How to choose an air con for home
Choose the air con type
In general, there are two types of air conditioner popular in the UK, portable air cons and split systems.
A portable unit is the cheapest option. It doesn’t need any installation. So, you may relocate it as often as you need. However, every time you change the unit location, you need to arrange the way how hot air will be vented out of your room. Typically, for this purpose, one connects a hose to the cooling appliance while leaving its other end outdoors.
A portable unit is the cheapest option. It doesn’t need any installation. So, you may relocate it as often as you need. However, every time you change the unit location, you need to arrange the way how hot air will be vented out of your room. Typically, for this purpose, one connects a hose to the cooling appliance while leaving its other end outdoors.
One of the problems with portable air conditioners is you need to arrange all this the way it prevents hot outdoor air from slipping into your home through a gap you leave for the hose. Another drawback here is the rather poor features of such appliances. And, at last, portable devices are not very energy efficient. In other words, while coming to your home at a lower cost, it will take more money out of your pocket while working there.
In contrast, the initial costs of a split system are much higher. To clarify, you have to pay for the appliance itself plus for its installation. For example, the average prices for air conditioning installation in London are around £1000. However, these higher initial costs may pay off within a year as split systems are more energy-efficient. Besides, a split system typically provides a lot of modes and extra features. For example, you can use it as a dehumidifier and purifier.
Choose the right cooling capacity
As the main purpose of why you buy an aircon is to enjoy lower temperatures, unit cooling capacity is the king. The cooling capacity is measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units), which means how much heat an appliance can vent out of the room per hour.
There are a lot of factors that determine your BTU needs. Here is the list of the most important ones:
There are a lot of factors that determine your BTU needs. Here is the list of the most important ones:
- Size of the room to cool (to calculate it, multiply its square on its height)
- Number of people that are in the room on average
- Additional heat sources (personal computers, cooking and refrigeration appliances, etc.)
To be more specific, you can calculate exact cooling capacity by summing up the following bullet points:
- 180 BTUs per each cubic metre of the room
- Additional 500 BTUs per each person in the room
- Additional 345 BTUs per each 100 watts other devices in the room consume
If you find it difficult to get the exact energy consumption of all the appliances you have got in the room you want to cool, take, on average, additional 500 BTUs per each device. Moreover, take into account the specifics of your room sun-facing. To clarify, add 10 percent to the total BTUs if it is sunny or deduct 10 percent if it is shaded during most of the day.
Instead of conclusion
Yes, you may reach your desired versatility and cooling effect on the two steps we mentioned before. But try to think deeper in the case (and, thus, think ahead). For example, modes you need. And, of course, consider the energy efficiency factor. To clarify, there are a lot of inverter split systems on the market that are ultra-energy efficient. While their prices can be slightly higher than average, they are more eco- and budget-friendly when in use.