Air conditioning makes your home comfortable during the summer. This is even more true in an area where it gets humid, since high humidity levels can make even moderate temperatures feel oppressive. But how big of an AC unit do you need for your space? What features should you look for to save you money without skimping on comfort? If you already have central air conditioning, how can you save money on utility costs?

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right sized air conditioner. To figure out how many BTUs a unit should have, you need to consider:

• Size of the space you want conditioned
• How much heat will be getting into the room (via windows, number of people, appliances, etc.)
• Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) and Energy Star Compliance
• If you're thinking of a window unit, how big your window is (and how far it will open!) as well as how you will support the weight of the air conditioner

BTUs
Consumer Reports has an excellent tool to help you determine how many BTUs are needed to cool a space. The calculator takes lots of things into account that most general formulas do not, like how many outside walls the space has and whether they are in direct sunlight or not, how high the ceiling is and what is above the space, how many people are usually there and how many watts of appliances are in the room.

Efficiency
The EER of an air conditioner – usually a number between 8.5 and 12 – tells you how much power the unit uses for how much cooling you get. The higher the number, the more cooling you get per watt. Generally the units with higher efficiencies cost more, but if you are thinking of keeping it for a long time it might be worth the savings in electricity. At a glance, if you see the Energy Star logo on an air conditioner, that model uses at least 10% less energy than typical models. The Energy Star website has more info on room air conditioners with the Energy Star rating.

Try to get a unit that has temperature settings that you can adjust by the degree – it's probably worth springing for one that has digital controls – so you don't have to use any more electricity than necessary for the temperature you want. More control is better when it comes to fan speed too, saving you money by not pushing the unit harder than needed to achieve the desired results. Another advantage to many of the digitally controlled systems is a timer or sleep setting that activates a power saving mode, reducing power usage to a minimum while you are away from home or sleeping.

Warranty
As always, double check to make sure that what you're buying has a warranty that makes you comfortable with your investment. Many stores and manufacturers offer at least a 1-year warranty as standard on a room air conditioner and can offer extended plans out to 4 or 5 years if you feel it is worth cost for the added protection.

Forward this article

Humidity Hurts Your Home and Your Wallet
High humidity can make a house uncomfortable no matter what the temperature is inside. Additionally, dampness breeds mold, rot and dust mites. A modern air conditioner will help lower humidity levels greatly, but there is often a hidden source of moisture lurking right beneath your feet. Without dehumidifying basement or crawl space air, your central air or AC unit will have to work harder to both cool the air and pull moisture out of it.

Minimizing humidity in a basement or crawl space with a dehumidifier specially designed for the job can save you significantly more than the cost of running the equipment. The savings of an encapsulated crawl space, one that has been isolated from the outside air, are even more significant — a 15% to 20% reduction in monthly HVAC bills for some of our CleanSpace customers!

Those familiar with this newsletter will have already heard of Basement Systems' amazing line of basement and crawl space dehumidifiers, the SaniDry Basement Air Systems, but we really can't stress enough how much such a system can improve your home and lower your monthly bills. Mold and rot can be reduced or even eliminated. Heating and cooling costs go down because the dry air is much easier to condition than humid air, and the SaniDry is Energy Star rated, using the same amount of energy as a 40-pint dehumidifier to pull up to 100 pints of water out of the air every day. The SaniDry Basement Air Systems really are the best choice for either a basement or crawl space.

Forward this article