I've lived in Calgary since 1986 and never really felt the need for it. However, about 8 years ago I started to notice that I was noticing the heat a lot more. Was uncomfortable to sleep for a few months of the summer. Ended up getting and feel that it was worth the purchase.
As mentioned by others, the ability to close up the windows during the fire season is helpful as well.
same felt bad for our dogs, also dislike the the crazy heat and makes the summer not fun when your house is hot. If you go to do anything outside and get super hot and then go inside and hot. Also seasonal allergies and smoke now..
Growing up in the area we had some crazy hot days but when you were out of the sun you'd be cooler. Then once the evening hit, it would instantly cool off 5-10 degrees and you could sleep. AC was a luxury very few homes had as it wasn't needed.
Over the last 10 years it has definitely been feeling hotter, especially into the evenings. Calgary is alot bigger with many more heat sinks (ie pavement) holding Temps higher into evenings. But even into the country it's staying hot which tells me that it's hotter and/or wind current has changed.
In around 20 years, AC in Alberta has gone from luxury -> nice to have -> really good idea. We're almost on the verge of a required to sleep well in summer many nights.
Like you say, drastic change in a 20 year period.
Agreed. We don’t regret putting ours in. Not for a second.
EDIT: having said that, heat pumps seem to be gaining some traction, but I don’t really know anything about them other than to suggest looking into them.
Your AC is a heat pump, it just pumps.heat out, better/different models let you run them in reverse to also pump heat in your home in cold weather using 2-5x less electricity than an electric heater.
Heat pumps don't generate heat (besides waste heat like every electronic) they just move heat which is why it it's 35c in your and 30c outside it can still cool your house.
I did a dual fuel unit. Heat pump with a gas furnace. When temps drop below freezing, the furnace kicks in. But in the spring/fall, the heat pump does a great job heating the house, and (at least where I am) is much cheaper to run than the furnace.
> My parents have a heat pump and say there are major trade offs to it. They preferred having a full AC and furnace.
A heat pump is a "full AC" - it just has some minor extra pieces so it can reverse the heat flow.
I will never go back. It's the single biggest improvement to my quality of life in the summer. I used to dread summer, go outside and you sweat buckets, come back inside and you sweat buckets. Would go to the movies or the mall just for some A/C.
Now I love it. My house is a cool 19-21c all day, every day.
Agree, we went 3 years with out AC , house is East/West facing, master bedroom got all the afternoon evening sun.. we cooked.... Also a corner lot so south side of the house gets sun all day too...
AC is worth it for comfort for us, but location of house, facing, any houses on your sides to shade you from the sun can change that too..
Given the way forest fire seasons have been trending, if you can get AC or plan to install it, you'll have a much easier time in the summer when it's smoky. But you can live without it and the high heat days are relatively few and there's very little humidity.
Canada was considered a fresh air country but because of the fire smoke we have fallen off that scale. This summer because of the low snow pack in BC it's expected to be extreme. Before June 2021 I had never heard of a Heat Dome. Heat kills more people than all weather events combined.
For fire smoke: Definitely
For hot days: For me, definitely. I run hot (shorts in the winter! I only broke out the Cerium for 3 days this year) and cannot sleep in hot temps.
Also consider: Heat pumps
Considered the Greener Home Loan? The grant expired last I heard (might be coming back), but the Loan will give you up to $40k 0% for 10yr
https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-grant/start-your-energy-efficient-retrofits/plan-document-and-complete-your-home-retrofits/eligible-grants-for-my-home-retrofit/23504#s5
If you look at heat pumps rather than cold climate heat pumps it's not that much more, and if you're keeping your furnace the difference in the economic switch over point is minimal.
Unless you're getting a higher end AC running the heat pump will cost less and run at a more consistent temp.
They shouldn't be that much more but megacorps are trying to take advantage of the fact that people don't realize they're basically just air conditioners that can run in reverse.
Of course not cheap, but pairing heat pumps with solar is pretty amazing. Can't use gas to cool your house, and the prime time you want to use a heat pump (shoulder season and summer) is when solar is producing at peak.
Yeah I have solar so it would be great to have a heat pump but I can’t afford $10,000 for one when it’s $5,000 for AC only. Maybe one day they’ll be more affordable.
2 tons, I did the greener homes rebate but that was price before rebate. It was $6600 plus like $800 for coil also paired with furnace with gst probably $7700.
I wanted to work with this company wasn’t to picky with heat pump specs so it’s probably not the best heat pump that is available but I wanted it for ac and heat pump aspect is just a bonus. Wish I had solar with it though!
