The Best Central Air Conditioners: Our Top Picks & Expert Tips
Have you ever tried to make it through a Texas summer, or a summer in most parts of the US, without central air conditioning? There are just some places that a window unit just will not cut it. The thing is, central air conditioner units are a big investment. How do you know which one is the best central air conditioner for your needs? You want one that is quiet, will cool your entire home and will work for you on your budget.
The good news is we’ve done the research for you. We’ve looked high and low to find the best central air conditioner for every buyer on the market. All you have to do is check out our central air conditioner reviews below.
Comparison Chart for the Best Central Air Conditioner
[table id=5 /]Best Central Air Conditioner Reviews
1.)
2.5 Ton 13 Seer Goodman Air Conditioning System – GSX130301 – ARUF30B14– Best Bang For Your Buck
Click for Price
The ARUF30B14 Air Handler is the perfect match to the GSX130301 when it comes to meeting all of your cooling needs
This bundle is the perfect match when it comes to meeting all of your cooling needs. Goodman is one of the leading names in the home-cooling market, and you get them twice over with this two-piece bundle. It includes the 2.5 ton, 13 seer Goodman GSX130301, as well as the ARUF30B14 model air handler.*
*Please note that the ARUF30B14 model air handler has been discontinued at this time. If the company goes out of stock you will receive a similar model in it’s place.
Pros:
What we love most about this listing is that it’s a bundle, you save when you order both the air handler and air conditioner together and they can handle all of your cooling needs.
Fully designed, engineered, and assembled in the United States, the Goodman GSX130301 is truly American made. The compressor inside of the CSX130301 is designed to provide you with years of reliable cooling and comfort.
What we love most about this listing is that it’s a bundle, you save when you order both the air handler and air conditioner together and they can handle all of your cooling needs.
The advanced fan design allows for quiet airflow across the condensing coil as well, so you don’t have to worry about any noise keeping you awake at night. Well, not from your central air conditioner at least. The ARUF30B14 Air Handler is the perfect match to the GSX130301.
And what makes it even better is that it takes R-410A refrigerant. R-410A refrigerant does not contain chlorine, making it better for the environment and your home.
This unit also comes with a 10-year parts warranty when it is installed by a qualified installer and then registered online.
Cons:
Some customers said they wished they had seen a higher energy savings.
2.)
Goodman GSX160301 Air Conditioner Condenser 29000 Btu, 2.5 Ton, 16 Seer– Best quality
Click for Price
The extended warranty plus the energy savings both help to take your mind off of your air conditioner and allows you to focus on the more important things in life.
No, it’s not deja vu, there really are two Goodman models included in our lineup. That’s because Goodman is not only American made from start to finish, it is also one of the best-priced large central air conditioning manufacturers out there. The unit can cool your average size home, and the extended warranty plus the energy savings both help to take your mind off of your air conditioner and allows you to focus on the more important things in life.
Pros:
With 29,000 BTU’s it is capable of comfortably cooling a home around 1,500-2,000 square feet. And the 16 seer model allows for a 13% higher energy savings than a 14 seer model. The condenser coil is made with rifled copper tubing and aluminum fins to allow for maximum efficiency.
The filter drier, installed in the liquid line, removes impurities and moisture from the unit. This helps to prevent corrosions and blockages that can cause damage to your unit.
The condenser coil is made with rifled copper tubing and aluminum fins to allow for maximum efficiency.
As with the GSX130301 unit listed above, the Goodman GSX160301 comes with a 10-year parts extended warranty when it is installed by a qualified technician and registered online. It also also full American made, from design to manufacturing, and is designed for quick and easy installation to keep the costs lower when having a professional install it.
Cons:
While most said this unit is quiet, a few buyers mentioned that it was noisier than they would have liked.
Some buyers complained that the unit was too heavy.
3.
Daikin 12,000 BTU 17 SEER Wall-Mounted Ductless Mini-Split Inverter Air Conditioner Heat Pump System– Best For A Small Home
Click for Price
This 2-in-1 system allows you to use one unit all year long without having to sacrifice space or energy savings.
Do you live in a small home, even a tiny home, and do not want to spend the money to install a full-blown central air conditioning unit in your home? Well, sometimes some of the best central air conditioners are actually ductless. This 2-in-1 system allows you to use one unit all year long without having to sacrifice space or energy savings. How great is that!
