Room
Air Conditioner
All About Room Air Conditioner
Room air conditioners cool rooms rather than the entire home. Room air conditioners are less
expensive to operate than central units, even though their efficiency is generally lower than that
of central air conditioners. If you only need to cool certain part of the living area, room air
conditioner is definitely the choice.
- Smaller room air conditioner (i.e., those drawing less than 7.5 amps of electricity) can be
plugged into any 15- or 20-amp, 115-volt household circuit that is not shared with any other major
appliances.
- Larger room air conditioner (i.e., those drawing more than 7.5 amps) need their own dedicated
115-volt circuit.
- For the largest room air conditioner models, they require a dedicated 230-volt circuit.
Replacing a room air conditioner
Replacing a 10-year-old room air conditioner with a new ENERGY STAR qualified model saves an
average of $14 a year on your electric bill.
Earning the ENERGY STAR means a product meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the
US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. The ENERGY STAR qualified room
air conditioners use at least 10% less energy than conventional models.
Room Air Conditioner — EER
Room air conditioner generally ranges from 5,500 Btu per hour to 14,000 Btu per hour. National
appliance standards require room air conditioners built after January 1, 1990, to have an EER of 8.0
or greater. If you live in a mild climate, select a room air conditioner with an EER of at least 9.0.
And if you live in a hot climate, select one with an EER over 10.
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers reports that the average EER of
room air conditioners rose 47% from 1972 to 1991. If you own a 1970s-vintage room air conditioner
with an EER of 5 and you replace it with a new one with an EER of 10, you will cut your air
conditioning energy costs in half.
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