air conditioners or central air? (Phoenix, Tucson: relocate, big house, companies)

[mamom1]

when I am reading the list for houses on the market they only say "air conditioning". Is it more likely central air or wall/window mounted air conditioners? If it is not central air then what would be the going cost to put central air in a 1200sq ft house?

Also, I read somewhere on here that you will generally run your AC from april to Oct. When would you generally start the heat?

[Ponderosa]

It is what your easterners call "central air". Window units don't cut it here. NOBODY here uses the term "central air". Actually, in days gone by, we called it "refrigeration" but that has now been replaced by "A/C" - pronounced "AY-SEE" not "air conditioning". Just say, "My A/C is broken/too expensive/won't cool my house etc and you will sound like a real Zonie. You may find yourself turning on the A/C in March and even on Thanksgiving (house gets hot cooking). Many houses also have heat pumps and so the A/C runs year round either heating or cooling. The big use starts about mid-May and end mid-October which corresponds with the summer rates of the utility companies.

[sablebaby]

Yeah, it's very rare to find window units in Phx. Every house will have an A/C unit (or two if it's a big house), not to worry! We need our air out here!!

For heat, it's probably around Jan? I can't remember really. Before turning them on we have a couple of months at least of having doors and windows open.

[snowthedirtbub]

Wow! People actually use heat in Arizona. I think my house has never had the heat on.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by mamom1

when I am reading the list for houses on the market they only say "air conditioning". Is it more likely central air or wall/window mounted air conditioners? If it is not central air then what would be the going cost to put central air in a 1200sq ft house?

Also, I read somewhere on here that you will generally run your AC from april to Oct. When would you generally start the heat?

As others have posted, mamom . . . Air Conditioning or A/C should and usually means Central Air Conditioning.

One point to watch carefully is the term Evaporative Cooler or Cooling and/or Swamp Cooler or Cooling which is NOT Air Conditioning. Those systems are adequate for about 8 or 9 months of the year but are fairly useless during June, July and August.

Good Luck

[cap1717]

some older homes have coolers rather than a/c. . . some room additions have window or "through" the wall type units to serve the addition, only. If I were shopping for a home, I would prefer one that has both a/c and cooler. . . this can really cut your energy bills, but a cooler, alone, will leave you feeling pretty miserable during the summer. . . I know. . . I've been there. . . . .

[fcorrales80]

I turn the 'heat' on only at night during the winter months. Temperatures below 45-50 in Phoenix from late Dec. thru Feb. are common at night and subfreezing temperatures only occur a few times each month (or less) during "winter."

As for the rest of Arizona, yes people turn the heat on in various locations as much of Arizona experiences very cold temperatures. For example, Flagstaff experiences over 200 days of sub 32 degree temperatures and averages over 100" of snow a year...more than Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Boston, NYC, etc. The coldest temperature recorded in Flagstaff was -36 degrees I believe, which is colder than most mid-western cities have experienced. The average January high temperature in Flagstaff is 42.2 degrees and average low is 15.2 degrees.

Patterns are similar in other cities/towns north and east of Phoenix. Tucson is slightly cooler than Phoenix year round. It snowed in Tucson last year, although briefly.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by cap1717

some older homes have coolers rather than a/c. . . some room additions have window or "through" the wall type units to serve the addition, only. If I were shopping for a home, I would prefer one that has both a/c and cooler. . . this can really cut your energy bills, but a cooler, alone, will leave you feeling pretty miserable during the summer. . . I know. . . I've been there. . . . .

Great point, cap!

My home has Dual Cooling and I would never want it any other way. I relocated to the Desert Southwest for the fantastic weather and The Swamp Cooler (with or without water) is great for bringing in lots of fresh air during about nine months of the year. However, the A/C is an absolute must during July and August.