My air conditioner broke! Buying a new HVAC in 2022.

July 2022, at the peak of a 99 – 106 degree heat wave, my central air conditioner broke. I learned that there are a lot of differing thoughts on the best solution for our little 1100 sq ft home:

• 2.5-ton vs 3-ton  condenser and coil
• 80% vs 96% efficiency natural gas furnace
• Smart vs traditional thermostat
• Replacing what’s broken vs the whole system

I told one of the repairmen about all of the conflicting information I was getting. His simple explanation:

“because that’s what they have in stock”

Due to current supply chain issues, nobody could mix and match what I wanted. So I ended up going with my third cheapest option. 3-ton 16-seer condenser, 3-ton coil, 96% efficiency gas furnace, and a smart thermostat.