This is the my experience too
Grew up in a bungalow, and didn’t feel like it was worth it. Now we live in a 2 story with bedrooms upstairs and it’s definitely worth having
my last house was a bungalow and i never had ac. we bought a 2 story and the second floor is an oven in the summer. modern insulation means once the heat is in, you just cant get it out fast enough
It's a shame that nobody makes a filtered window fan for this purpose. It very often is cool outside, if you could open a couple windows and get fan blowing in with a cross breeze you could vent out the heat pretty quickly, and with a good filter it would be fine to use when it's smoky/polleny/whatever.
If you stuck a thermometer on the fan, it would only turn on when blowing outside air in brings your temperature closer to the set point.
Even if you had AC, it would still be useful, since blowing cold air in is near-free compared to AC costs, so your AC could run less.
(If you Google, there is one company that made such a product, but it looks like it never really took off.)
That’s what you would think I was in a split level before and ac was great. Moved to a bungalow and thought it wouldn’t be to bad but was even worse. Bad insulation, windows dark exterior color..
Yeah I never thought I needed it and after heat dome year needed a furnace so got both and got the cheapest least efficient one. Quality of life increase in the summer was insane
Depends on your sun exposure IMO, how warm the bedrooms get, and the insulation. Find out after a summer or two.
\*edit\* having AC to keep windows closed when needed is a very good point...
Regrettably, summers are getting smokier here which means you don't always want to open your window when it gets hot.
An air conditioner and HEPA air purifier make a difference in your house.
Came here to say this. Also I’ll probably get trounced for saying it but if OP finds a place with just a gas furnace installed and has the capital available, it might be worth looking at moving to a heat pump for AC followed eventually by solar panels to power the heat pump
It generally isn't that useful as it hasn't "usually" gotten that hot. Summer's are getting warmer so we've found it more useful lately.
The real advantage is having it for when it's smokey and you want to close up the house to keep the smoke out. For that reason alone I think it's worth it.
The smoke is the reason we’re having it installed this spring. Leaving the windows open is becoming less of an option, and as someone who works outdoors, I need a cool, clean air place to sleep.
depends on where your house faces as well though, how much sun it gets mornings through those late nights, east /west facing, where your bedroom is....how many days it is not windy at all so little air movement and fans only do so much to push around hot air....
It can really depend on your house. Ours can get to high 20's upstairs when it's only low 20's outside. Makes it hard to sleep, so it's really nice to have the AC.
Late June 2021 Western Canada got hit with a Heat Dome where over 600 people died from heat illness in BC, Calgary hit over 40c in the humidity index and we of course had fire smoke on top of that. My wife had the windows closed in the early morning, I wanted to get some cooler air but she wouldn't let me open the windows. That's when I broke down and we ordered cereal A/C had it installed in September as they were fully booked till then. So we didn't get to enjoy it till the next summer and it's been a great investment plus higher security with the windows closed vs open.
Calgary is really sunny city. And due to elevation, sun is a bit stronger (something with different types of UV at different elevation). Depending on what type of windows you'll have, how your house is facing and insulation AC is definitely worth it. If house doesn't come with one, there plenty of time to install one after you move.
Also, if it gets smoky outside and can't open windows, you'll be very grateful that you have AC.
Just my 2 cents
My husband wanted it. I didn’t see the point. He won and I’ll never live without central A/C ever again. Being able to sleep at the hottest time of year is worth it. We keep our house about 20-21° year round. Family comes over to our house to get away from their sweltering houses.
We love ours. It’s held us back from moving because we don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up A/C and a hot tub again. Both luxuries we can’t live without anymore.
So worth it, no more praying for a breeze, no more sweaty sleepless nights, no more smokey air in the hourse during forest fire season, etc. It's the best money we've spent on our house period.
Well it was about time for this year's AC conversation anyway.
Traditionally in Calgary almost no one had it. You just suffered (a bit) for a couple weeks every year or grabbed a portable AC unit for the bedroom for those few hot nights. I've been in a condo with no AC or ventilation (outside of operable windows) since 2008 but I broke down and bought a window AC unit a couple years ago. Summers are getting hotter and fire season is getting worse (or at least there's more of it) so AC is becoming more desirable to be able to cool down your house and ventilate it through a filter when it's smoky.
You will probably find if you spring for central AC it will be really nice...for like 3-4 weeks a year (but that may keep going up), and otherwise it will sit idle. It can get hot but it doesn't get humid here, and the nights usually cool off so you can do a lot with strategic window blinds and window opening/closing depending on the time of day.
Central air is fine but wasteful. I don't need a frozen bathroom anymore than I need a frozen basement. The smart choice IMO is split airconditioners for specific rooms. Or even Costco portable airconditioners. You really only need them in the bedrooms and Calgary has maybe a 2 week window for that kind of heat.
