It may seem hard to think about for most of the country right now being that it is freezing, but spring and then summer will be here soon. There are also some parts of the country like, Florida that are actually still warm so it is never too early to think about what you will do if your home air conditioning unit needs to be replaced. It was something that my family had to look into doing recently when our old one conked out, so I wanted to pass on 5 useful tips to keep in mind when picking your own unit. If these tips interest you and you want to read more just click the link.
BTUs: This is the The capacity of an air conditioner and is known as British Thermal Units per hour. You need to know in general what you need for BTU’s. The best way to find out what is ideal for your home is to multiply the square footage of the space and multiple by 10 then add 4,000.
Energy Star rating: The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star ratings indicate that an appliance is at least 10 percent more energy-efficient than the minimum federal standards. These types of AC units will often also get you a rebate if your energy company is offering rebates for efficient appliances.
EER: A room air conditioners EER, or Energy-Efficiency Ratio, is the ratio of the cooling output divided by the unit’s power consumption. The higher the EER, the more efficient the model, this applies mostly to window units but since not everyone is looking into central air it is something to keep in mind.
Anti-Microbial filter: Most room air conditioners come with reusable electrostatic filters, which may be treated with triclosan. You may want to get an untreated version for health reasons if it is going to be your window unit. Filters should always be paid attention to no matter what kind of unit so ask your retailer or installer for information.
Price: Remember sometimes you get what you pay for but there is no reason you can’t shop for some bargains. Look to see who is offering rebates, money back or other perks and get the best you can for your budget.
