How to Buy a Window Air Conditioner

Window air conditioners are an economical way to stay cool during the hot hot summer. Many window air conditioners can be bought for a couple hundred dollars. The real good ones are energy efficient, but also save you a lot of money on the back end to save on energy costs. Follow these steps to buy a window air conditioner.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. 
    

   Measure your room. It will be very important to measure your room before you go shopping for an air conditioner. Make sure you know the exact square feet in the room. This will be important when you buy the proper air conditioner with the correct Btu’s (see below).

2. 
    

   Find the right Btu for your room. Btu is the British Thermal Unit and a measurement of energy. The Btu can measure the amount of heat a window air conditioner can remove from a room. Many room air conditioners range from 5000 – 24,000 Btu’s and depending on the size of your room, you need to figure out how many Btu’s you need for that room. The room won’t cool efficiently if the room is too big for the Btu’s. In addition, the room will be too cool and you can waste energy if you buy an room air conditioner that has too many Btu’s.

3. Crosscheck your Btu’s with the room measurement. For example you will need to get a 5,000 Btu air conditioner if your room is 150 square feet; 6,000 Btu if 250 square feet; 7,000 Btu if 300 square feet; and so on.

4. 
    

   Measure your window that holds the air conditioner. This will be important to have with you when you go shopping. Make sure you get exact measurements. Most air conditioners have a retractable holder, so they can fit in any window, but not all of them are one-size-fits-all.

5. Pick the correct EER for you. EER is the Energy Efficient Rating. This measures how efficient your air conditioner will be. You can save a lot of money if you get a higher EER. The ratings range from 8 – 11.5 so get a higher EER will be worth it if it is really hot out where you live. You will spend more money on a higher EER but the money is worth the savings.

6. 
    

   Get an air conditioner with a thermostat. It is important that the automatic thermostat adjusts the air conditioner when a room approaches the right temperature for you. In addition, you can get a thermostat that has a timer and a remote control that turns on and off when you are not in the room.

7. Make sure you buy replacement filters because you will need to replace the filter every once in awhile to make sure your air is clean. The filter is a good thing to buy if you have asthma or need fresh air more often.

[whoodo]

on 5/6/2009 This a topical, informative, and well written article. Many people, myself included, wouldn't have a clue how to buy an air conditioner beyond price and window size. Five Stars

[westernmom]

on 5/5/2009 In our previous home we purchased one and this article would have been very helpful as we had no clue what we needed! Thanks for some good info on purchasing a window ac unit. 5*

[Mitestarossa]

on 5/4/2009 When you need to keep cool window air conditioners are perfect.