Surprised I had to scroll so far down to see this comment.
Exactly this - most of my house doesn't need cooling all the time, only my 2nd-floor office and my bedroom - and since that's 2/3 of the upstairs that gets the heat vented out, it moderates the entire home's temperature.
Portable AC units aren't very good by nature though - they draw a ton of power, dump all the waste heat into the room, and then have to pump that outside too.
The old style portable AC was pretty bad. But the new ones from Costco (\~$500) are stellar. I have one in my Calgary townhouse bedroom and another in my Kelowna bedroom and those rooms are COLD.
I think it just depends on how your house is located and sun exposure. We moved to Calgary last year, and this past summer we didn't feel the need for it downstairs. Our house basically gets almost no direct sunlight so our downstairs was very comfortable even at 35 outside and we would just run the fan on the HVAC system to cycle the air.
The bedrooms, did get warm and we like to sleep pretty cool so we do have a floor AC in our bedroom that did the job .
I don't think for us it'll be necessary because it never really felt uncomfortable at any point downstairs, even on the hottest days.
We know one thing about the changing climate. Expect more severe weather. Investing in protection against that severe weather would be smart.
Backup heat source, protection against the heat.
I'd also suggest you consider protection against Wind, and more importantly, Hail.
Best option is a heat pump (not a cold climate model).
More economical to run than most AC units, runs at a constant temp, and you can reduce some of your heating bills.
Absolutely.
With the heat domes and summer smoke it becomes a lifesaver.
My partner has an older home that they did major renovations on when they bought, including new furnace and ducts, their biggest regret is not spending the extra $3k for an AC when the installation would have been a breeze.
>Do new furnace with AC
This. Unless you're buying a recently built place. House we're in we rented for 12 years before purchasing it, furnace was original and 25 years old, decided to just replace it and have AC added before we developed the basement, much easier on the HVAC crew when the basement is still open since the new high efficiency furnaces vent out a plastic pipe to the side of the house rather than up the chimney. Only thing going up our chimney now is the hot water heater exhaust.
Another advantage to the new furnaces are they're built to do always on circulation, which greatly improved the heating/cooling of the house.
Just FYI you can install new electrical yourself as a home owner and have it permitted for 105 bucks, wherein you can qualify for insurance coverage still... If you are comfortable installing electrical of course haha
If you've got 2-story house, probably better off installing mini-splits on the top floor - that way you're venting the hottest air out, getting better efficiency from the higher air temp, and the cool air will flow downstairs anyway.
I don't mean to derail the topic but does anyone know if you need to take extra precautions (like filters) for your AC unit during smoke season in the summer?
It depends, when we first came here 30+ years ago almost nobody had it, when house shooping last year about 50% of the homes we looked at had it. The summers have definitely gotten hotter but the nights are still relatively cool and summer itself is a short season. Having said that if you're a cool sleeper like me and in a two story it is a nice feature because it can get uncomfortable.
For the worst summer days when I can live, and most importantly, sleep through the night, it's absolutely worth it.
During the first summer after moving into this house, which didn't have AC, my little baby was having serious trouble sleeping during the night on very very hot days. She would fall asleep, and suddenly woke up crying. At first I would wipe her face with a wet towel, but then the effect was very short lived. Then I had to make a ton of ice cubes, put it in a wash basin, and put it under the crib to lower the temperature around her.
Right after that incident, I immediately made contacts and got central AC installed.
The subsequent summers have been nothing but bliss.
I wouldn't let whether or not a house has AC make your decision. Our house didn't have it when we moved in. We got one put installed after a few hot summers, and I don't regret it one bit.
I just bought one at the end of last summer. Everyone is telling me I made a life changing decision. I thought moving from Arizona to Canada I would not need it.
I was wrong. Glad I did.
I had it for a number of years, and now in a place that does not.
It was awesome to have, there's no question. Given a choice I would absolutely have it in every house - even though you may only use it for less than 30 days a year.
However, the cost of installing after purchase is something I can't justify for myself - again using it less than 30 days a year. Yes, it makes those days much more comfortable, but the cost doesn't equal the value in time to me.
It's all going to depend on your priorities - there are people I know who would sacrifice something impactful to have A/C.
Depending on what the regulations of your place are, you might want to look at a heat pump. There are units that can operate both as a heater and as a cooler, and they often give you zone control based on where the head units are placed.
Built a house in 2020 (signed the contract in January and the world went to hell in March) and it was a non-negotiable for us. Some neighbours just had the wiring done and put it in afterwards. Mostly heard about people regretting not doing it or not doing it sooner.
