When warm weather hits, its time to take stock of your homes cooling resources and consider investing in one of the many window air conditioners on the market. While nearly every homeowner has at least one central heat and air conditioning unit in their home, they may not always be necessary. If you have recently added on to your home, or have plans to do so, you may not need to extend your existing ductwork into your new room. The uses for window air conditioners are endless, but these are just a few worth mentioning. If you want to cut back on electric costs and potentially save on added construction costs, consider the benefits offered by window unit air conditioners.
What Is A Window Unit Air Conditioner?
Simply put, a window unit air conditioner is a stand alone cooling unit that mounts within the frame of a room’s window. It runs on regular electricity and work by removing heat and humidity from the room in order to reduce the temperature. It has its own built in exhaust system that directs the warmer air in the room out the window while blowing cooler air in. Window units are a great way to cool a room that is not connected to your main air conditioning unit. Because they are so affordable and use up much less electricity than standard home air conditioning units, they are a great alternative when you only need to cool one or two of the many rooms attached to your home’s air conditioner.
How Do I Choose The Correct Size?
The key to maximizing a window unit’s efficiency is to make sure you have the correct size unit for the room. The power of a window unit air conditioner is measured in British Thermal Units, or BTUs. A unit that is too large for the room will simply use more electricity than is needed and won’t effectively remove the amount of humidity it should since the room will cool too quickly. On the other hand, a unit that is too small will need to run constantly to obtain the proper temperature in a room that is too large for its recommend capacity. In order to choose the correct unit for your needs, take an accurate measure of the room it will be installed in. You can find charts online and in home improvement stores that will tell you exactly what size unit you need to accommodate your room’s square footage.
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