Central AC

Yes, and yes. Only because my partner is addicted to A/C. Personally, I hate it and wouldn't bother with A/C at all. The condensate gets drained into some plumbing, which is why it's usually located in the maid's bathroom. BTW, you can get these Mitsubishi slimline(?) things which allow you to not run ducts. I would go that way if I had to do it again.

Oh, I'll bet you wouldn't do those Mitsubishis, just from my sense of how you do things. I'd want it perfect too, with the right outlets, which is why I'll never do it at all. Fortunately I've got a couple of no-view windows where the AC units can stay in all year, covered by blinds.

The one apt I've been able to dig around in detail also had a spare maid's room to devote to the whole thing. There's an apt upstairs from me that had to run the drain line from an interior closet to the outside, traversing dry space. That'd scare me. I've never hooked up my icemaker for the same reason.

Wow, you are conservative. Never thought to fear the icemaker water lines (yes, they traverse wood subfloors in our case). The other way to do it is if you are the top-floor unit and they allow you to put the units on the roof. The broker for 258 Riverside (remember combo A-B on the top floor) assured me that the board would allow you rooftop units.

My neighbor has Slimline units and is very happy with them. My project for this summer (I keep putting it off) is to install more fans so that we can cut down on A/C usage.

have the slimlines in our house for bedrooms upstairs. paid about $2 K each (9 yrs ago)...hardly use any electricity and cool beyond belief. can knock temp down 10 degrees in an hr or less.

It's a tossup between lowered ceiling in some parts of a prewar space which diminishes the whole somewhat and the esthetics of the Slimline.

I have just had Daikin installed. It is better quality then the Mitsubishi slim line, uses less electricity, allows for units of variable BTU on the same condenser for different size rooms, and for a little more money can be built in to look like central units but without the ductwork.