, or ceilings covered by grills) carry cooled air from the air conditioner to the home. This cooled air becomes warmer as it circulates through the home, then flows back to the central air conditioner through return ducts and registers. To learn how central air conditioners compare to other cooling systems, check out the Energy Saver 101 Infographic: Home Cooling.

Air conditioners help dehumidify the incoming air, but they may not achieve low humidity in extremely humid climates or where the air conditioner is oversized. Running a dehumidifier in your air-conditioned home will increase your energy use, both for the dehumidifier itself and because the air conditioner will require more energy to cool your house. A preferable alternative is a dehumidifying heat pipe, which can be added as a retrofit to most existing systems.

If you have a central air system in your home, set the fan to shut off at the same time as the compressor, which is usually done by setting the “auto” mode on the fan setting. In other words, don’t use the system’s central fan to provide air circulation — use circulating fans in individual rooms.

Call us at 302-738-4144 (DE&PA) or 410-398-2146 (MD). We’ll come to your home and give you a HONEST & FREE ESTIMATE for any Central Air Repair, Central Air Service, or new Central Air Installation.

Types of Central Air Conditioners

A central air conditioner is either A) a split-system unit (the most common for residential homes) or B) a packaged unit (the most common for commercial buildings).

A split-system central air conditioner has the following:

• An outdoor metal cabinet containing a condenser coil, compressor, electrical components, and a fan.
• And an indoor evaporator coil is usually installed on top of your furnace or air handler.

A single-stage system is a quieter and more efficient two-stage system. A split-system central air unit offers reliable and consistent temperatures for the entire home. A split system is the most economical central air conditioner to install if your home already has a furnace but no air conditioner.

In a packaged central air conditioner, the evaporator, condenser, and compressor are all in one cabinet, usually placed on a roof or a concrete slab next to the house’s foundation. This type of air conditioner also is used in small commercial buildings. Air supply and return ducts come from indoors through the home’s exterior wall or roof to connect with the packaged air conditioner, usually outdoors. Packaged air conditioners often include electric heating coils or a natural gas furnace. This combination of air conditioner and central heater eliminates the need for a separate furnace indoors.

How does Central Air Conditioning work?

Central air conditioners have a condensing unit located outside your home. The condensing unit contains the air conditioner condenser coils, the compressor, and the condenser fan motor. The evaporator coils or cooling coils are located inside the home. They are mounted on top of a furnace or air handler. Both use a blower motor and circulation blower fan to draw air through the return vent. The air blows past the evaporator coils and forces the air through your home’s venting. The room air is drawn back to the return. This is the airflow cycle.

Once the room air cools to the desired temperature, the thermostat signals the circulation blower fan and a condensing unit to shut off. The system turns on once the room temperature rises and repeats the operation.

3 Main Factors:

1. Temperature Control
2. Cooling
3. Air Circulation

Benefits of a Central Air Conditioning System

• Indoor comfort during warm weather – Central air conditioning helps keep your home cool and reduces humidity.
• Cleaner air – As your central air-conditioning system draws air out of the rooms in your house through return air ducts, the air is pulled through an air filter, which removes airborne particles such as dust and lint. Sophisticated filters may remove microscopic pollutants, as well. The filtered air is then routed to air supply ductwork that carries it back to the rooms.
• Quieter operation – Because the compressor-bearing unit is located outside the home, the indoor noise level from its operation is much lower than that of a free-standing air-conditioning unit.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CENTRAL AIR AND A HEAT PUMP?

Central air conditioning systems use a closed-loop system that circulates refrigerant to cool the air. Central air specifically refers to a cooling system. The central A/C system is independent of your heating system. However, they’re usually paired with a furnace or boiler because they share the same delivery system to cool and heat your home.

Heat pumps function the same as conventional air conditioners. The real difference is that a heat pump also can provide heating. A heat pump relies on the same basic system. In the summer, you can use a heat pump as an air conditioner; in the winter, you can use it as a heater.

You can also pair a heat pump with a furnace or boiler. Heat pumps aren’t as efficient when temperatures drop below 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Furnaces can do a better job of heating the home at subfreezing temps.

You can improve your HVAC heat pump efficiency by pairing a heat pump with a furnace. Furnaces spread even heating from room to room. Combine that with a durable American Standard heat pump, and you have a hybrid system that keeps your family comfortable and potentially saves you energy.

The two systems share the heating load with this dual-fuel option but never function simultaneously. Each system operates when it is most cost-effective. The heat pump will be the primary heating and cooling system. However, when the temperature drops below the heat pump’s ability to operate as efficiently as the gas furnace, the gas furnace will take over until the temperature rises enough for the heat pump to operate more efficiently.

To learn if a dual-fuel system is right for your home, contact Jerry from Hillside.

How long does a central air conditioner last?

Hillside correctly installs heat pumps in DE, PA, and MD that last an average of 15 years. Please note several factors that can impact the life of your central air unit—the make and model, its usage rate, and whether or not your central A/C has been maintained. Hillside’s HVAC professionals can extend the life of your air conditioning system with our annual tune-ups. 

How much does a central air conditioner cost?

Central A/C pricing depends on several factors like the size of your home, model, installation requirements (e.g. existing or non-existing ducts).