Types of air conditioners

Air conditioners are a must in every home and office nowadays, especially if you want to stay away from the outdoor dust, noise and pollution. Plus, it gives the home or office a sophisticated and rich look. The age of having fans all over the office has long gone. These days, you can find a wide range in air conditioners to suit almost any kind of set-up or budget. There are many types of air conditioners available on the market. All you need to do is figure out your requirements and choose the one that fits your bill. The ones that are most popular and worth checking out are window air conditioners, split air conditioners, central air conditioning systems, and portable air conditioners.

Window air conditioners were most preferred in houses and small office cabins. The window air conditioning system is ideal for rented or leased spaces as one cannot make constructional changes to the area. Most window units fit comfortably in window openings and provide sufficient cooling for one room, depending on the unit size as well as the area to be covered. In such units all the components such as expansion valve, evaporator, cooling coil, condenser, and compressor are all included in the single box, which means that they are much easier to install.

Portable air conditioners are the best for spot cooling. There are many families that have split air conditioners in the living room and bedrooms but prefer portable AC for kitchen or other areas where fixing an unmovable unit does not make sense. For example, if your home is small and you cannot find the place to install a window or split air conditioner, you can buy a portable AC for your bedroom. These units are known to be reliable and efficient, while also requiring very little space thanks to their small bodies.

Split air conditioners are by far the most popular type for small offices and homes these days. Made up of an outdoor unit comprised of the compressor, condenser and expansion valve, and an indoor unit with the evaporator and the cooling fan, this system is ideal for those who do not want to make any slots in the wall. Today, most companies in the air conditioning business make split AC units that are aesthetically good looking and add a beautiful touch to almost any décor. Another plus point is that you can buy a bigger system to cool large rooms or even multiple adjoined areas.

While central air conditioning systems are very rarely used in small houses, when talking about types of air conditioners this type cannot be forgotten. These systems are used for cooling of big commercial buildings, large houses, big offices, entire hotels, gyms, factories, movie theatres, etc. The large areas and entire floors or buildings are to be cooled, putting split systems no matter how large, can turn out to be very expensive in cost as well as in the long run. In such cases central air conditioners are perfect.

Air Conditioner Reviews

If you are out shopping for an ideal air conditioner for your home or office set-up, in addition to checking out various company websites you should also go through some air conditioner reviews online. Doing so will not only give you an idea of what you should be looking for in your air conditioner, but also inform you of the latest technologies, useful features and the different models out in the market. The main aspects to take under consideration in order to find the best air conditioning system for you are as follows. First is the amount of money you are willing to spend on the unit, then the energy efficiency of the system, the type of air conditioning that suits you best, the unit’s star rating, the square feet area in which the air conditioner is going to be installed, the noisiness of the system, whether it can provide effective and fast cooling, installation problems that may be faced, the size of the air conditioner, environmental impact of the system, easy maintenance of the system, and safety and durability.

While the price of the unit may be important, it is important to realize that there is no point in buying an air conditioner that is priced low, if it is not energy efficient and will run up your electricity bills. This scenario can spell trouble, especially as time goes by. Thus, it should be looked at as a temporary drawback. After all what is the point of buying an air conditioner if you constantly have to worry about how much electricity it consumes. This is the reason why more and more smart buyers have changed their priority from price to energy efficiency, even if they have to pay a little extra for the unit. The energy efficiency factor of the air conditioning system also helps in the being a bit more environmentally friendly, as it emits less carbon dioxide into the air, which is the gas most affecting global warming. But how do you know which of the air conditioning systems is more energy efficient?

With the cost of technology falling, you can take advantage of new innovations that are revolutionizing appliances to suit your every requisite. These days there is a star rating system that can tell you exactly how energy efficient the product in question is, meaning how much it will cost to power the unit. This star rating is now used for almost all high energy consuming electrical appliances readily available in the market such as fridges, air conditioners, etc. The energy efficiency of any air conditioning unit depends on its cooling capacity, which is measured in BTU and its power consumption, which is measured in watts. The higher the star rating, the more energy efficient and in turn cost effective the product is.

Your focus while reading several air conditioner reviews and browsing through different AC manufacturers’ websites should be to zero in on a product with a five star or at least four star rating, regardless of its cost. You must also look for product sizes that are in accordance to the room size that you wish to install the unit in. Another thing to ensure is whether the unit can bring down temperatures in a short span of time without being too noisy. And lastly, you should make certain that the product is high in quality and has a long lifespan. There are many options that may fulfill all the above requirements, therefore rest assured that you will find that perfect air conditioner. Once you have figured out which one you want, all you have to do is take a trip down to your favorite appliance store and make the buy.