Are Air Conditioners Worth The Money?

Well, we are certainly having a run of hot weather lately and we are sure like us you are finding it a tad difficult to sleep! Things like keeping the curtains closed during the day and using a portable fan can help. But when a fan won’t cut it maybe it’s time to buy an air conditioner!

There Is Nothing Worse Than Being Too Hot To Sleep!

How Do Air Conditioners Work?

Warm air in the room is pulled through the unit and flows over the pipes inside which contain coolant. This cools down the air and a built in dehumidifier removes the moisture. Cool air is then blown back through a fan making the temperature much more comfortable. The process is similar to that of a fridge. The coolant flows through a compressor and condensing pipes which turn it back into cool liquid to be recycled back through the unit. This cycle continues until the room reaches the desired thermostat temperature. In addition to cooling air conditioners many units can be used as heaters. Air conditioners can also be of great benefit to those with Asthma or allergies as they filter the air.

How A Split System Air Conditioner Works.

Types Of Air Conditioner

A Mobile Air Conditioner Is A Less Costly Option.

• Portable: Sometimes known as an air cooler. The key benefit with this type of unit is that it requires no installation, you just need to vent it out of a window. Portable air conditioners draw the warm air in and cool it using water that is stored in the tank. Important things to look out for is the size of the water tank, a unit with a larger tank will need refilling less often. Unfortunately this type of unit is quite noisy and takes up a lot of room. On the plus side though, it can be moved from room to room if needed.

Split System Air Conditioner Are Stylish & Unobtrusive.

• Split System: This is permanently installed air conditioning. It comprises of two units, an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The outdoor unit is placed on a bracket on the outside of the wall of the room you are cooling. The two are connected by pipe and by having the compressor and fan outside, makes the system quieter. In addition, split systems are more efficient. Due to a larger compressor it can therefore cool a bigger area compared to a portable unit. A great benefit is that these can be used for heat as well as cooling!

Are They Expensive To Run?

An Air conditioner has an EER rating, this is the ratio between the cooling capacity in BTU’S (British thermal Units) per hour and the wattage of the power input. General rule of thumb is that the higher the EER rating the more energy efficient the unit will be, look for an EER rating of 9 and above. Based on an average cost of electricity @ 10 per kilowatt hour a KFR23IW/X1CM would cost approximately 11 pence an hour to run. It is possible to reduce the running costs by using the thermostat and keeping the filters clean.

In conclusion with the many improvements made in technology, today’s units have improved energy efficiency, resulting in cheaper running costs. So with a little maintenance and non excessive use your unit could cost as less as your fridge freezer to run.