Windows Air Conditioners: A Shoppers Guide
Shopping for a window air conditioner can be a daunting task of you don’t know exactly what it is you are looking for. There is more to buying a window air conditioner than finding the lowest price for something that will fit in your window. The most important considerations are size, energy efficiency, type of coolant.
Determining the Right Size
The main determining factor is the size of the room that the window A/C unit will be servicing. You can calculate the square footage of the room by multiplying the length and width, and height of the room. To can then use the chart below to find out what size you will need. Th size of a window air conditioner is measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units) which is a measure of its cooling capacity. Just remember that bigger is not always better. If you buy a unit that is too big for the room it will not run efficiently which means it will cost more to operate, decrease the life of the unit, and it will not dehumidify properly. Use the lower end of the spectrum for milder climates (summers in the 80s-90s), and the higher end of the spectrum for higher temperatures and humidity:
<= 250 sf ….. 5,000-6,500 BTU
250-4000 sf ….. 6,500 – 8,000 BTU
400 – 500 sf ….. 8,000 – 10,000 BTU
500 – 600 sf ….. 10,000 – 13,500 BTU
600 – 700 sf ….. 13,500 – 15,000 BTU
EER = Energy Efficiency Rating
The EER number is issued by the manufacturer for a specific model and is based on EPA standards. The higher the number, the better the energy efficiency which means that it will cost you less in electricity to run the unit than one with the same BTU output with a lower EER number. The EER number should be printed on the packaging or other literature that comes with the unit. The other thing about the EER number is that there is generally a higher price tag that comes with the more energy efficient units. Regardless, buy the highest EER rating that you can afford because the cost difference will come back ten-fold over the life of the unit.
Coolant: Freon (R-22) vs Puron (R410-A)
The EPA has banned further production of freon in the US and is limiting imports. What this means is that equipment manufacturers are moving away from Freon-based units and moving towards the environmentally friendly Puron. Just be aware that the different coolants are not interchangeable which means you can’t use Puron in a unit made to use Freon or vice-versa, the reason being that the two operate under drastically different operating pressures which can damage the internals of the unit. Freon is quickly becoming obsolete and will cost more to maintain as time goes on. Do yourself a favor and go with a Puron-based unit.
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