In the United States, 6% of all electricity produced is used by air conditioners and costs homeowners $29 billion each year. Because the HVAC system goes through so much use in the average home, homeowners must learn how to choose the right system for their home.
This will ensure that they find an air conditioner that meets their needs and is most efficient. Do you want to learn more about the different types of AC units you can choose from and how to choose the best one for your home?
Keep reading this guide to the top 10 types of AC units you can choose from.
1. Central AC
Central air conditioners are one of the most popular ways to cool your home. It distributes air throughout your home through a series of ducts that run through your house. These ducts connect to air conditioning registers or vents in each room, which makes it the perfect choice for whole-house air conditioners.
This is the most efficient option for air conditioners and also provides the most effective comfort in your home.
2. Window AC Units
Another common type of AC unit for those without central AC is a window AC unit. These are small units that fit in a window and can cool single rooms in an apartment or a larger home.
The window helps you ventilate the air conditioning system and is one of the cheapest ways you can add air conditioning to your home without a professional installation. They can also easily be removed and replaced.
3. Portable Units
Portable AC units are similar to window air conditioners but are not installed in an open window. Instead, they stand up on your floor and have a hose that leads out your window to provide ventilation.
The hose will draw in air from outside to remove the heat and moisture and will provide the cooled air back into your home.
These are beneficial for homes or apartments with windows that are not compatible with a window unit.
Ductless mini-split air conditioners are designed for older homes. This is because many homes built before air conditioners do not have ductwork and it is not possible to add ductwork that would work with a central air conditioner unit.
Instead, these ductless air conditioners mount to your wall or ceiling to cool individual rooms in your home.
The small size of this type of AC makes it an energy-efficient option for air conditioning.
Split-system air conditioners are systems that use two different units to cool your home. It has a unit inside and a unit outside that is connected with copper tubes. A compressor is located outside and the inside unit is the outlet unit.
5. Floor Mounted AC
Floor-mounted units are similar to a mini-split system but are installed directly on your floor instead of on a wall or ceiling. This makes it the best choice for homeowners without very much wall space for a mounted unit.
This makes them a great choice for small areas without much space for an air conditioning unit. However, they need to be free of any obstruction to function properly.
6. Hybrid AC
Hybrid air conditioners are also known as dual fuel AC systems. It works with both electricity and gas to cool your home more efficiently. This system uses a heat pump to cool your home and can be used for both heating and cooling.
During the cooling season, a hybrid system will use the heat pump to draw the warm air inside of your home outside. During the winter, it reverses this process to draw warm air from outside into your home.
7. Ceiling AC
A ceiling air conditioner is an effective type of air conditioner for a large space. They are also known as suspended air conditioner units or cassette air conditioners and are fitted to the ceiling in your space.
It works the same as any other type of air conditioner and removes heat from your space.
This type of AC is best when used on a suspended ceiling, as this will provide the unit with enough space to function properly.
8. Spot Coolers
Spot coolers are similar to portable coolers and are meant to cool small areas. It pulls air from the surrounding space through the back of the unit. Then it cools this air and vents it to the areas directly surrounding the cooler.
It only removes heat from specific areas and it is a self-contained system.
A geothermal air conditioner is one of the newest ways to heat or cool your home. It uses the insulating properties of the earth to heat and cool your home.
Essentially, geothermal AC units have underground piping that circulates water throughout your home. This way, you can use water or refrigerant to heat or cool your home.
To cool your home, a geothermal AC uses a heat pump to absorb the warm air and humidity in your house.
10. Smart AC
Finally, you can choose a smart air conditioner. This is a type of air conditioner that can be connected to wi-fi and controlled through an app on your phone. Often, smart air conditioners are mini-split systems, portable AC units, or window AC units.
These smart systems allow you to better control your temperature to save money on your energy bills.
Need Help Choosing the Right Types of AC?
Choosing the right type of air conditioner for your home is an important choice. The unit you choose can impact your comfort at home, your electricity bills, and more. By learning more about each of these types of AC, you can find a system that best fits your needs!
If you need help learning more about the types of AC, Anton’s Air Conditioning & Heating can help you choose the right system for your needs.
Contact us today to learn about our services or to schedule a service with our HVAC technicians.
