In houses or apartments where central air conditioning isn’t feasible, a window A/C is a viable alternative for cooling individual rooms or limited spaces.
A window unit incorporates the same elements of a central A/C, yet downsized and packed into a single enclosure. The internal blower pulls warm room air into the unit through the front grille. Airflow passes through a filter, then through the unit’s evaporator coil, where heat is extracted. Cooled air is channeled back into the room through directional vents at the front of the unit. Extracted heat is dispersed into outdoor air by the condenser coil located in the very rear.
Here are more facts to consider when thinking about installing a window A/C:
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- Monthly operating costs are usually lower than central air.
- Window units can be quickly installed in most homes with no or only very minor alterations to the window. If residents relocate, a window unit can be removed easily to take to the new residence.
- A window unit makes a good supplement to an existing central A/C, allowing the central unit to be shut off when cooling only a single space is needed.
- Window units are sized according to the BTUs of heat removed from a room in one hour. In general, allow at least 20 BTUs of capacity per each square foot in the room. For example, as the average master bedroom in a single-family home is about 275 square feet, a window unit rated for at least 5,500 BTUs should be installed to adequately cool the room.
- Average window units with capacity below 10,000 BTUs may be plugged into a common 115-volt, 15- or 20-amp circuit, as long as it’s not shared with another major appliance. A larger unit rated for 12,000 BTUs or more typically requires its own dedicated 115-volt circuit.
- A window A/C also extracts water vapor. Units should be installed on a slight tilt to ensure that collected condensation drains outdoors.
Ask the cooling experts at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning for more about adding a window A/C to your home.
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area