10 Best Central Air Conditioners

With record-setting heat waves becoming all too common in recent years, the intense heat of summer days can zap your energy and make it hard to perform even the most basic tasks. Using central air conditioning can make life bearable again by giving you a controlled climate and pull humidity out the air in more tropical areas to reduce that muggy feeling. Choosing the best central air conditioner for your home can be a difficult process without first doing a bit of research to determine the needs of your home and the budget you are looking to spend.

In this article, we’ll be covering the top 10 best central air conditioner options for your home. Not only do central air conditioners save you money in the long run by working more efficiently than window mounted units, but they work a lot better than swamp coolers or relying on fans. With the information compiled in this article, you can find the best central air conditioner for your needs that will fit in within your budget and work efficiently to cool your home.

[amazon box=”B00DI74YYK, B01LZR89RA, B01IC7WULY, B01BP8FMPS, B07D2M9GNC, B015DAZDZ8, B074CQM5TQ, B07BN5XTHX, B00WNY6QJU, B01N3SWLGS ” template=”table”]

Best Central Air Conditioner: Product FAQs

What Is A Central Air Conditioner?

A central air conditioner gets mounted to the roof of the home or alongside the home on a concrete foundation and is hooked into the home’s central air vent system to distribute cooled air throughout the home with the use of an electrically powered fan. This differs from window-mounted air conditioners or other products which don’t get affixed to the home permanently and do not use the home’s central air system to distribute cooled air throughout the home.

What Does The Best Central Air Conditioner Do?

The best central air conditioner will have enough power to cool your home efficiently without running constantly and costing you more money than is necessary to cool the home. One of the easiest ways to determine the efficiency of the model you are looking at is to look at the SEER rating, which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. With a higher SEER number, the air conditioner gets rated as more efficient and powerful.

How Does An Air Conditioner Work?

An air conditioner has four main parts that make it work. An evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and an expansion device. A chemical called a refrigerant loops back and forth from inside the home to outside while absorbing heat. The air conditioner cools the refrigerant through compression, then expands inside the air conditioning unit where a fan blows air over the tubes where the refrigerant expands to create cold air.

Where Can You Buy The Best Central Air Conditioner?

Consumers can purchase most many central air conditioners through online retailers, and you can purchase several most popular air conditioner models at home improvement stores. Almost all brands offer the ability to return the product for a refund, so you’re not taking a huge risk if you are buying your air conditioner through an online retailer. Using a home improvement store isn’t the only way to buy an air conditioner anymore due to a lot of models being offered online.

Price Range

The best central air conditioner options range in price from as low as around $ to as high as around $. Many of these models come with free shipping so you don’t have to plan to pay to ship these rather heavy objects in the mail.

How We Reviewed

In this article, we reviewed these central air conditioners with the following factors in mind; the power of the built-in fan motor, Pros & Cons of the central air conditioner, how durable the product it is through time, the ease of installation, the cost of the air conditioner, and the warranty that the manufacturer offers. We’ve done our best to weigh these aspects and propose only the top ten central air conditioner options available to consumers on the market today.

What We Reviewed

• Goodman
• Lennox
• Day and Night
• Trane
• Carrier
• Bryant
• York
• Amana
• Rheem
• American Standard

Goodman

[amazon box=”B00DI74YYK”]

Features

Goodman brand air conditioners are not popularly known by people not familiar with HVAC products but they offer a great value for the consumer and use the same internal parts as their more expensive sister company, Amana. These air conditioner punch above their weight class offering a solid, reliable product with one of the best warranties, and they get manufactured in America.

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PROS

• One of the best warranty payout programs 
• Uses internal parts of more expensive models
• Reliable brand manufacturer in America

CONS

• Lesser-known brand
• Replacement parts can get expensive

Price

Consumers can purchase the one the air conditioner in Goodman’s product line for as low as around $$$ to as high as around $$$ on online retailers like Amazon. Amazon offers free prime shipping for many of the air conditioners offered by this manufacturer.

