Installing an air conditioning system in Toronto isn’t just a matter of putting in a unit—it’s about setting up a system that stays efficient, comfortable, and safe through the hottest days of summer. In this guide, we walk through how technicians optimize your new system for performance, what sizing factors truly matter, why SEER ratings play a big role, how to prevent mold issues, and common questions to ask before installation. Let’s dive into how all these pieces come together to keep your home cool, efficient, and worry-free.
Living without air conditioning may be possible in Canada’s northern regions, but for the majority of Canadians who reside in the southern areas—where summers are hot and humid—it can be a challenge. While some Toronto homeowners and businesses may try to cut costs by avoiding air conditioning installation, this decision often leads to long-term consequences that impact comfort, property, and overall well-being.
The Importance of a Properly Functioning Air Conditioning System in Toronto, consider the following factors:
Toronto’s summer humidity can cause significant damage to homes and businesses. Without air conditioning, high moisture levels can lead to:
As temperatures and humidity rise during Toronto’s peak summer months, living or working in an uncooled space becomes increasingly uncomfortable. While early summer may be tolerable, July and August can bring unbearable conditions that disrupt sleep, productivity, and overall quality of life.
A properly functioning air conditioning system helps maintain indoor humidity levels below 50%, which is key in eliminating dust mites. This is particularly beneficial for individuals who suffer from allergies or asthma, as it creates a healthier indoor environment by reducing airborne allergens.
Studies have shown that high humidity levels can negatively affect mood and mental well-being. Excessive heat and moisture can lead to irritability, stress, and fatigue. Keeping your home or office air-conditioned helps create a comfortable, positive atmosphere.
High humidity levels promote the growth of mold spores and bacteria, which can compromise indoor air quality. Poor air quality increases the risk of respiratory issues and other health concerns. By maintaining a controlled indoor climate, air conditioning helps safeguard the health of your household or employees.
A properly installed air conditioning system is essential for comfort in both homes and businesses, especially during Toronto’s hot summer months. However, simply installing an AC unit isn’t enough—you need to ensure it operates efficiently, remains easy to maintain, and keeps energy costs low.
To get the most out of your air conditioning installation in Toronto, avoid these 8 common post-installation mistakes that could impact performance, efficiency, and lifespan.
Many homeowners and businesses place decorative items, potted plants, or thick drapes near their AC unit to improve aesthetics. However, blocking the system restricts airflow and reduces efficiency. Ensure your air conditioner has ample ventilation to maximize cooling performance.
After installation, it’s tempting to take a “set it and forget it” approach—but neglecting air conditioning maintenance can lead to costly breakdowns. Clean air filters and coils every eight weeks to maintain airflow, especially in dust-prone environments. Additionally, inspect the window seals annually to prevent leaks that could impact efficiency.
While cleaning your AC unit is important, using a power washer can damage delicate coils. Instead, use a soft brush or a recommended cleaning method to safely remove dirt and debris. If unsure, consult an HVAC professional in Toronto for expert guidance.
On a scorching day, it’s tempting to crank the thermostat way down for faster cooling. However, this forces your air conditioner to work harder than necessary, leading to higher energy bills without cooling your space any faster. Instead, set the thermostat at your usual comfortable temperature and allow the system to cool efficiently.
Your thermostat controls your AC based on surrounding temperatures. Placing heat-producing appliances (like televisions, floor lamps, or large electronics) near it can trick your system into thinking the room is warmer than it is, making your AC work overtime unnecessarily. Keep heat sources away from your thermostat for accurate readings.
After your air conditioning installation, don’t overlook the benefits of ceiling fans. They circulate cool air, making your space feel even more comfortable while reducing AC workload. However, minimize the use of kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans during summer, as they pull cool air out and reduce efficiency.
Many homeowners shut off their AC when leaving for work, thinking it saves energy. However, turning your system off completely forces it to work much harder when turned back on. Instead, set the temperature slightly higher while away to maintain efficiency and reduce cooling time when you return.
During the off-season, covering your AC unit protects it from debris, dust, and weather damage. However, when the system is in use, remove the cover to ensure proper ventilation and airflow. Using a cover incorrectly can trap moisture, leading to mold or system malfunctions.
Air conditioners are a must if you don’t want to sweat through the summer in a city like Toronto. These days they’re pretty much standard and it’s rare to find a house or apartment without one. All of this means that residents need to take into account the energy costs that the unit will incur when fixing their monthly budgets. With city rents, mortgage payments, and other outgoings as high as they are, it’s in all of our interests to try to keep down the cost of running our air conditioners. Rather than trying to do this by strictly regulating usage, the first steps should be taken before the unit is even installed.
