A few years ago, I found that I had to take a crash course in air conditioning.  My wife and I had just recently married, and we moved into married housing on campus, which did not have AC.   What I found to cool off our tiny 600 sq. ft. apartment actually customizes very well to any type of air conditioning application that a person would need.  The trick is to learn the few steps yourself, then customize this information to your needs for the most effective results.

 

The crash course.

 

1.  You have to measure the area to be cooled by square feet.  Multiply width x depth to get square feet.  A 12' x 14' room for example measures 168 square feet.

 

2.  Air conditioners use British Thermal Units (BTU's) as a measure to cool off a room.  Generally a 1 square foot area requires 20 BTU's to cool.  You will almost always see very large numbers associated with BTU's.

 

3.  One ton of air requires 12,000 BTU's to cool.  One ton would be required to cool a 600 sq. ft. area.

 

4.  Running a AC unit that uses 240 volts is almost always cheaper than running a 120 volt unit.  I would like to emphasize 99% of the time, it will be significantly cheaper to run a 240 volt unit over a 120 volt unit, but there are always unusual circumstances that prove otherwise.

 

5.  Getting a unit too large is a very bad idea.  If you think that you can just bypass this information and get a really large unit, it just won't work.  Air conditioners are designed to chill the air as well as remove the humidity in an area.  Get one too big, it will cool the area very quickly, then turn off before it has a chance to remove all of the humidity.  Get an air conditioner that's too small, it will run non-stop, and it will not cool down the area.

 

Types of air conditioners, and considerations before buying.

 

1.  Central air conditioners.  In most cases, you would simply hire a contractor to install this unit.  There are several advantages to central air conditioners over window air conditioners.

      A.  Central air is the easiest to use.  As the weather gets warmer, you just clean out the filters and flip a switch.

      B.  Central air is most desirable to home buyers.  Many buyers see homes without central air as sub-par.

      C.  Central air is the quietest to use. 

      D.  Central air allows for central control.  You can set the entire house for a particular temperature at one location.  You also set a timer on a digital thermostat that allows automatic adjustments throughout the day.

 

2.  Window air conditioners.  There are several advantages and disadvantages in using a large window air conditioner over a small air conditioner.  The East Coast is particularly dependent on window units to cool off entire buildings, since the buildings are much older than the rest of the country.  It is very expensive to add duct work and central air to a preexisting, radiator heated building.

 

     A.  Large window units - Generally less expensive

          a.  Fewer units typically are required to do the same job, so the initial costs tend to be lower.

          b.  Come in both 120 volt and 240 volt models.  (240 volt models are cheaper to run)

          c.  Larger units tend to be cheaper to dispose of after they die.  Many municipalities charge the same amount per unit to dispose, no matter what the size may be.  The fewer air conditioners you have, the fewer you have to pay for a disposal fee down the road.

 

     B.  Small window units - Generally more convenient 

          a.  Easier to install and remove from a window during the year because of its small physical shape.

          b.  Typically requires only one person to install.  Larger units can easily weigh over 100 pounds.

          c.  Houses that have older wiring can lighten the load on a particular circuit by dividing the work to several smaller air conditioners over several circuits.

          d.  Distributing a number of smaller AC units throughout a house cools more effectively than a few large units that give a house hot and cold spots.

          e.  Allows you to close specific rooms and turn on and off air conditioners as needed, potentially saving money.

 

At this point, you should have enough general information to start your search for a new air conditioner.  If you are considering buying a cheap used unit, keep in mind that if it is not going to last for very long that you are setting yourself up to pay disposal fees sooner than later, and that older AC units in general cost more to run. 

 

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