Where to Buy?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_15?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=goodman+central+air+conditioner&sprefix=goodman+central%2Caps%2C285&crid=3S2479UFDEI46&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Agoodman+central+air+conditioner

Lennox

[amazon box=”B01LZR89RA”]

Features

Lennox is one of the older brand names on this list, and 20 years ago they were a top-tier name in air conditioning products, but in today’s market they have lost their former luster. Lennox products use proprietary internals you can only purchase through Lennox which makes the product more expensive to work on and maintain.

PROS

• Trusted brand name
• Operate quietly
• Efficient cooling

CONS

• Proprietary parts
• Hard to work on and maintain
• More expensive than other options

Price

Consumers can purchase this outdoor air conditioner at online retailers for around $$$ on online retailers like amazon. Amazon offers free prime shipping for this manufacturer’s products.

Where to Buy?

Day And Night

[amazon box=”B01IC7WULY”]

Features

This lesser known brand is gaining popularity among consumers who are looking for a good value. The reliability and customer service of their products are at the top of the list. These air conditioners use many of the same internal components as their more expensive sister company, Carrier, which is a respected brand. 

PROS

• More affordable than many other options 
• Many of the same internal components of a more expensive brand

CONS

• Lesser known brand name
• Limited availability

Price

Consumers can purchase the product at online retailers for around $ on online retailers like amazon. Amazon offers free prime shipping for amazon prime members.

Where to Buy?

Trane

[amazon box=”B01BP8FMPS”]

Features

Many people will know Trane best for their work in commercial heating and cooling solutions, but they also offer residential options too. The Trane company also owns the American Standard name brand and offers a solid product. They are more expensive than other options, so they don’t rate highly in overall value, but they work efficiently and reliably.

PROS

• Works reliably and efficiently
• Trusted brand in heating and cooling
• Quiet operation

CONS

• More expensive than other competitors
• Hard to work on and maintain
• Some customers have had a bad experience with their warranty support

Price

Consumers can purchase the Trane 4TWX6024H1000AB 2 Ton Series at online retailers for around $$$ on online retailers like amazon. Amazon offers free prime shipping on this product. 

Where to Buy?

Carrier

 

[amazon box=”B07D2M9GNC”]

Features

Many have credited the carrier brand as the creator of modern air conditioning and carries a trusted name in the industry. They have a track record of reliability and good support, but the company’s models can be much more expensive than other competing models, making it rank low on overall value.

PROS

• They offer 21 SEER models that are not able with more affordable brands
• One of the oldest brand in air conditioning
• Works quietly and efficiently

CONS

• Costs much more than comparable models

Price

Consumers can purchase the Carrier Used Central Air Conditioner Condenser 25HCC360 for around $$ on online retailers like amazon. You will also need to pay about $ in shipping costs for this used model.

Where to Buy?

https://www.amazon.com/Carrier-Conditioner-Condenser-25HCC360-ACC-9810/dp/B07C2L27KG/ref=sr_1_8?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1533842960&sr=1-8&keywords=carrier+air+conditioner  

Bryant

[amazon box=”B015DAZDZ8″]

Features

Bryant is also a subsidiary of Carrier, and slots below the Carrier model of pricing, but just slightly above the Day and Night model of pricing. They share a lot of the same internal technology as the Day and Night models, but cost more, so this brand gets ranked just below the Day and Night brand in overall value.

PROS

• Operate quietly and efficiently
• Easy to repair and maintain
• Good value but not the best 

CONS

• You can purchase same internals for cheaper with Day and Night brand

Price

Consumers can purchase the one the air conditioner in Bryant’s product line for as low as around $$$ to as high as around $$$ on online retailers like amazon. Amazon offers free shipping for many of the air conditioners offered by this manufacturer.