Choosing the right air conditioning unit, and finding best heating and air conditioning professionals, to carry out the installation are very important parts of ensuring the future success of your installation. There is still more you need to do, however, to have peace of mind. Aside from the usual questions you should ask installation outfits (such as “Are you insured?”, and “What qualifications do you have?”) – important as they are – there are a few other questions we tend to forget to ask until it’s too late. Here we’ll take a look at those questions and find out why they are important:
This question is more important than you might think, due to the variety and complexity of different air conditioner installations. It’s always preferable to be able to count on a technician or engineer who is familiar with your system, and even your particular installation. Your installation may require an annual air conditioning unit inspection and service by a qualified HVAC technician. When replacement parts are needed while repairing your air conditioning unit, you need to know that they will be readily and quickly available. When you need expert help, you need to know you won’t have to wait days or weeks for it. Be sure to analyze any aftercare package carefully, and don’t settle for anything unsatisfactory.
This can be related to the question above but should be asked separately before installing a new furnace or replacing an old air conditioning unit. The better the warranty, the more faith it shows the company has in its product and installation. Be sure to check that both the unit and the installation are covered by the warranty, however. Contractors should have their own warranties, aside from the product warranty. Not having one could invalidate the product warranty, anyway, so always be sure to confirm this.
Having a new air conditioner installation fitted can be highly disruptive and you might need to take time off work to stay home while the work is finished. All of that is going to cost you money. Seeing as you are paying, you should also find out if they will clean up after themselves, including restoring the work area to its original condition. If this is not included, you will either have to take the time to clean up and restore the work area by yourself, or you’ll need to bring in an independent cleaner and maybe a handyman to do it.
Any air conditioning contractor operating in Toronto who is worth their salt will understand the need for you to ask such questions. Experienced HVAC contractors will expect you to ask, and have straightforward answers for you. They know that an air conditioner installation is not something most people deal with more than a few times in their lives and that consequently, they need to be as open and helpful as possible when working with you.
There’s a lot of confusion about air conditioning units and air conditioning installation in general. Some expert contractors believe that over half of the air conditioning units installed in the Toronto area are actually not set up properly and are therefore causing households to waste a good deal of energy, along with several other problems. This is not a new problem, however. In 2008 the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, or SEER, was introduced to try to improve the overall performance of air conditioning units in our homes. When installing or replacing an air conditioning unit (AC) in your home, it is crucial not to overlook the importance of SEER ratings. The SEER rating plays a significant role in determining the installation and performance of the unit.
SEER, which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, is an important aspect to consider when installing air conditioning. It is a measurement of an air conditioner’s cooling output divided by the energy consumed over a normal cooling season. The greater the SEER number, the better the energy efficiency of the air conditioner.
SEER is significant since it has a direct impact on your air conditioning system’s energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness. A higher SEER rating indicates that the unit can produce the same cooling output while using less energy, which results in cheaper energy bills. Furthermore, a higher SEER rating is more environmentally friendly because it lowers carbon emissions.
It is advised that when installing a new air conditioning system, a unit with a higher SEER rating be used because it will deliver more energy savings in the long run. However, additional considerations such as climate, consumption patterns, and budget should be considered when determining the best SEER rating for your personal needs.
This is important for you as a householder, and to everyone as a society, for a number of reasons:
You wouldn’t run your air conditioning unit all day long with the windows and doors open, right? Of course not – the cooling effect of the unit would be constantly diluted by the warm air entering your building, making the unit continually work harder, burning more energy, and costing you more money. In the same way, an air conditioning installation with a low SEER rating can be costing you money without you even realizing it. It’s in your financial interests to have a unit with a high SEER rating.
One inefficient air conditioning unit in one home is wasteful and certainly not good, but it isn’t going to cause the end of civilization. However, when you think of the number of air conditioners being used in Toronto alone on a hot summer’s day, and consider that half of them aren’t working as efficiently as they could be, that represents a huge amount of energy consumption that could easily be reduced. Applying high SEER standards is a big step towards doing that.
Every year, the summer demand for power placed on the national energy grid increases. Despite our efforts to reduce waste, we have to accommodate a growing population. That makes it all the more necessary for everyone to use power efficiently. Ultimately, a waste of energy is a waste of our country’s precious resources and manpower. It’s also a waste of your tax dollars which support our energy infrastructure.
The Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) sets a SEER rating of 12 as the minimum acceptable to achieve the Energy Star standard.
Whenever you come to have a new air conditioning installation – or a replacement, for that matter – the professional contractor will want to make a certain decision about the unit’s location – will it be wall or window-mounted? Is a northern exposure possible? Is it exposed to direct sunlight Is the area properly sealed? These are all factors that can affect the unit’s efficiency and, therefore, need to be taken into consideration.
