Air Conditioning Is Incredibly Important During the Summer Season

Air conditioning is a vital tool for areas that experience high summer temperatures. It helps keep you able to move about in comfort; this means that you can exercise as normal without suffering from the humidity and heat outside. Air conditioning also keeps you healthier by reducing allergens and the risk of asthma attacks, drastically reducing the risk of heatstroke, lowering the risk of dehydration, and even improving your sleep. Having open windows and doors for air circulation and cooling provides multiple means of entry for intruders large and small, from insects to burglars. With an air conditioner, you can keep your house safely locked. Air conditioners are well worth the investment in regards to health and safety. But what type of air conditioner should you use? There are three main types of air conditioners: in-window units, portable units, and central air units.

In-Window Air Conditioners

In-window air conditioner units are preferable to portable units if you can physically install them in your windows. This is because they do not take up floor space or have the necessity of a long hose to vent from the unit to the outside. They tend to be quieter, costing less money when comparing units of similar capacity.

Finding the right capacity is important when choosing an in-window air conditioner. Choosing one that has too high of capacity can result in pointlessly high electricity bills, while an under-capacity unit will not be efficient enough. The capacity is measured in BTUs or British Thermal Units. It corresponds to a room's square footage. The larger your space, the higher the number of BTUs you will require.

Look for the unit's energy efficiency rating if you are concerned about energy savings. This is found by dividing the BTUs by the watt-hours of power consumption. Some units feature energy -saver switches that keep the fan from operating continuously. Some other useful features include:

• An indicator for when to check the filter.
• Oscillating vents to move the airflow from the unit from side to side.
• Smart units that permit you to operate the unit using your smartphone.
• Remotes for adjusting the temperature without needing to stand up.

Portable Air Conditioner Units

Without central air or windows that can handle in-window air conditioner units, portable air conditioners are the best route. Such a unit is also a convenient pick if you want a single air unit to follow you from room to room, cooling only the necessary spaces. Portable air conditioners have a final advantage of easy storing at the season's end.

Portable air conditioners require floor space, so ensure you have the requisite square footage. The unit should be placed away from the wall so that there is no restriction on the airflow, which means still more space required. It also requires a longer hose for venting. For proper efficiency, this hose needs to be as straight as possible; kinks can hinder the unit's effectiveness.

The best units boast certain features that the average portable air conditioner lacks. One such is a dual hose for faster cooling. Another is a unit that works as a fan. Programmable timers let you set a unit to turn on half an hour before people start to get home from work and school.

Central Air Installation

Window air conditioners are noisy and drip; portable air conditioner units take up floor space, are still noisy, and require emptying regularly. Central air can be extremely tempting with these alternatives. But you may worry about cost and efficiency. If your house has existing ducting, a team of two technicians can add central air to a forced-air heating system in just two or three days, frequently without changes, or with minimal changes, to the ducting.

Which unit should you choose? Cooling contractors will evaluate your house using a particular load calculation. This calculation determines the heat gain to which your home is subject. It reveals the size unit your house requires. Various factors impact the size of the unit you will need. These include:

• The region in which your home is located.
• The amount of attic and wall insulation in your home.
• The way your home is oriented to the sun.
• The placement and types of doors and windows.

Choose a unit of the appropriate size and place it with care, away from the windows leading into bedrooms and home offices.