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Whole house AC as opposed to window units....

justoffal

Senator
This is a very daunting question because most of the facts are not really available to the general public.

However without the numbers we can make some observations.

Most whole house units run on 220 Volts.....right off the bat your electromotive conversions are more efficient.

Many of them have compressor units located out of doors.....that's good too......

However....they are also accompanied by long, often cumbersome duct systems that must be insulated especially if they are on outside walls.

The duct systems can get pretty rancid with dust, water and bacteria and it is expensive to clean them

If the system goes down...the whole house is down. I find that often the modern build houses have windows that don't facilitate window units.

Now for Window Units...

Most run on 110 Volts....a bit less efficient than the 220. ( you can get a 220 window unit but they are ususally too big and too heavy to install on your own and may require expensive electrical work to put in so I would avoid those...not needed! )

If you have the right kind of windows.....use the pull out wheather shields that come with the units to seal the opening and then supplement it with a cardbord and tinfoil addition that keeps the R factor up where it needs to be.

Make sure the compressor end that is outside is shielded form the direct sunlight....makes a big differnce in the efficiency!

You can get a good 5,000 btu unit for about 175 bucks....with remote. Preferably get the remote that also acts like a remote thermostat so that you can place it across the room from the unit.

I recoomnend doing only the bedrooms with small units and keeping the doors closed so that the machines cycle on and off.

The energy saver mode is not that useful......keep the fan running....it mixes the air more and actually is cheaper in the end.

1.) Pull your air filter once a week and use Dawn dish detergent and warm water to clean it.

2.) You may find it necessary to change the settings for day and night...ususally you can get the same results with a setting 4 to 6 degress warmer at night time.

3.) Try to make sure you're running only one machine per circuit....not that easy sometimes but with a 5,000 btu unit you can use a haevy duty extension cord up to 30 feet without too much power factor loss.


Sleep comforatably and save electric bill money! That's an oder!

JO
 
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fairsheet

Senator
Here's a really simple factoid that may seem obvious, but it many are baffled by it.

-If it's warmer outside than inside, it won't help to open the windows.
 

Addy

Rebuild With Biden!
My heat & cooling system is in the duct work comes through registers in the floor. All of the duct work is in our basement.
I keep fans in front of some of the registers to help further the circulation of cool air..
Another good tip is to keep the blinds and drapes closed.. try to cook early in the morning.. all of the heat has to be drawn from the air to keep cool with A/C.. more heat build up /the harder the cooling units of any type have to work...imo..
 

fairsheet

Senator
My heat & cooling system is in the duct work comes through registers in the floor. All of the duct work is in our basement.
I keep fans in front of some of the registers to help further the circulation of cool air..
Another good tip is to keep the blinds and drapes closed.. try to cook early in the morning.. all of the heat has to be drawn from the air to keep cool with A/C.. more heat build up /the harder the cooling units of any type have to work...imo..
When I first married my wife and her kids, 6 an 9, we lived in one of those little bungalows that had just 2 bedrooms up. One had a gable window on one side of the house, and the other had one on the other. It got hot, so I bought a couple of fans. Of course, the right way to position them was for one to blow in and one to blow out. Alas, that freaked everyone out - including my wife! Why shouldn't both fans blow in? So, I figure what the heck? If they wanted both blowing in, both should blow in.
 

Addy

Rebuild With Biden!
lol.. creating a cross draft .. I think would have probably been your intention using your method... sounded good to me.. :cool:
 
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