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With room AC we may restrict the use of the equipment to the needs of a specific room, which represents considerable energy savings over central air conditioning, conceived to cool the whole home.
The efficiency of a room AC is measured by its EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating. The EER is the relation between the cooling capacity and the watts power input. So, an high EER is a good indicator. Replacing an old room AC with a EER of 6 with a 12 EER one, will reduce air conditioning by half.
Do not buy room AC with low EER ratings. Buy equipments with an
EER of at least 12. Oversizing Room Air Conditioners When choosing a Room Air Conditioner, do not buy a too large unit. Oversizing can cause a large wasting of energy and money. The required cooling capacity for a room AC depends on the room's size (including the room’s height, obviously), but also on shading and climate or on the sizes of the windows. A too large room AC unit will not cool the room uniformly. It’s largely preferable a small unit running for a larger period. It will operate more efficiently, and will dehumidify the room more effectively than a larger unit cycling on and off too frequently.
An undersized unit is also a bad option: it will over-dry the air and will not cool well. A common average reference – without having into account the climate incidence, climate or shading - when sizing a room needs is 20 Btu for each square feet (0,0929 m2) of living space. The chart below – suggested by Energy Star - can help you to find the appropriate power for a room AC…
Note: Most room AC have cooling capacities between 5,500 Btu and
14,000 Btu per hour. 12,000 Btu per hour is often said to be the
equivalent to a «ton».
Energy star also advises to…
- reduce capacity by 10% if the room is very
shaded, or increase it by 10% in the opposite case; If ceilings are higher than 8 feet, or if the room is located directly under the attic, than your cooling needs might also be one or two Btu classes higher than that suggested by the Energy Star chart.
Little details when installing a room AC can save you energy (and money):
- Level the equipment: equipments with inside
mechanisms (namely the drainage system…) unleveled will not
operate efficiently; - An alternative or a complement is to have or to plant trees and shrubs to shade the air conditioner, whenever possible (without blocking the equipment airflow); - Never place lamps or televisions near the AC thermostat; the heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer and… unnecessarily.
Installing the room AC in a central position is usually a good option. If you are installing it near a room’s corner, look for units that can drive their airflow into the remaining room. In case you need to install the room AC at one extreme of a long room, you may look for a fan control able to sends the cooled air into the whole room (the so called "Power Thrust" or "Super Thrust" control fans).
Smaller room AC – demanding less than 7.5 amps of electricity, can be plugged into common household circuits (if they aren’t shared with demanding appliances). Larger room AC (more than 7.5 amps) may require dedicated 115-volt circuits or even dedicated 230-volt circuits.
Do not set your thermostat at a very cold setting, just to get a faster cooling. A normal setting will cool your home as fast as a colder one. A colder setting may just represent an excessive cooling and higher bills.
- Prefer a room AC with a digital readout for the
thermostat setting, and a built-in timer.
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