How to Pick the Perfect Air Conditioner for Your Room
Air conditioning is a necessity for most homes; hot, stuffy living conditions can soon sap your energy levels. Refreshing, cool air makes a huge difference to how much you can enjoy your home, yet how much do you really know about how your system works and which air conditioning system is best for your home? If you need to purchase new air conditioning system for your home, the range of options can often appear overwhelming, and if you are not used to the terminology, then reading the specifications of the various options can seem almost like a foreign language.
Which air conditioning system should you choose?
The first decision you must make is whether you need an air conditioning system for your entire home or simply a portable air conditioning unit for a single room. A standalone unit could be a better solution if you have one room that regularly gets hot and you only use that room on an occasional basis. The disadvantage with this approach is that you will need to vent hot air from the unit using a vent hose, which will need to be trailed out of a window, creating a security risk if you need to leave the room unattended.
A split-unit air conditioner could be a better choice if you want permanent air conditioning in your property. Split units are normally quieter to run than standalone units. You will need to fit the air conditioning unit on to an outside wall, but you do avoid the need for an open window.
What size air conditioner do you need?
To determine the size of air conditioning unit you need to purchase, you first need to think about the room you want to cool. Start by measuring the room and then multiply the width of the room by the length. As a general rule, you should be looking for an air conditioning unit that can offer you a minimum of 1-1.5 kilowatt of cooling capacity for every 10 square metres of space that needs cooling. If your room is not well insulated, then a more powerful unit may be needed.
Other features that might be useful
Apart from the size of the unit, you should also think about how you will use the air conditioning unit. If you want to come home in the evening to a cool home, then purchasing a unit with a built-in timer function makes sense; it will turn itself on and off to suit your needs.
If air quality is a problem where you live, then an air conditioning unit that filters the air is a great idea.
Whatever air conditioning system you choose, make sure that you arrange for it to be professionally installed and regularly serviced. Initiating a proper maintenance regime is the safest way to avoid the system breaking down unexpectedly in the future.