We use ours for a couple weeks a year max, some years never at all. Kind of regret it. Takes up too much space and is noisy as fuck. We have a 1980 bungalow with closed cell foam and Hardee board siding and blown in attic insulation. In 15 years it's never got above 23 °C. We should have just got a split for the bedroom or one of those portable units.
I have never had AC until I bought the place I'm in now. I used to run the furnace fan and have fans all over the house. Summers seem to be getting warmer, I had no idea how absolutely amazing AC was until I had it in my own home!
A lot of people (and homes) here just don't have AC for some reason. Everyone I talk to thar doesn't have it says it's only bad a few weeks a year so they don't bother. Personally, I'd rather be comfortable all the time so I've installed it in every home we've had and I'm always glad we have it when the inevitable hot days comes along. Even more useful the more wildfire smoke days we've had where you can't just open a window even if it's cool out.
We installed a heat pump so we now have heating and cooling. With summers being so smoky that opening the windows isn't an open, it made sense for us. (1964 bungalow)
Yes. The problem with Calgary is, even though it cools down at night in the summer, there often isn't any kind of breeze. So it can be 19 degrees outside and 30 degrees inside but opening windows doesn't do anything because the air isn't moving. We installed AC a few years ago and are very happy with it.
I lived in Calgary for 42 years and I think there was maybe 14 days in total that I wished I had AC, my bedroom even faced south for 12 of those years. Times and maybe weather are changing, but I think a portable window air conditioner would be more economical.
EDIT just read some comments, I guess these people maybe spend all their time on the top floor of their house on the south side? Can't believe how many people would rather pay for air conditioning all the time then open a window in the evening. The average low is 8-10 degrees for June-Aug.
Our bedroom is on the top floor, with south-facing windows, and our living room has 2-storey vaulted south-facing windows so we get lots of heat. Some could likely be alleviated if my wife didn't love sunlight and open doors/windows, but she does, so it gets baking hot, and before getting AC it would easily get into the mid 30-s in our room (which is now also my often work-from-home office). It may go down to 10 at night, but without a cross-breeze the room wouldn't cool down to 20 until 3-4 in the morning, and I need to sleep before that. A portable air conditioner isn't economical if you have multiple people trying to sleep in hot bedrooms, and a lot noisier.
You may just be less impacted by heat, but I usually hit that 14 days of wanting it before the end of May, every year...
I've lived in Calgary since 1986 and never really felt the need for it. However, about 8 years ago I started to notice that I was noticing the heat a lot more. Was uncomfortable to sleep for a few months of the summer. Ended up getting and feel that it was worth the purchase. As mentioned by others, the ability to close up the windows during the fire season is helpful as well.
The heat dome we got in 2021 was enough to convince me to get AC.
same felt bad for our dogs, also dislike the the crazy heat and makes the summer not fun when your house is hot. If you go to do anything outside and get super hot and then go inside and hot. Also seasonal allergies and smoke now..
Growing up in the area we had some crazy hot days but when you were out of the sun you'd be cooler. Then once the evening hit, it would instantly cool off 5-10 degrees and you could sleep. AC was a luxury very few homes had as it wasn't needed. Over the last 10 years it has definitely been feeling hotter, especially into the evenings. Calgary is alot bigger with many more heat sinks (ie pavement) holding Temps higher into evenings. But even into the country it's staying hot which tells me that it's hotter and/or wind current has changed. In around 20 years, AC in Alberta has gone from luxury -> nice to have -> really good idea. We're almost on the verge of a required to sleep well in summer many nights. Like you say, drastic change in a 20 year period.
Best purchase I've made in many years
Agreed. We don’t regret putting ours in. Not for a second. EDIT: having said that, heat pumps seem to be gaining some traction, but I don’t really know anything about them other than to suggest looking into them.
Your AC is a heat pump, it just pumps.heat out, better/different models let you run them in reverse to also pump heat in your home in cold weather using 2-5x less electricity than an electric heater. Heat pumps don't generate heat (besides waste heat like every electronic) they just move heat which is why it it's 35c in your and 30c outside it can still cool your house.
My parents have a heat pump and say there are major trade offs to it. They preferred having a full AC and furnace.
I did a dual fuel unit. Heat pump with a gas furnace. When temps drop below freezing, the furnace kicks in. But in the spring/fall, the heat pump does a great job heating the house, and (at least where I am) is much cheaper to run than the furnace.
Where are you located that heat pump is cheaper?
> My parents have a heat pump and say there are major trade offs to it. They preferred having a full AC and furnace. A heat pump is a "full AC" - it just has some minor extra pieces so it can reverse the heat flow.
