What Air Conditioners Are Suited for Cooling Small Rooms?

There's a wide selection of HVAC products being sold on the market for homeowners and commercial building owners to choose from. But when it comes to keeping the interiors of a room or entire building cool in hot weather and warm on chilly days, air conditioners are a favoured choice of HVAC equipment. Like many other HVAC appliances, not all air conditioners are built the same, and it is important that anyone shopping around for an air conditioner to know this from the start.

Homeowners and business owners that need to cool small rooms or spaces require air conditioners that can match their air conditioning requirements. Two types of air conditioners are designing to provide small air conditioning capacities — window-type units and split units. Let's discuss each of them.

Window-type units

With everything enclosed in a single box, a window-type unit can be installed in virtually every room. Installers simply need to find adequate space to slot the unit in the wall, and there should be some unoccupied space at the back of the wall for hot air to exit the room. Window air conditioners are the most inexpensive of all types of air conditioners. But a major downside of these air conditioners is their noisy operation now that everything, including the blower motor and fans, are located indoors. What's more, window units can be quite energy-inefficient.

Split-type units

It is not always possible to make a slot in the wall for the installation of a window-type unit. In such situations, split system air conditioners make a practical alternative to window units. Unlike window-type units, split air conditioners comprise two major units — the evaporator (indoor) unit and the condenser (outdoor) unit. The indoor unit of a split air conditioner takes up relatively less space than a window-type unit and it looks more aesthetically pleasing, generally speaking. What's more, split system units are generally quieter and more energy efficient. These benefits make split system units an appealing option for building owners that are willing to pay a little more than the price of window-type units.

The decision as to which air conditioner is best suited for a small room or space is based upon a number of different factors including but not limited to the size of the room or area to be air-conditioned, amount of space available for the installation, degree of maintenance required, level of noise generated during operations, et cetera, et cetera. An experienced HVAC technician can consider your particular requirements and recommend the unit that would be ideal for your building and still fit your budget.