Pros:
The Daikin Wall-Mounted Ductless Mini-Split Inverter Air Conditioner provides small homes with the coolness you desire without taking up valuable floor space. You can get it with one inverter, as we have shown in this review, or with multiple inverters to put in different rooms of your home.
What we love most about this unit is that its features pack such a punch for its size.
At 17 seers and 9 HSPF, this unit is very energy efficient, and at 12,000 BTU is powerful enough to cool up to 550 square feet.
What we love most about this unit is that its features pack such a punch for its size. The unit is very quiet, as low as 37 decibels indoors and 51 decibels outside, and the wide-angle louver keeps the keep the entire room comfortable.
The unit also comes with an additional feature, it’s also a heater.
Cons:
Some buyers were upset that you can only use the remote as a timer, and you can’t program separately for different days in the week.
Conclusion
So which is the best central air conditioner for your home?
If you need an all new system, the two piece bundle of the 2.5 Ton 13 Seer Goodman Air Conditioning System – GSX130301 – ARUF30B14 is a great choice that won’t bust your budget. Although it doesn’t have as high of energy savings as the other units on our list, buyers have reported that it is quiet. The air handler also uses R410-A refrigerant. This does not contain chlorine, meaning it is a better choice for you and the environment.
The second Goodman model on our list is the GSX160301model. At 16 seers it provides substantially more energy savings than the GSX130301 model. At 29,000 BTU’s it can cool a home up to 2,000 square feet, making a great choice for the average home. The filter drier helps to keep your air conditioner going for years on end, and it is fully American made from design to manufacturing.
Last on our list is the Daikin 12,000 BTU 17 SEER Wall-Mounted Ductless Mini-Split Inverter Air Conditioner Heat Pump System. It is great if you only want to cool a few rooms, or if you have a smaller than average home. At 12,000 BTU’s it can cool up to 550 square feet of space, and 17 seers allows for the most energy savings of any model on our list. What we like most about this unit is that it is also a heater, so this model saves you space as well as energy.
Each of these units is a great choice, but they are not created equal. Things like your budget and the size of your home will need to be considered before you pick out the unit that is right for you. Look at the buyers guide below for more details.
How To Choose The Best Central Air Conditioner For You
Know Your Budget
Are you wanting a good and sturdy unit that will last you for years on end? Or are you looking for something to just get you by until you can afford a better unit. Either way, before you start shopping, you need to sit down and decide exactly what you can afford.
Don’t forget to add in the cost of installation to your budget in order to make sure you aren’t surprised by the price tag in the end. More on that below.
Either way, before you start shopping, you need to sit down and decide exactly what you can afford.
Leave The Installation To The Professionals.
There are a lot of things that you can handle when it comes to do-it-yourself home maintenance. Trust us though, installing a central air conditioner is not one of them. To put it simply, there are just some jobs that we need to leave for the professionals.
When you have a professional do the job you not only know it is being done right, but you often get a guarantee on their work. If something goes wrong they will come out and fix it. We recommend that you call at least three professionals to get quotes to see what they would charge to install your central air conditioning system. Also look at their reviews, both good and bad, to allow yourself to make a fully educated choice.
When you have a professional do the job you not only know it is being done right, but you often get a guarantee on their work.
Know Your Space
The type of air conditioner you choose to buy will vary greatly depending on a lot of factors. One of the most important factors is the size of your home. Not all central air conditioners are made the same, and the type you buy will greatly vary depending on the square footage of your home. If you have a 3,000 square foot home you will need a unit with a lot more BTU’s than a home that is only 1,000 square feet.
How large or small your space is might also help you decide on whether to choose a ducted central air conditioning unit, or one that is ductless. A ductless unit saves you space inside of your home, and can even be bought as a 2-in-1 unit along with a heater to allow you even more space saving options.
Not all central air conditioners are made the same, and the type you buy will greatly vary depending on the square footage of your home.
Know Your Warranty
Most major manufacturers include an extended parts warranty in their units, but make sure to read the fine print. There could be certain items that are not included in the warranty, or the warranty might be void altogether if you do not have it installed by a qualified professional.
Most major manufacturers include an extended parts warranty in their units, but make sure to read the fine print.
What’s Next
We hope this article helped you to answer all of your questions about choosing the best central air conditioner for your home. If there are any questions we left out feel free to shoot us a message, we’re happy to help!
If you want to find out more information about any of the central air conditioners on our list be sure to click on the link in each of the central air conditioner reviews. And don’t forget to check out our main buying guide, there you can see reviews of all types of air conditioners