So many suffer when summer heat appears as they think air conditioning is very expensive. In reality, there are so many different options that can be taken into account by those that want to cool their home. This is especially the case thanks to Energy Star changing ratings for window air conditioners in 2015. Power use is better than ever and all the cooling you need is going to become available at prices that re much lower than what you would pay through the central units. While when you have to do conditioning for the entire home you do need the help of an HVAC company, with window air conditioners you just need to think about the following.
Room Air Conditioner Energy Efficiency
This efficiency is calculated with EER (energy efficiency ratio). As you buy the new window air conditioner you are interested in having a high EER. The higher it is, the more efficient the entire unit is going to be. Generally speaking, you want to be sure the ENERGY Star label is present and that the EER is a minimum of 12. Those units will quite often include special timers that make temperature control easier.
AC Unit Size
A required cooling capacity always depends on how large the room is. In most cases the room air conditioners have a cooling capacity ranging between 5,500 BTU per one hour and 14,000 BTU per one hour. In most situations we see people that buy AC units that are simply too large. They mistakenly believe that this is going to be more efficient. That is not the case. When the unit is oversized it will basically waste energy since AC will remove humidity and heat. Rooms will cool faster but not much humidity is removed in the process. The unit that is properly sized is going to effectively remove humidity while cooling happens. Online AC cooling needs calculators should be used in order to determine proper sizing.
Other Factors To Take Into Account
You need to be sure the electrical system of the home will meet unit requirements. Most of the room units are going to use 115 or 230 volts circuits. Standard homes use 115 volts connections. A large room unit that uses 115 volts may need a special dedicated circuit while the 230 volts units can need special circuits. When AC units are put close to room corners, find those that have an air flow pointed in the proper direction based on the layout of the room. When the AC unit is at the narrow part of the long room, models with TURBO fan modes are required. You may want to also think about the following features that are pretty useful:
- Logically arranged unit controls.
- Filters that are easy to take out so that cleaning is done fast.
- Digital readouts for thermostat settings.
- Built-in timers you can use to cool the home for a desired period.
Generally speaking, the more features available, the higher the possibility the unit will be good but if you have features you do not need, you will lose money.
When selecting a window air conditioner, it is important to first consider the size of the space that needs to be cooled. There are many other factors that should be taken into account when selecting an air conditioner, such as energy efficiency, noise level, and operating costs. It is also important to ensure that the unit can be easily installed in the selected window space. Thank you for the beautiful post!