Limits of Air Conditioners

Central Air Conditioner

• A central air conditioner cools an entire home. Several issues, however, can keep it from doing its job efficiently. Just as poor insulation can impede the efficiency of a furnace, poor insulation can cause your home to lose cooled air. If your air conditioner isn't sized correctly, it won't run efficiently either. A whole-house unit that's too large will turn on and off before it has removed sufficient humidity. A unit that's too small just won't do the job. Either way, the air conditioner will work inefficiently, costing you more money to operate and wearing out sooner than it should. Also, the ductwork in your home needs to be in good repair and sufficient to deliver conditioned air to the various rooms where you need it.

Portable Air Conditioner

• A portable air conditioner is ideal for a space where the windows are too small for a window air conditioner. But it has its limitations. A portable air conditioner can cool only one room at a time, and some models tend to be rather large, heavy and noisy. A portable unit also requires some form of venting. Some models, moreover, are less powerful than other types of units.

Ductless Mini-Split

• The ductless mini-split has a number of desirable features. It needs no ductwork and is relatively unobtrusive. But like a whole-house air conditioner, it requires professional installation. It has both an indoor component and an outdoor component. Like a portable or window unit, it can cool only one area at a time. And it runs on electricity, so if you're concerned about high electricity rates in your area, this is not the system for you.

Window Air Conditioner

• Although a window air conditioner does a good job of cooling a particular room or area, it can't cool an entire home. If you have only one window air conditioner, your family will be forced to stay in one room -- say the living room or the family room -- on especially hot days. The difference in temperature and humidity will be especially marked when you leave the room. This type of unit needs to be removed at the end of the cooling season or covered.