Air Conditioner Reviews

This site is dedicated to Air Conditioner reviews. The idea is to provide people with a completely independent review site, that is a valuable resource for anyone who is looking for an Air Conditioner.

No Air Conditioners are sold through this site, which means that it allows us to provide completely independent reviews. If you find this site useful, please return to provide feedback on your AC unit, or units with you own air conditioner review.

The notes below give a general overview of some key points to look for when you are choosing an AC unit.

Air Conditioner Buying Guide
Choosing the right size and type of unit is very important. AC is half cooling and half removing humidity, therefore if you have a unit that is too small for the room; it’s not going to be able to cool the room enough. If it’s too big, it’s not going to remove moisture effectively. There are 4 main types of air conditioner; they are window units, through wall units, portable AC units and whole house, or central air conditioner units. They can also come as units that are air conditioners combines with heaters and dehumidifiers, or both.

The cooling power of an air conditioner is measured in British Thermal Units (BTU). A BTU represents lowering 1 pound of water, 1 degree Fahrenheit and units are measured or rated according to their maximum output in BTU’s per hour (BTU/hr). The higher the BTU, the more powerful the unit.

So what power unit do I need?

For smaller rooms from 100 to 300 sqft (10sqm – 30sqm) 5000 – 6000 Btu/hr is normally about right, 300 – 600 sqft (30sqm – 60sqm) 8000 – 9000 Btu/hr and for large rooms 600 to 1000 sqft (60 – 100 sqm), you’ll be looking at models with a capacity of around 10,000 to 15,000 Btu/hr.

Of course these are very general guidelines. There are factors that can change these measurements such as insulation in the house, or very high environmental temperatures. Higher ceilings will also mean that you’ll need a more powerful unit. Also positioning the unit in sunlight such as a south facing window will decrease its efficiency.

Getting the right BTU for the room will mean saving on power costs, too much power will mean the unit cycles too much and too little power will cause it to run all the time. It’s definitely worth spending the time to make sure you get this right.

Features?

New units will generally come with an adjustable thermostat which allows you to set the exact temperature you want, as opposed to the general high, mid, low settings that older units came with. Other features that should come as standard are 2 different cooling speeds, 2 fan speeds and an energy efficiency setting that can stop the fan when the unit is not cooling. Adjustable vents also allow the air direction to be changed to suit the room the unit’s in.

An electrostatic filter is also another option to consider, it removes small particles from the air such as dust etc, which can really be helpful for people with allergies.

Noise is also a big factor. Sometimes people only consider it after they’ve got a unit up and working and then realize that it’s too noisy for them. If you are a light sleeper, spending a bit more on a model with quiet operation may be the way to go.

Efficient Units Save Money!

Generally we also recommend that people try to get the most energy efficient model that they can afford. A low efficiency model can really eat power, and people will notice it straight away in their energy bills. These days the higher efficiency models are not that much more expensive than the lower efficiency ones for some brands, and they are definitely worth finding. In the US units are given an ‘Energy Efficiency Rating’ (EER). These are calculated by dividing the output or BTU by the electrical power or watts the unit uses. Again it’s a good aspect to look out for in reviews of air conditioners.

There is a great tool in the resources section of air conditioner reviews, that allows people to calculate how much they could save by upgrading to a more efficient model of AC unit. Just go to the top of this page to find the link to the resources page. We’d also recommend looking for units that have a warranty of at least 5 years.

Easy Installation

Look at how easy a unit is to install. Even small ones tend to still be pretty heavy and can go up to over 100 pounds. Always check out the notes on installation when reading air conditioner reviews and factor in that you are going to need some help to put a unit in. Some units may require special installations. A slide in chassis for example can actually make the whole process easier as it allows the lighter portion to be installed first, although the overall time taken may be longer.

Check out air conditioner reviews, or with retailers, for any other special conditions. Some of the larger models will need a 220 volt plug, and some will also use louvers. These actually blow the air in multiple directions, which may be an advantage depending on where the units will be installed.

The filter is another area to look at, one side may require space, and the filters will need to be removed and cleaned once the unit is in place, so people really need to know how easy this is to do. It’s also generally recommended to run an AC unit on its own circuit to avoid any potential overload.

Other factors?

On the features side there are a few factors that may at first seem useful and worth paying a bit extra for, which actually aren’t. An example would be the sleep mode, where the temperature of the Air Con will increase the temperature slightly during sleep, often to around 75 degrees. The problem here is that it’s often too high and a warmer room can disrupt sleep, again its worth considering if you are a lighter sleeper.

Energy saver mode can have a similar effect. The AC turns itself off when the room gets to a certain temperature; however, as the room starts to heat up again and the AC turns itself back on. The temperature goes up and down, and it’s just as easy to have the AC on at a slightly higher temperature. Also the unit going on and off can cause people to notice the noise, when they wouldn’t have if it was just kept at a continuous level.

Also remember when buying a unit the time of year you are shopping can make a difference to the price. For example, units will generally be cheaper out of the summer season, and especially right at the end of the summer season when retailers are looking to clear stock, although, this won’t be much help if you are sweltering in the height of summer! Hopefully that’s enough Air Conditioner buying tips, if not send us an email and let us know!

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