Thinking of installing a new air conditioning system in your home? Here’s how to choose the right one for your home.
- Home air conditioners work by drawing in warm air, cooling it, and releasing it
- Free-standing, portable, central, and split units offer different advantages and disadvantages
- The layout, size, and location of your home can determine which air conditioner will work best for you
- Look for certain features when purchasing a residential air conditioner
- Air conditioning has many health benefits
Need to stay cool on sweltering summer days? Here’s the solution: a home air conditioner! In this guide, we’ll show you what to look for in an air conditioning system. By comparing the different units available and explaining how they work, we’ll see which options are best for your living space.
How do air conditioners work?
Before you can choose the right air conditioning system for your home, it’s helpful to understand how different systems work.
Contrary to what you might think, home air conditioners don’t simply blow cold air into your home. Instead, they work like a refrigerator, drawing in warm air and passing it through a cooling circuit. When the air is condensed into a liquid, its heat is removed and only cold air is left.
What are the most popular air conditioning systems?
You can choose between several solutions: split systems, window units, etc.
Portable air conditioners: free-standing or window units?
Window units are the simplest home air conditioners on the market. You can place a portable air conditioner in any room that needs cooling and plug it into the nearest outlet. You’ll need to place it next to an open window to let the hose pass through, and you may also need a container to catch the condensation.
As the name implies, window air conditioners sit next to an open window and cool the room they’re in. The condensation drains through the window to the ground outside. But each room must be equipped with such an air conditioner.
Air conditioners to be installed: split systems and central systems
Split system air conditioners have two units: there is usually an evaporator inside your home and a condenser outside. You can also install multiple indoor units for one outdoor unit, but you won’t be able to control them individually. There are, however, “multi-split” air conditioners that allow for individual temperature control.
Central air-conditioning systems combine the two components of the system into a single unit, which is usually placed on the ground outside the house. Cool air is forced into each room of your home through a system of ducts.
What is the best air conditioning system for your home?
The type of air conditioning system that is right for your home depends on its layout, size, and climate.
Smaller air conditioners are well-suited to single-family homes
If you only need to cool your home occasionally, or if you only need to cool certain rooms, a portable or window air conditioner will probably work best for you. Compact air conditioners are great for home offices, studios, and bedrooms. But those who live in a hot area may find it more cost-effective to install a split air conditioning system that will cool the entire house.
Choose the right air conditioner to renovate your home
If you are renovating an older property, you may find that it is not suitable for air conditioning systems with a full installation that requires piping. In this case, it’s best to place a portable or window air conditioner in the rooms that need cooling the most. Read additional hints on air conditioners in this link.
Streamlined air conditioning to keep new homes cool
New home construction is a unique opportunity to install the pipes needed for a central air conditioning system that will cool the entire home. Multi-split air conditioning systems are perfect for large, open rooms where you need multiple units that don’t need to be individually controlled.