Comparing Central Air & Window-Mounted Air Conditioning

Summer officially begins on June 21. Few things are more important to your comfort (and even your health and well-being) than keeping your home as cool as possible as the heat rises outside. Air conditioning systems are arguably the ideal solution to this issue, offering much more cooling power than a network of open-window ventilation and standing or oscillating fans.

There's a significant initial expense involved in air conditioning. But your comfort in the long run can make the cost worthwhile. Also, by choosing air conditioners that bear the Energy Star seal and have been approved by the joint Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) energy-efficiency program, you'll end up using less electricity.

Your main choice is between installing a central air conditioning (AC) system and relying on one or more window-mounted AC units. Let's take a look at the factors that'll help determine your decision:

Cost
In a 2016 blog post, lifestyle and home improvement writer Leah Ingram pointed out that in terms of dollars, buying a window AC unit ─ or even a few of them ─ usually will cost less than installing central air. Window units also use less electricity and don't require as much maintenance, especially because central systems must have their filters changed regularly.

The role of size
If you only seek to cool a few rooms in your house, determine the appropriate cooling capacity as follows:

- Starting with 100 to 150 square feet and 5,000 British thermal units (BTUs), each increase of about 100 square feet requires approximately 1,000 additional BTUs, notes Energy Star's data chart.

- For example, if the room you intend to cool is 300 to 350 square feet, the AC you purchase should be able to handle 8,000 BTUs.

Once you determine the area you need cooled, that will help you determine whether to choose a central air conditioning system or a window unit or units.

Insulation & humidity concerns
Homes that are well insulated won't need as high a cooling capacity: The insulation bears some of this burden by greatly limiting air leakage, and thus you may only need a dedicated window unit. If the opposite is true, central air might be a wiser choice, according to Ingram.

Additionally, if you or someone in your household is particularly uncomfortable with humidity, window-mounted ACs might not be the best option. Window ACs let at least a modicum of hot air in through any slight gaps in the accordion frame holding the appliance in the window. If the window AC unit is not powerful enough for the space, it can work beyond its capacity and may create additional humidity.

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