There’s nothing your home needs more on a hot summer’s day than a good air conditioner. If you’re ready to take a stand against the heat, you’ve come to the right place. Technology keeps getting better, with ACs constantly coming out with new features. When buying a brand new air conditioner, here are some key factors you’ll want to consider.

Make Sure it Suits the Room
Generally, most models list their cooling capacity to help you determine the right unit that corresponds with the size room you have. This is indicated with a measurement in British Thermal Units (BTUs). Basically, the larger the room, the more BTUs you need. An air conditioner needs roughly 20-25 BTU for each square foot of living space. If a unit is too strong, you’ll waste unnecessary power, too weak and you’ll always be running your machine and it will never get cool enough.

Different Types of Units

The most common type of air conditioner is a window-mounted unit, which resides temporarily in a window opening. You can buy a cooling-only unit for supplemental heat if your home is located in an area with moderate temperatures. A $200 unit would cool a 100 square-foot room, and up to $800 would cool a 700 to 900 square-foot room.

Wall-mounted air conditioners are permanently attached by a metal sleeve through the wall. These units come in cooling-only or cooling/heating varieties. Installation could get costly, as you have to cut an opening through an outside wall. Four roughly $400, this unit could cool a 400 to 700 square-foot room.

Window/wall-mounted air conditioners are versatile units can be either temporarily installed in a window or permanently mounted on your wall. These can suit a rental apartment window now, or an installation at home later. For $400, a unit could cool a 400 to 700 square-foot room.

A portable air conditioner can be rolled around on wheels from room to room. It includes a tube to exhaust heat out of a window through an opening in the wall. They range from about $700 that can cool a 150 to 300 square foot room to $1000 that can cool a 500 square foot room.

There’s nothing your home needs more on a hot summer’s day than a good air conditioner. If you’re ready to take a stand against the heat, you’ve come to the right place. Technology keeps getting better, with ACs constantly coming out with new features. When buying a brand new air conditioner, here are some key factors you’ll want to consider.

Make Sure it Suits the Room
Generally, most models list their cooling capacity to help you determine the right unit that corresponds with the size room you have. This is indicated with a measurement in British Thermal Units (BTUs). Basically, the larger the room, the more BTUs you need. An air conditioner needs roughly 20-25 BTU for each square foot of living space. If a unit is too strong, you’ll waste unnecessary power, too weak and you’ll always be running your machine and it will never get cool enough.

Different Types of Units

The most common type of air conditioner is a window-mounted unit, which resides temporarily in a window opening. You can buy a cooling-only unit for supplemental heat if your home is located in an area with moderate temperatures. A $200 unit would cool a 100 square-foot room, and up to $800 would cool a 700 to 900 square-foot room.

Wall-mounted air conditioners are permanently attached by a metal sleeve through the wall. These units come in cooling-only or cooling/heating varieties. Installation could get costly, as you have to cut an opening through an outside wall. Four roughly $400, this unit could cool a 400 to 700 square-foot room.

Window/wall-mounted air conditioners are versatile units can be either temporarily installed in a window or permanently mounted on your wall. These can suit a rental apartment window now, or an installation at home later. For $400, a unit could cool a 400 to 700 square-foot room.

A portable air conditioner can be rolled around on wheels from room to room. It includes a tube to exhaust heat out of a window through an opening in the wall. They range from about $700 that can cool a 150 to 300 square foot room to $1000 that can cool a 500 square foot room.