Over the past few days here at RefrigerantHQ we have taken the time to write numerous articles all over window air conditioners. What kind should I get? What size do I need? Do I even need one in the first place? As we all know invention of central air conditioning has changed the world. Rather you go into a retail store like Wal-Mart or if you walk into a friend’s home in the summer. Chances are they have air conditioning running. But what do you do if your home is too old to have ducts to support a central air conditioning system? Or, what do you do if you are renting and can’t make any improvements to the home or apartment?

We all know how hot summers can get. I don’t care where you live, even in the northern parts of the United States there still comes a need for air conditioning. I remember a few years back when my Grandfather was complaining about the summer heat and how he had finally gave in and purchased a window air conditioner. This guy lives up in northern Michigan. You know, the place that gets a foot or more of snow at a time on a regular basis. My point is that these units can be useful anywhere rather you are down in Houston or up in Fargo.

Should You Purchase Window Air Conditioner?

Well folks, I am going to leave that decision to you. But, as I always do let’s take an analytical look at what the Pros and Cons are of owning a window air conditioner.

Firstly, let’s look at the Pros:

You get a nice cool room during the summer months even if you are in an older farm house or in a studio apartment with no central air. Depending on where you live the promise of a cool room during the dead of summer is enough to sell you on buying the unit right away. (The trick is to plan ahead before the heat comes and prepare!)
The cost on window air conditioners are relatively cheap when compared to central air systems. Depending on the size of the air conditioner you are purchasing you could see prices range from one-hundred dollars all the way up to one-thousand dollars. Your bare bone model that is fit to cool a standard room or office will run between one-hundred and two-hundred dollars. This is what most consumers buy.
Depending on the size of the unit you purchase the installation is relatively easy. Obviously the bigger the unit the heavier it is and the heavier it is the more difficult it is to install by yourself. The smaller units will weigh between thirty to fifty pounds. While that is not heavy it is important to remember that it is awkward and that you are balancing the thing out the window while you have time to secure. The last thing you want to do is drop it out the window.

Now for the Cons:

Window air conditioners can be noisy, very noisy if you pick the wrong product or brand. While central air systems are noisy as well there is a key difference between the two systems. A central air is located outside and in your basement. A window air conditioner is located right in your bedroom where you are trying to sleep. As you can see the extra noise could be troublesome.
- I highly recommend reading reviews about a product before purchasing. That way you can tell right away if there are noise complaints about the product. I use Amazon.com and go to the three, two, or even one star reviews to get an idea of what the downsides of the products are.
With a new appliance there will be extra cost per month. If you get a small window air conditioner at 5,000 or 6,000 BTUs you could be looking at ten to twenty dollars a month. Obviously this is a very rough estimate. For more details on what monthly cost you can expect from running a window unit click here to view another article of ours.
Most window air conditioners are designed to cool a single room or larger open space. These units will not cool your entire home. What most people end up doing is purchasing a window unit for their bedroom for when they sleep at night. The rest of the house goes uncooled. Another option is to have the bedroom unit as well as a living room unit. This gives you a somewhat cool feeling throughout the house.

Conclusion

So, folks what have you decided? Will you purchase? Do you feel that it is worth the investment to purchase a window air conditioner? Or, are you going to suffer through a summer with fans blowing all around you? I know what I would say.

If you are seriously considering purchasing a window unit then I please check out our buyer’s guide on window air conditioners by clicking here.

Thanks for reading and I hope this article was helpful,

Alec Johnson

RefrigerantHQ