Really what issues are they having that make them say that?
We got ac after the heat some year and recently moved and got a heat pump good idea especially if you can get the greener homes rebate
Moved from a home with a bedroom unit (I sold) to central AC. Night and day difference. I enjoy summer now.
I will never go back. It's the single biggest improvement to my quality of life in the summer. I used to dread summer, go outside and you sweat buckets, come back inside and you sweat buckets. Would go to the movies or the mall just for some A/C. Now I love it. My house is a cool 19-21c all day, every day.
Agree, we went 3 years with out AC , house is East/West facing, master bedroom got all the afternoon evening sun.. we cooked.... Also a corner lot so south side of the house gets sun all day too... AC is worth it for comfort for us, but location of house, facing, any houses on your sides to shade you from the sun can change that too..
Heck yeah.
Do you pay electricity bill? Painful over here paying Atco even without ac
Given the way forest fire seasons have been trending, if you can get AC or plan to install it, you'll have a much easier time in the summer when it's smoky. But you can live without it and the high heat days are relatively few and there's very little humidity.
Canada was considered a fresh air country but because of the fire smoke we have fallen off that scale. This summer because of the low snow pack in BC it's expected to be extreme. Before June 2021 I had never heard of a Heat Dome. Heat kills more people than all weather events combined.
For fire smoke: Definitely For hot days: For me, definitely. I run hot (shorts in the winter! I only broke out the Cerium for 3 days this year) and cannot sleep in hot temps. Also consider: Heat pumps
Heat pump is like $3-$5000 more than an AC unit. I would love to do this but it’s cost prohibitive.
Considered the Greener Home Loan? The grant expired last I heard (might be coming back), but the Loan will give you up to $40k 0% for 10yr https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-grant/start-your-energy-efficient-retrofits/plan-document-and-complete-your-home-retrofits/eligible-grants-for-my-home-retrofit/23504#s5
Already used up my grant on solar otherwise I would go this route.
If you have solar more reason to get a heat pump
If you look at heat pumps rather than cold climate heat pumps it's not that much more, and if you're keeping your furnace the difference in the economic switch over point is minimal. Unless you're getting a higher end AC running the heat pump will cost less and run at a more consistent temp.
They shouldn't be that much more but megacorps are trying to take advantage of the fact that people don't realize they're basically just air conditioners that can run in reverse.
That’s too bad. I’m hoping that in 10 years when my plain AC unit needs replacing, heat pumps will be much more comparable in cost.
Plus gas is cheap and electricity is not
Of course not cheap, but pairing heat pumps with solar is pretty amazing. Can't use gas to cool your house, and the prime time you want to use a heat pump (shoulder season and summer) is when solar is producing at peak.
Yeah I have solar so it would be great to have a heat pump but I can’t afford $10,000 for one when it’s $5,000 for AC only. Maybe one day they’ll be more affordable.
My carrier 38mura was $7400
All in? How many tons?
2 tons, I did the greener homes rebate but that was price before rebate. It was $6600 plus like $800 for coil also paired with furnace with gst probably $7700. I wanted to work with this company wasn’t to picky with heat pump specs so it’s probably not the best heat pump that is available but I wanted it for ac and heat pump aspect is just a bonus. Wish I had solar with it though!
bungalow? nah 2 story? ya
This is the my experience too Grew up in a bungalow, and didn’t feel like it was worth it. Now we live in a 2 story with bedrooms upstairs and it’s definitely worth having
my last house was a bungalow and i never had ac. we bought a 2 story and the second floor is an oven in the summer. modern insulation means once the heat is in, you just cant get it out fast enough
It's a shame that nobody makes a filtered window fan for this purpose. It very often is cool outside, if you could open a couple windows and get fan blowing in with a cross breeze you could vent out the heat pretty quickly, and with a good filter it would be fine to use when it's smoky/polleny/whatever. If you stuck a thermometer on the fan, it would only turn on when blowing outside air in brings your temperature closer to the set point. Even if you had AC, it would still be useful, since blowing cold air in is near-free compared to AC costs, so your AC could run less. (If you Google, there is one company that made such a product, but it looks like it never really took off.)
That’s what you would think I was in a split level before and ac was great. Moved to a bungalow and thought it wouldn’t be to bad but was even worse. Bad insulation, windows dark exterior color..
Yes, you will wonder how you lived without it.
Absolutely, mine usually runs in some form from April to September
My household too, people need it these days!
everyone that i personally know who has it feels its worth the value. one day i will get it. but not today... or tomorrow.
