In order to select a window air conditioner, a person must understand the relationship between the size of the rooms and the capacity of the air conditioner. The window air conditioner must be the correct size for the room that is to be cooled; if the air conditioner is too small for that room, the air conditioner will continuously run in order to maintain the temperature of the room, and will use more electricity to perform that task. Additionally, if the air conditioner is too large for the size of the room, the air conditioner will short-cycle.
Short-cycling occur when the air conditioner is turned on and off too frequent to cool the room, and air conditioners that short cycle will not properly remove humidity from the air within the room. While the square footage of the room can assist a person in determining the BTU output of the air conditioner that is to be used within that room, the square footage is not the only factor that is considered in the calculation of the required BTU output. The BTU output of the air conditioner must account for the amount of heat that will load into the room.
How to Choose the Right Window Air Conditioner
For instance, rooms with large windows that receive sunlight will load more heat into the room than those rooms that is shaded from sunlight. Additionally, rooms with high ceilings will load more heat into the room than rooms with lower ceilings due to an additional volume of air that must be cooled within that room. Thus, a person must adjust the calculation of BTU requirements based off these environmental factors.
Additional factors that must be considered are the amount of heat that the items that are placed within the room produce. For instance, if the room to be cooled also acts as a kitchen, the cooking appliances will produce heat and increase the cooling demands of the kitchen. Similarly, if the room has electronic devices like computer and printers, those devices will produce heat and increase the cooling demands within that office.
Additionally, the number of people within the room can also impact the BTU calculations for that room alone. The more people that are within the room, the more body heat will be loaded into the room. Thus, a person must consider these factors in addition to the square footage of the room to be cooled.
A person must also ensure that the air conditioner will physically fit into the window in which it will be installed. An air conditioner that is too large for the window will not be able to install into the window properly. In addition to not being able to be installed into the window, the gap that are created between the air conditioner and the window will allow for the cooled air to leak out of the room.
Therefore, a person must ensure that the air conditioner will fit into the window in order to allow the air conditioner to maintain the temperature within that room. Maintenance of the air conditioner is also required to ensure that the air conditioner continues to perform well within the room. For instance, a person must clean the filter for the air conditioner on a regular schedule.
If the filter is dirty, the air conditioner will have a restricted amount of airflow. A restricted amount of airflow will force the compressor for the air conditioner to work harder to circulate air within the room. Other tools can also be used to enhance the performance of the air conditioner.
For instance, installing a ceiling fan will help to distribute the air from the air conditioner. Additionally, closing the blinds will reduce the amount of heat that enters the room from the sunlight. In order to select an appropriate window air conditioner, a person must calculate the square footage of the room that is to be cooled, and adjust for the heat load of the room.
The heat load factors include sunlight that enters the room, the height of the ceilings in the room, the number of individuals that will be within the room, and the amount of heat that the appliances within the room produce. Additionally, a person must ensure that the air conditioner will fit into the window in which it is to be installed, and maintain the air conditioner by regularly cleaning its filter. By following these steps, a person will be able to select the appropriate window air conditioner for there room, and ensure that the air conditioner will maintain the temperature of the room while efficient using electricity to accomplish such a task.
