Right now you can easily go to a large home improvement chain store and find a window air conditioning unit for less than $100. It seems like the perfect deal right? You’re getting cold air to cool your room in those scorching summer months at a fraction of what it would cost you to install a central air conditioning throughout your home. But while you are saving at the moment by scoring a deal for a window unit, how much is it costing you in the long run?
Window units are definitely the cheapest initial investment when it comes to cooling your home, explains Mark Wethington, owner of B&J Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. But they are also the least effective, he adds.
One of the biggest problems that homeowners run into when they choose this option is that their window units are not properly sized to meet the cooling needs of the room. If you have a unit that is too large for the room, then it will constantly turn on and off, wasting a lot of energy. Reversely, if your unit is too small, then it won’t cool the room properly and the air will become overly dry.
The American Council for an Energy Efficient America says that the best way find the most efficient window unit for each room is to factor in the room’s size, ceiling height, amount of windows exposed to sunlight and location. If you’re only looking at the unit’s price, not only will you not find relief from the heat, but chances are that the added charges to your electric bill during the months that your air conditioner is in use will be more than your initial savings.
You must also consider the number of rooms you are looking to cool. If you plan on buying more than two or three window units, then you may want to start looking at your other options. As more and more families look for cost-effective ways to cool their homes, heating and cooling specialists have reported installing an increasing number of central air units. Some of the more popular choices are:
- Ductless mini split systems that use an outside compressor and indoor air handling units. Each room or section of the home that needs to be cooled has its own air controller so that rooms not being used can be turned off, or switched to a different setting than rooms that are frequently in use.
- Ducted systems are the most common units in American homes. An outside compressor transfers cool air to ducts placed throughout the home.
According to the Energy Information Administration, the number of households in the U.S. with central air conditioning rose from 27% in 1980 to 55% in 2001. And that number continues to grow as more families look for ways to cool their homes more efficiently.