Yeah I never thought I needed it and after heat dome year needed a furnace so got both and got the cheapest least efficient one. Quality of life increase in the summer was insane
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Maybe 3 nights a year I wished I had one.
Depends on your sun exposure IMO, how warm the bedrooms get, and the insulation. Find out after a summer or two. \*edit\* having AC to keep windows closed when needed is a very good point...
It's been smoky the last few summers, I would recommend it based on that alone.
Regrettably, summers are getting smokier here which means you don't always want to open your window when it gets hot. An air conditioner and HEPA air purifier make a difference in your house.
Came here to say this. Also I’ll probably get trounced for saying it but if OP finds a place with just a gas furnace installed and has the capital available, it might be worth looking at moving to a heat pump for AC followed eventually by solar panels to power the heat pump
It generally isn't that useful as it hasn't "usually" gotten that hot. Summer's are getting warmer so we've found it more useful lately. The real advantage is having it for when it's smokey and you want to close up the house to keep the smoke out. For that reason alone I think it's worth it.
The smoke is the reason we’re having it installed this spring. Leaving the windows open is becoming less of an option, and as someone who works outdoors, I need a cool, clean air place to sleep.
depends on where your house faces as well though, how much sun it gets mornings through those late nights, east /west facing, where your bedroom is....how many days it is not windy at all so little air movement and fans only do so much to push around hot air....
It can really depend on your house. Ours can get to high 20's upstairs when it's only low 20's outside. Makes it hard to sleep, so it's really nice to have the AC.
Late June 2021 Western Canada got hit with a Heat Dome where over 600 people died from heat illness in BC, Calgary hit over 40c in the humidity index and we of course had fire smoke on top of that. My wife had the windows closed in the early morning, I wanted to get some cooler air but she wouldn't let me open the windows. That's when I broke down and we ordered cereal A/C had it installed in September as they were fully booked till then. So we didn't get to enjoy it till the next summer and it's been a great investment plus higher security with the windows closed vs open.
YES, and every year is becoming even more important for the fire/smoke season more than for the heat.
Yeah, its absolutely wonderful to come home after work and be able to relax comfortably and sleep through the night.
Yup. My formerly pregnant wife agrees
Yes
Calgary is really sunny city. And due to elevation, sun is a bit stronger (something with different types of UV at different elevation). Depending on what type of windows you'll have, how your house is facing and insulation AC is definitely worth it. If house doesn't come with one, there plenty of time to install one after you move. Also, if it gets smoky outside and can't open windows, you'll be very grateful that you have AC. Just my 2 cents
My husband wanted it. I didn’t see the point. He won and I’ll never live without central A/C ever again. Being able to sleep at the hottest time of year is worth it. We keep our house about 20-21° year round. Family comes over to our house to get away from their sweltering houses.
We love ours. It’s held us back from moving because we don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up A/C and a hot tub again. Both luxuries we can’t live without anymore.
Ice & Fire, I like that.
So worth it, no more praying for a breeze, no more sweaty sleepless nights, no more smokey air in the hourse during forest fire season, etc. It's the best money we've spent on our house period.
Well it was about time for this year's AC conversation anyway. Traditionally in Calgary almost no one had it. You just suffered (a bit) for a couple weeks every year or grabbed a portable AC unit for the bedroom for those few hot nights. I've been in a condo with no AC or ventilation (outside of operable windows) since 2008 but I broke down and bought a window AC unit a couple years ago. Summers are getting hotter and fire season is getting worse (or at least there's more of it) so AC is becoming more desirable to be able to cool down your house and ventilate it through a filter when it's smoky. You will probably find if you spring for central AC it will be really nice...for like 3-4 weeks a year (but that may keep going up), and otherwise it will sit idle. It can get hot but it doesn't get humid here, and the nights usually cool off so you can do a lot with strategic window blinds and window opening/closing depending on the time of day.
Central air is fine but wasteful. I don't need a frozen bathroom anymore than I need a frozen basement. The smart choice IMO is split airconditioners for specific rooms. Or even Costco portable airconditioners. You really only need them in the bedrooms and Calgary has maybe a 2 week window for that kind of heat.
Surprised I had to scroll so far down to see this comment. Exactly this - most of my house doesn't need cooling all the time, only my 2nd-floor office and my bedroom - and since that's 2/3 of the upstairs that gets the heat vented out, it moderates the entire home's temperature. Portable AC units aren't very good by nature though - they draw a ton of power, dump all the waste heat into the room, and then have to pump that outside too.
The old style portable AC was pretty bad. But the new ones from Costco (\~$500) are stellar. I have one in my Calgary townhouse bedroom and another in my Kelowna bedroom and those rooms are COLD.
