It looks inexpensive, and the box claims that the window unit is easy to self-install. Are these products worth the money? More importantly, can they keep you as comfortable as a professionally installed air conditioning unit?
What You Save up Front, You Spend on Operations
Today’s air conditioning systems are designed to use electricity sparingly and run efficiently. The window unit may claim the same, but consider that its reach is limited. To cool your home, you need to run it for longer so that the colder air reaches other rooms, too. With an air conditioning system, you can have the option to select the rooms you want to cool and not force cold air throughout the house just to keep one area comfortable.
Regulating the Temperature is not as Easy as You Think
Because these window units require specific access to the exterior, your installation location is limited by the suitable window. If this window faces the refrigerator – rather than the interior of a bedroom or living room – you quickly find out that there will be a cold spot in the kitchen and very little else. So, you add a fan to the setup to send some of the cold air to the far reaches of the living room. Now, you operate two devices and still do not enjoy the temperature regulation you would be able to have with an air conditioner’s thermostat.
A Security Risk that Mars the Home’s Curb Appeal
For starters, you need to leave the window open. Depending on the size of the unit and the size of the frame, you have little more than a flimsy hard plastic sheet to cover the area not taken up by the bulk of the machine. Someone thinking of breaking in quickly gets past the hard plastic and from there might access a doorknob. Of course, hanging this unit outside makes your home’s exterior look less appealing as well. In particular, it destroys the aesthetics of clean lines that you worked so hard to cultivate with landscaping and painting.
Why not find out how to stay cool and comfortable this summer with a professionally installed air conditioning system that becomes an asset to – not a detraction from – your home’s value? To learn more about getting an air conditioner, call the Albuquerque HVAC experts, Thompson Heating and Air Conditioning today!