air conditioners
Room Air Conditioners:
- Window Mounted
- Wall Mounted
- Single Package
- Mini-Split: One outdoor unit connected to more than one indoor unit
- Mini-Duct: Central AC with one outdoor unit and the air being circulated through a network of ducts. The basic principle which air conditioners work on is pretty simple; heat is extracted from the area being cooled, and is transferred outdoors, where the temperature is higher.
- Select the warmest temperature setting for the thermostat. The recommended setting for
- For room air conditioners, keep the windows and doors of the room that is being cooled closed, to avoid external heat coming inside.
- If the room being cooled has a lot of glass windows and doors, it is ideal to reduce the sunlight entering the room, as this will reduce the heat entering through the sun rays.
- Turn the air conditioner off if the room is unoccupied, even for a short time (it doesn't take long for air conditioner to cool the room again). *If possible, use fans.
- For a central system, locate the outdoor unit in a cool, shaded place. The higher the temperature around the outdoor unit, the more electricity it will consume.
- Regular maintenance of the filters, coils, and ductwork will keep your air conditioning operating efficiently. *For areas requiring large chillers, it is ideal to have many smaller chillers than one large chiller.
- Install variable frequency drives for compressors.
For example, the annual cost of electricity consumed by a 10,000 BTU/hr room air conditioner, operating 2000 hours per year (8 hours daily) with an EER of 11 and a cost 23.57c per kWh (kilo watt-hour or one unit) is;
Cost = (10,000BTU/11 X 0.001W/kW) X 2000hours X 23.57c = $428.55
The tariff used here is the commercial rate. Other rates are indicated at the back of your bill. Therefore choose air conditioners with a high EER, possibly above 11. The lower the EER, the more electricity it will consume.