Where to Buy?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_22?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=bryant+air+conditioner&sprefix=bryant+Air+Conditioner%2Cgarden%2C209&crid=1A5VWDWRJJAFC

York

 

[amazon box=”B074CQM5TQ”]

Features

York is a more well-known brand in the industry that’s well built with a reputation for reliable operation. Their models can lack a few features that other competitors offer, and have a middle of the road price tag, but they are a respectable choice.

PROS

• Built well with solid engineering 
• Reliable and efficient operation

CONS

• Can lack features that other competitors have
• Middle of the Road price tag for many models

Price

Consumers can purchase the one the air conditioner in York’s product line for as low as around $$ for used models to as high as around $$$ for a new model on online retailers like amazon. Shipping to your home is about $ for these products.

Where to Buy?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=york+central+air+conditioner&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ayork+central+air+conditioner

Amana

[amazon box=”B07BN5XTHX”]

Features

As we mentioned earlier in this article, Amana gets manufactured by the same company that makes Goodman products, and they share many of the same internals. They are a respected brand that’s positioned as the company’s top-tier brand, but because you can buy the same internals for less with Goodman, they don’t rank as high in overall value.

PROS

• Fantastic build quality 
• Affordable to maintain
• Quiet and reliable operation

CONS

• You can purchase same internals for less with sister brand

Price

Consumers can purchase the Amana GSX130361 at online retailers for around $$$ on online retailers like amazon. Amazon offers free shipping for this model.

Where to Buy?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_29?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=amana+central+air+conditioner&sprefix=amana+central+air+conditioner%2Caps%2C185&crid=1TFRE8K97YNVF&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aamana+central+air+conditioner

Rheem

 

[amazon box=”B00WNY6QJU”]

Features

Rheem is a popular brand you may find sold in big box home improvement stores like Home Depot. They have gained a reputation for being reliable, but when they break, Rheem models can be complex to repair with expensive parts

PROS

• Well known trusted brand
• Middle of the Road pricing model

CONS

• Proprietary design makes them hard to work on
• Expensive replacement parts
• Can be prone coil freezing

Price

Consumers can purchase the one the air conditioner in Rheem’s product line for as low as around $$$ for smaller models to as high as around $$$ for a larger model on online retailers like amazon. Shipping to your home is about $ for these products.

Where to Buy?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rheem+central+air+conditioner&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Arheem+central+air+conditioner

American Standard

[amazon box=”B01N3SWLGS”]

Features

As we commented on before, American Standard gets manufactured by the same company that makes Trane products, and they share many of the same internals. Many people don’t know the American Standard brand as much as their sister company Trane, but because you can buy the same internals for less with American Standard, rank higher in overall value than their sister company.

PROS

• Works reliably and efficiently
• Same internal components as a more expensive brand
• Quiet operation

CONS

• Not the most expensive, but not the best value product on the market
• Some customers have had a negative experience with warranty support

Price

Consumers can purchase the one the air conditioner in Rheem’s product line for as low as around $$$ to as high as around $$$ on online retailers like amazon. Shipping to your home is about $ for these products.

Where to Buy?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_33?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=american+standard+central+air+conditioner&sprefix=american++central+air+conditioner%2Caps%2C203&crid=EB6YXC8KUHGH&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aamerican+standard+central+air+conditioner

The Verdict

In closing, the using a centralized air conditioning system to cool your home is a great option for you if you’re up against depressing, humid heat in your location. The ability to control your climate at the touch of a button can restore your comfort and possibly your sanity, and if you have young children or small pets, air conditioning could be a requirement for your situation. There are many great brands on the market, and many good options at different price points, so finding the best option for you can be an exercise in determining what part of the market you fit into. As always, there are a few options that stand out for specific situations.

If you are looking for the best value, brands like Goodman and Day and Night will be your best bet. They are both share the internal parts of their more expensive parent companies and offer a reliable and consistent product with great value.

If you are looking for a more well-known name brand, Carrier and Amana will be your best bet. They are both high-end top-tier names in the industry and offer reliable and efficient products.

Now you’re armed with the information we have compiled in this article you can confidently determine which model is the best central air conditioner option for your home.