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HOW TO BUY AN AIR - CONDITIONER
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Window /split air conditioners cool individual rooms instead of the entire buildings as in the case of central Air conditioning systems. Because they cool smaller spaces, and can easily be installed by the buyer they are significantly cheaper than central air conditioners.
The latest models are more energy-efficient and include features like electronic temperature control, which is more accurate than knob controls. Room air conditioners come in different sizes and have varying cooling capacities that range from ½ ton (6,000 BTUs) to 2 ½ tons (30,000 BTUs.) The size of your room ac will depend on the size of the room you want to cool.
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Best Air Conditioner Brands
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The profiles on the following 10 brands of room air conditioners review their history, models, warranty and contact information
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Choosing Your Room Air Conditioner
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In addition to the size and capacity of your room air conditioner, other criteria to consider are.
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* Square footage of the room to be cooled: multiply the length of the room (in feet) by its width. How many BTUs you need to cool the room also depends on this.
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* Also consider sun exposure, ceiling height, and insulation of the room and any additional floors or crawl spaces above or below the room.
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* Some air conditioners have dehumidifiers and heaters built in, so you can use them in all seasons
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* Warranty: Your room ac should come with a manufacturer's warranty of at least one year for parts and labor. You might also consider getting an extended warranty for an extra charge, although some suggest that extended warranties are not worth their cost
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* The smaller the temperature increments the ac allows, the better the energy conservation. Look for 1-2 degree notches in the temperature settings. Digital controls allow for finer adjustments.
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* Look for an Energy Saver or sleep mode switch. With these, you can slow down the cooling process at night, which will conserve energy and reduce cost. |
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* Look for Slide-out Filter: since ac filters need to be cleaned regularly, choose an ac that has a slide-out filter instead of a frame enclosed one. |
| * Fan-speed settings must be multiple for energy saving |
| * Installation: This should be an easy job. Some room air conditioners require that you drill a few holes for installation |
| Air Conditioner Efficiency |
| The efficiency of a room air conditioner can be measured by the energy efficiency ratio (EER or Star Rating), which is the ratio of the cooling capacity (in BTUs per hour) to the power input (in watts). So the higher your EER rating, the more efficient your room ac will be. For example, if a 10,000-BTU air conditioner consumes 1,200 watts, its EER is 8.3 (10,000 BTU/1,200 watts). The higher EER produced, the higher priced the air conditioner is. Look for an ac that has an EER of 10 (three star)or more |
| Calculating the Payback Period |
| The payback period is a calculation that can be used to compare two options. For example, the higher the efficiency of a particular air conditioner, the more expensive it will be. So one of the issues you should consider when deciding between a high and a low efficiency room air conditioner is the payback period for choosing the higher-efficiency model. |
| For example, suppose you are choosing between two similar air conditioners, one which costs Rs 16,000 uses 1000 watts / hour to run, and a second which costs Rs 19,000 uses only 800 watts per hour. The higher efficiency unit will cost you an extra Rs.3,000 up front, but you'll save that cost in lower electricity bills over time. The question is, how long is the payback period for that extra Rs.3,000? |
| The first step is to collect some information. First, how much does your electric utility charge per kilowatt/hour? This information will generally be printed on your electric bill. Second, how many watts / hour (or kilowatts / hour) do the air conditioners consume? Third, how many days out of the year do you expect to run your air conditioner, and fourth, how many hours per day on average? (Note, your predictions don't need to be exact -- you're just trying to get a reasonable estimate.) |