Understanding SEER ratings is not difficult, but it’s essential for saving money and protecting the environment. Thankfully, contractors are fully aware of them and their importance. If you’re considering a new or replacement air conditioning installation, be sure to ask your contractor about SEER ratings.
When the time comes for a new air conditioning installation, homeowners are typically at a loss to determine the size of the system they’ll need. Some revert to using free online tools to try and find an answer. But such tools can’t really account for all the variables in your home and besides, they have plenty of disclaimers in place in case the software screws up. The best way forward is to hire a reputable HVAC company to do the installation although it can still be useful to have some idea how they arrive at their conclusions. So below we’ll take a quick look at the process they use and the factors they weigh when making their determination.
f you install an air conditioning system that’s too small it will be perpetually overworked and breaking down. In addition, your home may never reach the desired temperature. Conversely, an air conditioner that’s too large will be cycling on and off constantly which can damage the compressor. Maybe more importantly you’ll be wasting money on capacity you’ll never use.
Therefore determining the right size air conditioner for your home is important. Here are some of the factors that go into determining just what the “right size” means:
● Total cubic footage (or cubic meters) of your home.
● The number, size, condition, and orientation of all windows.
● The amount of shade your home receives from trees or other buildings.
● The number of registers and their distribution.
● The type and amount of insulation in the walls.
● The degree to which your attic is insulated.
● The total areas of all sun-facing walls.
● The state of your current ductwork.
● The number of occupants.
● The age of your home.
The weighing of all these variables to come up with the right size air conditioner is called the “heat load calculation”. It takes years of training and experience to determine how each of these variables will influence the size of an air conditioning installation. In addition, there are climate variables involved that change from region to region and will impact the final determination.
The purpose of the heat load calculation is ultimately to determine your home’s “heat gain”. Heat gain is how fast your home gains heat after being cooled. As a general rule, the more rapid the heat gain the more capacity your air conditioning installation will need to keep up with it.
1. Calculate the total volume of the home and multiply by 31.25.
2. Determine heat gain through windows (different windows have different multiples).
3. Determine the heat generated by the home’s occupants assigning 600 BTU for each person.
4. Calculate heat generated by any computers, ovens, and the like and multiply by 3.4.
5. Determine the total wattage of lights and multiply by 4.25.
6. Add all of these numbers together to determine a preliminary figure.
As mentioned earlier other factors will also come into play, like insulation and the condition of your ductwork, before a final determination can be made regarding the right size air conditioner for your home.
When most people think of mold they think of slimy stuff growing in the damp recesses of the basement or around the downspouts of their home. But mold can also take up residence in your air-conditioning system and wreak havoc on your health and the health of everyone else in the home by way of allergic reactions, respiratory disorders, and more. In some cases, certain types of mold will release what are called mycotoxins which, if inhaled, can cause pneumonia and even death.
Let’s look at ways you can prevent mold from taking root in your system after an air conditioning installation as well as some ways to remove it once it’s already there. Most of these will work for both elimination and prevention.
Here are a few of the steps a good HVAC technician will take to ensure your new air conditioning system is running as close to its rated capacity as possible.
Air flow is crucial to your system’s performance. It’s impossible to measure system effectiveness, refrigerant charge, or anything else unless the airflow is properly adjusted. A good HVAC tech will conduct a few simple tests to verify the proper airflow, make any necessary tweaks, and then adjust the rest of the system accordingly.
It’s important that the sub cooling be adjusted to its correct level to maximize the overall efficiency of the system. Too much and you waste condenser capacity, too little and your refrigerant doesn’t ever fully condense and your system’s efficiency suffers. A good HVAC technician will make sure the sub cooling is properly adjusted.
Central air systems are not renowned for their incredible range of fan settings. To be exact you have a choice of two: ‘on’ or ‘auto’. If set to ‘on’ your fan will blow continuously. A good air conditioner tech will always make sure your fan is set to ‘auto’ because this little trick alone could save you $20-30 per month.
In addition to the above tweaks, there are a few other steps a good HVAC tech can take during installation to ensure you won’t be wasting money, including:
As one of the GTA’s most experienced and trusted HVAC companies Tropic Air can handle any size and type of air conditioner or furnace installation and will make sure your system is completely optimized before our techs leave your home or business. We prioritize customer satisfaction by providing same-day emergency repairs for boilers, emergency furnace repairs, and tankless water heater installations, as well as efficient air conditioner servicing and installation.
Don’t gamble on upstarts or discount HVAC companies, call us today and get the reliable, affordable solution to all your heating and air conditioning needs.