Options For Air Conditioners

A cool house is a popular thing for people to look forward to on hot, humid summer days. As beautiful as summer is, the heat quickly wears you down and one of the best ways to cool down and relax from the impact of the sun is to walk into a home that is being cooled down with a functioning air conditioning system. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of central air conditioning for their home, apartment, or office. The good news is that there is more than one option when it comes to cooling down the inside of your home.

There are many air conditioning options to choose from that are cost effective and energy efficient. You can choose between all kinds of window air conditioners, portable air conditioners, and portable evaporative coolers to make the summer heat endurable. The hard part isn?t finding a cooling system that you can afford, but rather deciding which cooling system will work best for you. Below we have mentioned some of the important air cooler descriptions for you to consider when determining which type will best suit your needs.

Aside from central cooling, window air conditioners are very common. Homeowners enjoy them because they are affordable and they are powerful enough to cool down a single room or studio. This works out great of you live alone and spend most of your time in a single room such as your bedroom, office, basement, etc. They work best if you have a vertically opening window. Also, they are convenient in that that they do not require any additional ventilation and they save valuable floor space. Furthermore, window air conditioners require very little maintenance and can be programmed to turn on and off whenever you specify.

Portable air conditioners are loved because they can be moved around from one room to the next. People often end up using portable air conditioners as oscillating fans, odor removers or dehumidifiers. Most of them have built in condensation tanks which need to be emptied periodically. These tanks automatically turn off when they become full which keeps water from spilling onto the floor. Other portable systems include a self-evaporation features which automatically ventilates excess moisture out of the room. However, keep in mind that portable air conditioners do require a window ventilation hose to function correctly.

Evaporative coolers, also knows as swamp coolers, work differently then air conditioners. They do not use any type of refrigeration to cool the air. They do, however, use the natural cooling process of evaporating water to cool the air which then gets blown into the room. The pros to evaporative coolers are that they are less expensive than air conditioners and they use much less electricity to cool a room. Furthermore, evaporative coolers are low maintenance and inexpensive to repair in most cases. Keep in mind; these coolers are only effective in hot, humid temperatures.

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3 Great Reasons To Buy A Portable Air Conditioner

1. Oprah said so.

2. It looks like the robot from ?Lost In Space?.

3. Brad and Angelina are adopting one.

For those of you who make your decisions based on real information, here are some cool portable air conditioner facts.

A goldmine of enlightening information can be uncovered by visiting forums. For instance, when I wanted to tap into the experiences of actual portable air conditioner owners, all I had to do was Google ?portable air conditioner forums? and Voila!, I had instant access to pages of relevant information from 3 different forums.

I encourage you to try this technique. Just substitute any generic product or service description for ?portable air conditioners? plus the word ?forums?.

What I uncovered was concerns over energy consumption, how energy consumption impacts circuit load, noise level, venting, the disposal of water from the dehumidifying process, and of course, price.

Energy Consumption

In the United States, the average air conditioner runs 750 hours each year. Since air conditioners use a lot of electricity, their efficiency has become a public issue. The EER, or Energy Efficiency Rating, is the ratio of the Btu's per hour to the number of watts the unit draws.

EER ratings of 7 or 8 are at the low end of energy efficiency. Many units have ratings around 12 which are good. The highest rated portable air conditioner I could find was the Amcor AL10000E. It has an awesome EER of 16.6.

Energy Consumption and Circuit Load

Before you start your search for a portable air conditioner, check your breaker box for the number of amps available to the room you want cooled. If you buy a unit that draws 14.5 amps on a 15 amp circuit, you?ll have the additional but unintended cooling effect of sitting in the dark while enjoying your new portable air conditioner.

Noise Level

Most portable air conditioners that deliver 14,000 Btu?s or less have a noise level around 50 decibels. This is comparable to the loudness of most refrigerators. At 60 decibels, a 16,000 Btu unit is slightly noisier. Think of what it?s like to watch TV in the kitchen while the fridge is running.

Venting

There is some controversy as to whether a dual hose unit is superior to the single hose configuration. On one hand, a single hose unit will exhaust from the room some portion of the cool air it just produced.

On the other hand, a dual hose unit eliminates this problem, but the warmer unconditioned air used to cool their compressors results in slightly less efficiency. They also use two internal fans which result in slightly higher energy usage.

Another hot topic at the forums that people are venting about is having to wrap insulation around the hose of their single hose unit. This is done to prevent the hot exhaust hose from adding heat back into the room. Personally, I can?t think of anything better than duct tape wrapped around insulation to brighten up a room.

Water Water Everywhere

Portable air conditioners offer three methods for disposing of the water extracted by the dehumidifier component.

The most convenient is auto evaporation which eliminates the need for drains or reservoirs. The reliability of this method varies from unit to unit.

The second method is direct drain using a hose attached to the unit. This can be problematic unless the unit is located near a floor drain. Not much chance of that, so you?ll have to use a bucket.

And finally, you get to empty the pan yourself. Just make sure the pan is large enough so the air conditioner doesn?t shut off in the middle of the night when the pan fills up.

Price

I think price is a secondary consideration to efficiency. As usual, a higher priced unit that operates more efficiently will always end up costing less in the long run than a cheaper, less efficient model.

Portable air conditioners are much less efficient than comparable window units and cost roughly twice as much. What you're paying for is the flexibility to roll it from one room to another or into a closet for easy storage.

Another Option to Consider

For the price of a portable air conditioner you might be able to buy a window air conditioner AND a new window to put it in.
http://www.alternative-heating-info.com alternative heating and cooling for the home, pellet burning stoves, radiant home heating systems, solar heating systems, geothermal heating and cooling.