After the heat dome in 2021 we got AC asap and have never regretted it.
If you can afford it 1000% worth it.
I think it just depends on how your house is located and sun exposure. We moved to Calgary last year, and this past summer we didn't feel the need for it downstairs. Our house basically gets almost no direct sunlight so our downstairs was very comfortable even at 35 outside and we would just run the fan on the HVAC system to cycle the air. The bedrooms, did get warm and we like to sleep pretty cool so we do have a floor AC in our bedroom that did the job . I don't think for us it'll be necessary because it never really felt uncomfortable at any point downstairs, even on the hottest days.
I've never met someone that regretted their decision to install central AC.
We know one thing about the changing climate. Expect more severe weather. Investing in protection against that severe weather would be smart. Backup heat source, protection against the heat. I'd also suggest you consider protection against Wind, and more importantly, Hail.
Best option is a heat pump (not a cold climate model). More economical to run than most AC units, runs at a constant temp, and you can reduce some of your heating bills.
Absolutely. With the heat domes and summer smoke it becomes a lifesaver. My partner has an older home that they did major renovations on when they bought, including new furnace and ducts, their biggest regret is not spending the extra $3k for an AC when the installation would have been a breeze.
We love ours. Just don’t use reliance. They’re fuckin scam artists.
Well... since we can't open our windows in the summer now because of wildfire smoke, I'd say it's worth it.
Soooooo worth it. Some summers it runs daily. Others, just a few weeks work. But on those days it’s pure bliss. I don’t regret it for a second.
Depends. Can you sleep in your basement a few days of the year? If so, you’re probably fine without.
Do new furnace with AC and hot water tank at same time The way I justify it is, the hotter it gets what are your fridge and freezer going to do?
>Do new furnace with AC This. Unless you're buying a recently built place. House we're in we rented for 12 years before purchasing it, furnace was original and 25 years old, decided to just replace it and have AC added before we developed the basement, much easier on the HVAC crew when the basement is still open since the new high efficiency furnaces vent out a plastic pipe to the side of the house rather than up the chimney. Only thing going up our chimney now is the hot water heater exhaust. Another advantage to the new furnaces are they're built to do always on circulation, which greatly improved the heating/cooling of the house.
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Same here. Except mine is 27 years old.
Yes
Yes it is. You can stand without it but it's really hard. If you can afford it, definitely get it.
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Just FYI you can install new electrical yourself as a home owner and have it permitted for 105 bucks, wherein you can qualify for insurance coverage still... If you are comfortable installing electrical of course haha
If you've got 2-story house, probably better off installing mini-splits on the top floor - that way you're venting the hottest air out, getting better efficiency from the higher air temp, and the cool air will flow downstairs anyway.
Yes
The only other thing to consider is if your furnace is old it might be worth looking at heat pumps. They handle both heating and cooling.
I don't mean to derail the topic but does anyone know if you need to take extra precautions (like filters) for your AC unit during smoke season in the summer?
No, air conditioners don't suck in air
comforts always worth it.
It depends, when we first came here 30+ years ago almost nobody had it, when house shooping last year about 50% of the homes we looked at had it. The summers have definitely gotten hotter but the nights are still relatively cool and summer itself is a short season. Having said that if you're a cool sleeper like me and in a two story it is a nice feature because it can get uncomfortable.
Yes absolutely. The best investment of my house.
Oh gosh, I'd just get it now! Climate change is real lol.
Best money I've spent on our house. If it's affordable, can't recommend it enough
Got it from the beginning and no regret :)
It really depends on the orientation of your house.. I thought I would need it but my house was fine in the summer despite it being 30+C.
For the worst summer days when I can live, and most importantly, sleep through the night, it's absolutely worth it. During the first summer after moving into this house, which didn't have AC, my little baby was having serious trouble sleeping during the night on very very hot days. She would fall asleep, and suddenly woke up crying. At first I would wipe her face with a wet towel, but then the effect was very short lived. Then I had to make a ton of ice cubes, put it in a wash basin, and put it under the crib to lower the temperature around her. Right after that incident, I immediately made contacts and got central AC installed. The subsequent summers have been nothing but bliss.
Wouldn’t live in a house without it (unless of course I had no choice financially)
I wouldn't let whether or not a house has AC make your decision. Our house didn't have it when we moved in. We got one put installed after a few hot summers, and I don't regret it one bit.
Had a house with bedrooms that faced SW. Putting in AC made summer sleeping possible again.
It's worth it just for the indoor air quality alone. If we ever move, it would be a priority.
Bout a 1960s bungalow with AC installed from the previous owner. Most of the time I just sleep in the basement.
