Commercial HVAC Systems: Staying Street Wise

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Tips for Choosing an Air Conditioner for Your Bedroom

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If you want to keep your bedroom cool to get a good night's sleep, you could install an air conditioning system. When choosing a model for this room where you sleep for hours every night, you need to pay special attention to its features. Consider the following tips when making a decision.

1. Assess Noise Levels

Of course, you want to install an air conditioner that's quiet and peaceful. You probably don't want to exchange a quiet hot room for a noisy cool one. Most air conditioners have a decibel or dB rating, which ranks their loudness. Lower ratings mean the air conditioning is quieter.

In general, portable air conditioners are the noisiest and ducted systems are the softest because the central unit is well away from the bedroom. Split systems often fall somewhere in the middle range. In any case, the dB rating will give an accurate assessment.

2. Set the Thermostat and Timer

Unless you plan to wake up during the night to adjust the temperature, a thermostat is vital for a bedroom air conditioner. You can just set the desired temperature and let it be. Some models are also programmable, so you can set a timer to switch on and off, which offers even greater control. You could set the air conditioner to turn off a couple of hours after you go to bed and switch on an hour or so before you wake up.

Having a remote control to operate the air conditioner is particularly important in the bedroom. You won't have to wake up fully and jump up to adjust settings, which is highly inconvenient.

3. Consider Capacity

It's essential to choose the right capacity air conditioner, which will depend on, among other things, the room dimensions, the ceiling height, and whether it has large windows that let heat quickly transfer inside. If you choose a too-small air conditioner, it will chew up excess energy to cool your room as it will be working at full pace constantly. Installing an overly large system, however, will be a waste of money.

4. Research Energy Efficiency

To keep energy bills down, choose efficient air conditioning. The more stars on a particular model, the more energy-efficient it will be. If you buy a reverse-cycle system, check its SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating). This number is about how energy-efficient the system is in all seasons. Higher ratings mean it's more efficient, taking both heating and cooling modes into account. Lower ongoing energy costs will offset the initial purchase and installation.


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