How important is central air conditioning?
 

I am shopping for a mortgage and I want your comments / thoughts about central air cooling.

Most of the houses listed on MLS within my budget do not have central air? I am not really sure if I should rate this as a "must have" or " nice to have"

Your opinions/comments please.

By the way I am in mississauga.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

I have lived in and around Toronto for a long time. I've never had airco at home. I do have it in the cars but only turn it on when I want to feel spectacularly wasteful. I have not fried.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

Guess that depends how tolerant you are of a hot and humid summer? Personally it would be high on my list...

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

Grilling is much better for your health.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

I want to be "spectacularly wasteful" :) and therefore got it installed asap after we moved into the new house. So thankful that we got it this year as I wouldn't have been able to get to sleep otherwise with the humidity.

We don't have it on during the day but it kicks in automatically around 9:30 at night.

Personal choice and tolerance to muggy weather will dictate your decision.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

Perhaps I could have made it explicit that I drive a convertible.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

There are a couple of things here:

- the winter is so awful that, in the summer, any form of heat seems welcome

- air conditioners are anti-social in that they keep people indoors, they can't allow the cold to get out, and because they kick up an awful bejezus racket. It's almost better to live next to someone who has a powered land mower than someone who likes air conditioning.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

Our neighbours must love us - we have air con even in the relatively cool UK (hasn't been on much this summer mind you, though it was very nice in 38 degrees heat last year) and live a stone throw from our neighbours.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

That's the thing I like most about moving away from the city. I don't have to listen to whirring and clunking machinery from April to October.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

I am glad we have one, but beware, not all are equal, some are a lot more efficient than others, some are quieter than others.

We have a quiet efficeint one (Tempstar something or another). The humidity can be quite oppresive in Ontario. If you are like my sister in law, then its an essential, if you are like my dad you probably dont care...its a case of tollerance levels.

If your dream home comes without, then try life without, many people do, I survived a couple of years without AC, you can always install one later if you have the ducts for the heating anyway.

If it comes with, there is no obligation to have it on. If its an older one you might not be able to afford to run it anyway, our hydro bill dropped $30-40 a month in the summer this year after replacing our old unit with an efficient SEER14 unit. At that rate it will have paid for itself in oh....25 years or so!!! It cost about $2500-3k to install the new unit if that helps with the budget....although we had quotes as high as $5k...it pays to shop around.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

It's not too noisy, but it we don't run it at night, that would be inconsiderate as it would be irritating in the dead of night and is less than 10ft from the neighbours house....

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

Do you have central air in the UK, or window units?

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

It's worse when the neighbours want to eat on their deck and have to shout over the bloody thing.

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

It's split unit through the wall, with the compressor on the outside of the house and a blower unit inside - only cools the lounge, so we hang out in there if it's too warm. I've yet to see a domestic house in the UK with central air - would be somewhat of an overkill....

Re: How important is central air conditioning?
 

I agree. The smaller units tend to be less efficient and more noisy than a true central air setup. Still, I guess having A/C in the UK is a sign of the times...I expect it will get more common, although the lack of forced air heating wont help.