If you are thinking about a new air conditioner, then there are a wide variety of types to choose from. In some cases, a cental AC might be best, while in others, a window-based unit could be better-suited to your needs. In some situations, you might even want to try out a heat pump. To help you decide which is best for you, here is an overview of several popular types of air conditioners:
Central Air Conditioners
First of all, you have the basic central air conditioner, which is good for heating an entire building with good efficiency. These units do require a working ventilation system, but they are your best option if you need to cool down an entire building.
That being said, they are overkill if you only need a few rooms to be cooled. A lot of that cold air will go to waste if you are cooling an entire building and only have people in one or two rooms.
Window-Based Air Conditioners
If you want to cool a single room, then a window-based unit is often your best bet. While they obviously require a window to operate, they can deliver a good deal of cold air directly to you as long as you stay in the room. Unlike space heaters, they can be very difficult to move, which means that you need to pick out the perfect location for usage.
Air-Source Heat Pumps
Next you have the air-source heat pump, which operates as a membrane between the air inside your home and the air outside your home. If you want to heat your home, then it will take some of the heat inside your home and drop it outside, and if you want to cool your home, it will do the same process in reverse.
These heat pumps are pretty efficient at moderate temperatures, but become quite expensive to run when it gets really cold out. Since there is so little heat to take from cold air, it will cost a ton of energy to actually find and extract that heat.
Geothermal Heat Pumps
If you want a heat pump that will work in the cold, then geothermal is the perfect choice. There is a ton of heat in the ground, even when it is freezing out, and a geothermal heat pump can exploit that heat for your home.
There are pretty high installation costs though, which means that you will need to decide whether the long-term savings are worth it. If you live in a place that regularly drops below freezing, then chances are that a geothermal heat pump will cost you dramatically less than an air-source heat pump over the course of several years.
For more information, contact a professional, like those at the Hallmark Service Company.
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