If you're the proud owner of an older home, you could be interested in making some upgrades and improvements to it. One improvement that you could be thinking about could be installing air conditioning. You might be worried that there are additional challenges that you have to worry about when installing air conditioning in an older home as opposed to a new construction home, and it's true that there are some things you should be prepared for. If you follow these tips for installing air conditioning in an older home, and if you work with the right residential air conditioning installer, you should be able to get air conditioning installed with minimal issues.

1. Understand Why Now Is a Good Time to Install Air Conditioning

First of all, you could be wondering if it's worth it for you to install new air conditioning in your older home. These are some of the reasons why now could be a great time for you to look into this project:

• Installing central air conditioning in your older home can be a great way to increase its value and marketability almost instantly.
• If you use window unit air conditioners or portable air conditioners to try to cool your older home, you might have found that it's not very effective. This could be particularly true on the hottest days of the year. However, you and your family can live a lot more comfortably in your older home once you have a new air conditioning unit installed.
• Depending on how you cool your older home, you might have found that your air conditioning costs are very expensive each month. Installing a new and efficient air conditioning system can be a good way to reduce your monthly air conditioning costs.

2. Be Prepared to Spend a Little More on the Project

Unfortunately, installing a new air conditioning system in your older home can be a little more expensive than installing an air conditioning system in a newer home. This is because you might have to pay extra for things like installing ductwork for the first time or having electrical wiring or gas lines upgraded. Even though costs might be a bit higher, they should be predictable, since your residential air conditioning installer should give you a quote.

3. Seal Off Your Home

Lastly, you should know that many older homes are not properly sealed off from the elements. Older building materials might have been used, and cracks might have formed in various areas over time. Sealing off your older home now—such as by installing new weatherstripping, using spray foam insulation, and replacing some older materials (such as older windows and doors)—can be a good way to help your new air conditioning system work more effectively and efficiently.

Contact a contractor for more information about installing an air conditioning system.