Choosing The Right Air Conditioner For Your Home

During the hot summer afternoons and warm muggy nights, an air conditioner can help to keep us cool and improve our ability to deal with extreme heat. Just as a heating unit provides a customized temperature, an air conditioner can be controlled to maintain a comfortable temperature of our choosing.

If you have a small home or find that one room is particularly hot, then a single room air conditioner may be the answer for you. These units are portable, meaning they can be moved from one room to another and are much less expensive than a large air conditioner that heats an entire home.

If you have a large home or simply do not wish to purchase multiple single room air conditioner units, then a larger model will be ideal for cooling every room in the house. Large air conditioner units usually begin at $2,000.00 and go up, depending on the manufacturer or company that you purchase from. These units require professional installation, which is usually done by the company who sells air conditioner units. Upon delivery, they will install the air conditioner and provide the customer with any warranty information that accompanies the unit.

As with most large purchases, including home appliances and accessories, a warranty is provided by the manufacturer. This is typically only available on brand new models and will cover certain repairs or replacements at not cost to the buyer. For example, if a defect relating to materials or workmanship is discovered during the warranty period, the air conditioner will be repaired free of charge. Most warranties do not cover improper care or negligence that results in damage or the products inability to function.

If a customer chooses to handle the installation themselves, they will need to be familiar with the process. Otherwise, they may end up calling a technician later and spending more than if they allowed the retailer to install their air conditioner initially. Once an air conditioner is properly installed, a temperature box will be placed inside the home that will allow residents to adjust the temperature inside. Even on the warmest day, an air conditioner can make your home a comfortable haven away from the heat and humidity that often accompanies the summer months.

Extreme heat can result in headaches, profuse sweating, dehydration and even more serious complications for the elderly or those with weakened immune systems. An air conditioner can help to ease the discomfort of heat while reducing the danger associated with over exposure to extreme temperatures.

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Effective Air conditioners - 9 Ways to Cut Your Energy Bill by Half

Do you know that, in summer, the average American family pays about 40% of their energy bill for air conditioning of the house? But it doesn't have to be this way, Use these simple tips to help you keep your house cool and significantly reduce your energy bills during the hot months. 1. If you need to cool only one room, don't use your central air conditioning. Invest in a portable air conditioner, instead. Modern portable units have a very high energy efficiency rating, so it will cool your room effectively and save you a lot. 2. Install mini-blinds or white window shades. Mini-blinds can be very effective and can reduce heat gain from direct sunlight by 40-50 percent. You can also hang bamboo shades or tightly woven screens outside your windows. This will stop up to 80 percent of the sun's heat from getting through your windows. 3. Keep all windows closed during the day. At night you can open them for ventilation and switch on a fan instead of an air conditioner. 4. If you are using a mini split air conditioner, make sure that the outside compressor is well shaded. However, trees and shrubs shouldn't be planted right next to it; it needs some room for air flow.

5. It is best to clean your air conditioner filter at least once a month. Dust build-ups can significantly reduce air flow.

6. When buying an air conditioner unit, make sure that it is the right size for your room. A unit that is too small will not cool your room effectively, and an A/C that is too large will consume much more energy than necessary. See recommendations for proper air conditioner sizes for your room.

7. If you use central air conditioning, seal all A/C ducts. Insulate ducts that run through rooms that don't need cooling, like the basement or the attic.

8. If your air conditioner is old, consider replacing it with a modern high efficiency unit. Older A/C systems have a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) of only 6 or 7, while the best air conditioners on the market today offer SEER as high as 13. That means that it will consume almost 50% less energy.

9. Cooking, drying cloth or dishwashing generates a lot of heat. Try to delay these activities until the evening, when it gets cooler.

Most people just switch their air conditioners on and set the desired temperature. This will cool your room, of course, but it will cost you, too. Furthermore, excessive energy consumption is not environmentally friendly, so by following our simple advice you could not only save on your bills, but you could also help to reduce pollution in your area.

Visit 100 Air Conditioner Reviews for tips on getting the best room air conditioner, price comparison and customer reviews of air conditioners

HVAC Training

With strengthening modern technology, HVAC training is more necessary today than ever! While many will train for a career in HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) while on the job, more and more employers are now searching for graduates who have successfully completed their post secondary HVAC training to fill the ever-increasing demand for skilled technicians.

In an HVAC training program, students commonly learn to read blueprints; they also learn about safety issues, tools of the trade, designs, equipment construction, electronics, and the installation, maintenance and repair of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as heating and refrigeration systems. Additional coursework may include applied physics, chemistry, computer applications, electronics, and mechanical drawing.

A suitable HVAC training program is usually administered at a vocational or trade school, but there are some online HVAC schools, as well. Students are taught how to troubleshoot, repair and maintain heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanisms and entire systems. Future HVAC technicians may evaluate settings and adjust system controls, test equipment, install fuel or water lines, and install air ducts, pumps, vent systems and other associated parts. In addition, prospective technicians learn how to connect electrical wiring and other components necessary for optimum HVAC operation.

Students who complete in HVAC training may earn a certificate or college credits. Furthermore, those who have fulfilled requirements for becoming an HVAC technician can expect a promising career outlook as the projected rate of available jobs is increasing more rapidly than many other occupations. While earnings vary, the top ten percent of HVAC technicians make more than $27 per hour.

If you would like to learn more about HVAC Training and HVAC Schools, you can find more in-depth information and resources on our website.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find HVAC Schools, Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools, and Online Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your educational resource to locate schools.