Air Conditioning for Today's Lifestyle

In today's comfort-conscious society, it is hard to imagine life without air conditioning. We depend on air conditioning to provide a comfortable environment during hot weather, which in some parts of the country may be year-round. Whether the homeowner depends on window units or a larger central unit for cooling, there are many choices today in types of units and price ranges.

Window units are designed for cooling rooms or small areas. These units usually range from five thousand BTU's, which normally will cool a single room, to larger units of thirty six thousand BTU's or more, which will cool several rooms or possibly the whole home. A window unit is an entire air conditioning system in a square metal box. Inside the unit, there is a compressor, an expansion valve, a chilled coil, and two fans. There is also a hot coil on the outside of the unit. Freon gas is compressed and pumped through the coils. As its heat is dissipated, the freon turns into a liquid. After traveling through the expansion valve, the freon becomes cold. It then goes through coils, where it absorbs heat and helps to cool the air.

For larger areas such as a whole house, a central air conditioning system may be required. This is a type of split system, which means that some of its components are located outside of the building and others are inside. The compressor and condenser coil, which are typically the heaviest and noisiest parts of the central unit, are mounted outside. Inside is the evaporator coil, usually connected to a forced-air furnace. These components are then connected by refrigeration lines and a relay cable.

One central air conditioning option that is relatively new in the United States is the ductless air conditioning system. It has been around for years in Europe and Asia, but only in the past few years has this system begun to be used in the United States. In homes or buildings where ductwork would be a problem to install, one of these ductless systems may be the answer. There are now several companies producing ductless systems for marketing in the United States. In a ductless system, one outside compressor services several evaporator coils that are mounted inside. Each evaporator coil has its own box and blower fan. There are lines which are routed to the outside for condensation and also for refrigeration and electrical needs. Another possible benefit of a ductless system, in addition to not blocking the windows, is that it can also provide heat. These ductless systems are typically more expensive than conventional central systems.