Window Air Conditioners vs. Central Air
Everyone wants to increase their comfort level, and with summer temperatures rising every year and winters becoming less pleasant, ensuring that your living environment is adequately heated or cooled is one of the best ways to achieve this. When it comes to cooling the area within the home, there are several options, the two most prevalent being central air conditioning or room air-conditioning units. When choosing between the two several important factors need to be considered. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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Modern central and room air-conditioning units have a number of attractive features, but their delivery systems are quite different. For example, central air conditioning is designed to cool the entire house and is regulated through a single thermostat. Room units, as their name implies, cool or heat only one room at a time; and each unit has its own thermostat to regulate operation. Central-air units must be installed by a licensed and certified installer. Room options are usually of two types; wall units and window units. Wall units should usually be installed by a competent professional as well. However, installation is much simpler than with a central unit. Window units can usually be installed by the consumer simply by following the directions included in the packaging. Both wall and window units typically plug into a normal household electrical outlet. In contrast, central air units must be wired into the home electrical system by a certified electrician.
Benefits
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When evaluating the benefits of either option, you will need to closely consider what your specific needs are. If you need to control the temperature of the entire house then a central air unit will do so more effectively and efficiently. Operation of the central air unit is also more convenient. If your cooling and heating needs are more directed and precise--that is, you only need to cool or heat one or two small- to moderate-size rooms--it may be more convenient and cost-effective to use window or wall units.
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Cost
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Central air units are a great deal more expensive than individual room units. In fact, even if you are cooling or heating a five-room home, the purchase of a single central air unit may cost more than purchasing four or five window units. In contrast, the operating cost of a sufficient number of window units is much higher than operating a single central air unit. Of course, the cost of installation of the single central unit may be hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars more than the installation cost of a comparable number of room units.
Geography
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One often overlooked factor in selecting a cooling and heating strategy is the geography and exterior environment in which the unit will used. In certain areas of the country, like Washington State, Oregon and Maine, the external environment can play a large role in choosing the best equipment. In areas where the house exterior is buffeted by heavy precipitation followed by rapid freezing, consumers may be better served by installing interior wall units. The rapid freezing of exterior units may cause serious damage and increase the cost of repair.
Considerations
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Other considerations in selecting the appropriate type of unit include the cost of maintaining the unit. Also the durability of the unit being considered will make an impact on the purchase decision. For example, while it is true that central air units will require a greater number of maintenance calls over the lifetime of the unit, that lifetime is typically five to six times that of the traditional wall or window unit. So, a fair comparison will consider the cost of maintenance of a central air unit against the cost of replacement of several window units.
Finally, the consumer should consider the fact that window units will sometimes detract from the overall attractiveness of a home, and consequently will make them harder to sell while central air units will often increase the perceived value of the home and make it easier to sell. Also, since window and wall units are not as efficient as central units, the total cost to the environment is higher. As a result, it is likely that window and wall systems will become less mainstream while central units will become more and more universally accepted and implemented.
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