Usually, an air conditioner isn’t considered to be one of the most exciting appliances to purchase for your home. Nevertheless, when the summer heat comes, there seems nothing more necessary than an effective cooling system. Getting such a device as soon as possible definitely makes a difference in those hot and sticky months.
However, there are many air conditioners available on the market nowadays, and choosing the right one for your household may be quite a difficult task. We would like to make it a bit easier for you, so we have prepared a concise guide on buying systems to cool your home. If you need more comprehensive advice, you can always read expert reviews on air conditioners.
Continue reading to find some basic but useful tips on buying temperature control systems!
Choose the Right Type of Air Conditioning System
The first thing you should take into consideration is what kind of air conditioning systems you need. The main types you will probably come across are as the following:
- Central air conditioning system. If you are the owner of the property you live in, you can consider home air conditioning based on installing a ductwork system, making it possible for the central air to be transferred from the cold and heat pump into the whole house. This solution is very efficient and convenient to use, but at the same time, its installation will cost you quite a sum of money.
- Window air conditioner. For people living in blocks of flats, central air conditioning is usually not available. However, they may be interested in window air conditioners as an alternative – such an AC unit needs to be placed, as the name suggests, in one of your windows. Its mechanism is based on pumping hot air outside and cool air inside. Although they aren’t as energy-efficient as central air conditioning, they’re quite useful to cool a room where you spend most of your time.
- Portable air conditioner. With portable air conditioners, you can also cool just a single room at a time, but you don’t have to decide on only one place as the device can be easily moved. They typically need a duct to pump the hot air outside, but it can be put in a nearby window without any trouble. They may generate more energy costs than central air conditioning, but they are much less expensive to buy and less problematic to install.
Consider the Size
If you’ve decided to buy a portable or window unit, you need to determine how big the device should be. It hugely depends on the room size you’ve chosen for cooling. To calculate it, you need to multiply its width by its length and compare it with the cooling capacity of a chosen AC unit, usually expressed in BTU.
Also, there are some more considerations concerning the cooling capacities to make, such as the following:
- In the case of a very sunny room, the capacity should be increased by 10 percent.
- If the room has a lot of shade, the capacity should be reduced by 10 percent.
- If your room air conditioner is placed in a kitchen, it is recommended to increase the capacity by 4,000 BTU.
- If more than two people regularly use the room, increase the capacity by 600 BTU for each additional person.
To learn more about BTU and to calculate the most suitable air conditioner size, you can visit this website.
Mind the Energy Efficiency
When you already know the right size, you need to take the energy efficiency ratio in mind. Air conditioners receive a SEER rating from the U.S. Department of Energy, and it will help you choose one of the best units. Older and less efficient models may have lower ratings, but when it comes to air conditioning units produced after 2006, a SEER rating of 13 is a minimum.
If saving energy and money is crucial to you, you can easily get an air conditioner rated between 15 and 17 that is considered highly effective. Keep in mind that even if such an AC unit is more expensive than other models, it will be beneficial for you in the long run, as it will generate lower energy bills.
Summary
In a nutshell, in order to select the best air conditioner for your home, you need to make sure you have thought about at least three main aspects. First, you should consider what kind of an air conditioning unit you need to cool a certain space. It’s common in houses to install central AC systems with cold and heat pumps, while in apartments, room air conditioners can do the trick. You can pick, for example, a window air conditioner or buy one of the portable units to move them easily from one place to another.
Moreover, it is recommended to check if a particular unit is energy-efficient and able to cover the necessary square footage. If chosen wisely, portable or window air conditioners can really save the day when it’s unbearably hot outside, and you don’t have the possibility (or sufficient funds) to install a central air conditioning system. Hence, you should take your time to select the right unit for you!