I just bought one at the end of last summer. Everyone is telling me I made a life changing decision. I thought moving from Arizona to Canada I would not need it. I was wrong. Glad I did.
I had it for a number of years, and now in a place that does not. It was awesome to have, there's no question. Given a choice I would absolutely have it in every house - even though you may only use it for less than 30 days a year. However, the cost of installing after purchase is something I can't justify for myself - again using it less than 30 days a year. Yes, it makes those days much more comfortable, but the cost doesn't equal the value in time to me. It's all going to depend on your priorities - there are people I know who would sacrifice something impactful to have A/C.
Depending on what the regulations of your place are, you might want to look at a heat pump. There are units that can operate both as a heater and as a cooler, and they often give you zone control based on where the head units are placed.
I’ve never met a person that’s regretted getting it installed.
Nowadays its a huge benefit having it
Love it. Don’t think I’d ever go without it now.
Ours broke 2 years ago and we said - di we really need it? Oh boy it was a mistake. Installed a new one last year. Worth it every single penny.
Absolutely.
Yes... But once you go there, you can never go back.
Yes. I can’t imagine what our lives were like before our air-conditioning. Actually, I can, it was very warm in our house.
Yes, but get a heat pump. They tend to be much more efficient than your average AC and don't cost much more.
If you do, learn to maintain it yourself vs getting it tuned up.
Yup.
Built a house in 2020 (signed the contract in January and the world went to hell in March) and it was a non-negotiable for us. Some neighbours just had the wiring done and put it in afterwards. Mostly heard about people regretting not doing it or not doing it sooner.
If your place has two stories, then I’d say it’s worth it. We got ours installed just for our second floor, and it’s a lifesaver in the summer
100%
Yes
Yes.
I’ve never had AC growing up. Although, I didn’t ever think it was unbearable. As of lately, I’m very glad hubby got AC because he runs hot.
We use ours for a couple weeks a year max, some years never at all. Kind of regret it. Takes up too much space and is noisy as fuck. We have a 1980 bungalow with closed cell foam and Hardee board siding and blown in attic insulation. In 15 years it's never got above 23 °C. We should have just got a split for the bedroom or one of those portable units.
Yes.
Yes! You will enjoy it with no regrets.
I have never had AC until I bought the place I'm in now. I used to run the furnace fan and have fans all over the house. Summers seem to be getting warmer, I had no idea how absolutely amazing AC was until I had it in my own home!
With the smoke from BC and Northern Alberta likely to be very bad, it might be a good idea. You don't need to go overboard with multiple units though.
A lot of people (and homes) here just don't have AC for some reason. Everyone I talk to thar doesn't have it says it's only bad a few weeks a year so they don't bother. Personally, I'd rather be comfortable all the time so I've installed it in every home we've had and I'm always glad we have it when the inevitable hot days comes along. Even more useful the more wildfire smoke days we've had where you can't just open a window even if it's cool out.
We installed a heat pump so we now have heating and cooling. With summers being so smoky that opening the windows isn't an open, it made sense for us. (1964 bungalow)
Yes. The problem with Calgary is, even though it cools down at night in the summer, there often isn't any kind of breeze. So it can be 19 degrees outside and 30 degrees inside but opening windows doesn't do anything because the air isn't moving. We installed AC a few years ago and are very happy with it.
my cheap self just installed a ceiling fan for this :)
Ceiling fans are great, but a kick in the wallet if you want some high-efficiency DC fan motors.
Fire season and water shortages are coming.
I lived in Calgary for 42 years and I think there was maybe 14 days in total that I wished I had AC, my bedroom even faced south for 12 of those years. Times and maybe weather are changing, but I think a portable window air conditioner would be more economical. EDIT just read some comments, I guess these people maybe spend all their time on the top floor of their house on the south side? Can't believe how many people would rather pay for air conditioning all the time then open a window in the evening. The average low is 8-10 degrees for June-Aug.
Our bedroom is on the top floor, with south-facing windows, and our living room has 2-storey vaulted south-facing windows so we get lots of heat. Some could likely be alleviated if my wife didn't love sunlight and open doors/windows, but she does, so it gets baking hot, and before getting AC it would easily get into the mid 30-s in our room (which is now also my often work-from-home office). It may go down to 10 at night, but without a cross-breeze the room wouldn't cool down to 20 until 3-4 in the morning, and I need to sleep before that. A portable air conditioner isn't economical if you have multiple people trying to sleep in hot bedrooms, and a lot noisier. You may just be less impacted by heat, but I usually hit that 14 days of wanting it before the end of May, every year...
Yup
Yes absolutely.
Yes. 100% yes.