Air conditioning is installed thousands, if not millions, times a year, but when's the best time to get it installed?
A question we always seem to encounter from those who are curious about installing air conditioning: What’s the best time of year to install air conditioning? Weirdly, the best time of year to get your home kitted out with A/C is winter! You’re more likely to get a better price on your air conditioner in the cold weather, as the slower season means that contractors have a lot of time to install in-between their repair service.
The Basics of Air Conditioning
What’s the basic of air conditioning? The meaning for air conditioning is simply what is sounds like: conditioned air. This means that the air has been cooled down and cooled down air has a lot of its humidity removed. The lower levels of humidity in conditioned air supply our bodies with the ability of perspiration much more effectively, which in turn allows us to cool down faster and more effectively. Many people believe that air conditioners actually produce cold air, when in fact they actually remove the heat from the air and push it to another place. In air conditioning units, an evaporator coil is responsible for removing any heat found in the air. When air flows through it, the heat is released elsewhere by a coil that condenses the air. In some split systems, the condensing coil is located on the exterior of the home, which allows for the dispossession of hot air more effectively.
Cooling your home
Having central air conditioning installed in your home may give a major benefit to your home cooling system. With the weather currently heating up and causing problems for people across Britain, so having a central cooling system in your home is vital. Central air conditioners are often more economical compared to having multiple units throughout your home, as having a unit work from one central position is way more energy efficient. Also, it eliminates the task of having to remove window units in the colder seasons. If your home is lucky enough to already have a central air heating system, having the remainder of the system installed is an easy job – as most of the air unit is already in place. If your home has a radiant or baseboard system, then you will need a higher level of A/C installation.
What are the costs of air conditioning?
Simply put, the price of air conditioning will change depending on who fits it and offers the service. The fitting of an older home can actually be a difficult task. If you’re not interested in taking out a central air system, you may consider the possibility of installing a number of fixed wall units which can reside in various rooms throughout the house. The wall units in question actually work a lot like window units, yet the need to install and remove these each season is eliminated, which makes this form of air conditioning a much more efficient service.
You should remember that you can change the design of your project in order to match the needs of your home, as this may also lead to more cost effective forms of air conditioning. Another good alternative to air conditioning are ceiling fans, as they are way more cost effective. Homes that are super insulated encounter lower levels of cooling requirements, so keep this in mind if your home is such a build.
New ducts
If your home is one that lacks a central forced air heating system, A/C can still be installed, it is just going to entail more work and expense. These costs will vary by the configuration of your home. Single story homes can be readily equipped from the attic, basement or crawlspace if present. Multi-story homes may need more complex ductwork to span the different levels or have redundant systems installed to be served from multiple areas. Obviously the more intrusive the work the greater the cost. The backs of closets often provide a “chase” that is used for running ductwork from a basement to a second floor. A large portion of the expense of these installations comes from new air-handling systems that are already present in existing forced air-heating systems.
Given that your home is lacking a central air heating system, air conditioning can be installed, it’s just necessary that more work and higher expenses will have to be taken. The costs on how much this will take depends on the configuration of how your home has its layout. Homes that have one story can have an A/C unit installed through the loft or basement, given one is present. Given that the home has two stories, a much more difficult system is required for install. The more intrusive the work needs to be on your home, the greater the cost. A large portion of these expenses will come from the installation process that gives your home a whole new world in the form of air conditioning.
A Brief History behind Air Conditioning
Willis Haviland Carrier was the brains behind the modern concept of air conditioning but before his invention became a reality, many came forward with the idea of a machine that served the purpose of cooling, though changes in the design were tinkered differently to Carrier’s design. So we can mark the anniversary of Carrier’s fantastic invention, we’re going to take a brief look back at the long story – and history – of air conditioning.
1758: Benjamin Franklin and Cambridge University professor John Hadley discovered that the evaporation of alcohol and other liquids evaporate faster than water and in turn they can cool down an object enough to freeze the water.
1820: It was a case of dé ja vu for inventor Michael Faraday who made the same discovery as Franklin and Hadley some 62 years later in England. This was achieved through the compression and liquidity of ammonia.
1830s: Dr. John Gorrie makes a huge breakthrough in the case of air conditioning but it comes to no avail. Whilst working at a Florida hospital, Dr. Gorrie created an ice-making machine that uses the compression to make buckets of ice, then blowing air over them. He patented the idea in 1851, with the dream of cooling buildings throughout the world. Lack in financial backing was to blame for the failure of his invention and the world would have to wait much, much longer for A/C.
1881: President James Garfield is shot by an assassin on July 2 in 1881, so naval engineers built a makeshift cooling unit in order to keep him cool and comfortable simultaneously. The device is a simple design, with water-soaked cloth filling the inside whilst a fan blows hot air overhead, keeping cool air much closer to the ground. The good news behind the project is that the device can achieve lower room temperatures of up to 20F, but unfortunately President Garfield still dies. Oh and the machine used a massive half-million pounds of ice in just TWO months.
1902: Willis Carrier invented the ‘Apparatus for Treating Air’ at a time where he was working for the Sackett-Wilhelms Litographing and Publishing company in New York. The machine is designed to blow air over cold coils, which can control both room temperature and humidity. The device keeps paper from wrinkling as well as aligning the ink where it’s supposed to be. After discovering that other factories want to use the cooling technology, Carrier establishes the Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America.
1906: Stuart Cramer creates a ventilating device that gives the ability to add water vapour to the air in textile factories. The humidity makes yarn easier to spin and reduces the chance of breakages. Cramer is the first person to call this process “air conditioning.”
1914: Air conditioning came to the home for the first time in history. The unit is installed in Minneapolis, inside the mansion of Charles Gates. The air conditioning unit is approximately 7 feet high, 6 feet wide and 20 feet long. It’s a great possibility that the unit went unused because no one actually ever lived inside the house.
1931: H.H. Schultz and J.Q. Sherman are responsible for inventing an individual room air conditioner which sits on your window ledge. This design is common place in apartment buildings ever since. The units are available for purchase and are purchased by those who are least likely to experience a hectic, sweaty life – the rich. A large cooling system would cost between $10,000-$50,000, which is equivalent to $120,000 to $600,000 in today’s money!
1939: Packard invents the first air-conditioned car, which allows a relaxing ride for those inside. Dashboard controls for the onboard A/C would come later. For now, given the passenger would get chilly, the driver would have to stop the engine, open the hood and disconnect a compressor belt.
1942: The US builds its first power plant, named a “summer peaking” plant. It’s built to handle the ever growing electrical load that air conditioning demands.
1950s: After World War II, the economic boom finally happens as residential air conditioning becomes available to many. Over 1 million units are sold in 1953 alone.
1970s: The window units of air conditioning lose points as central air comes along. The units consist of a three main components: condenser, coils and a fan. Air gets drawn in, passed over the coils and then blasted through the ventilation system.
So, what do you think of our look into the history of air conditioning?
The Benefits of Air Conditioning
When installing air conditioning into a residential house or into small business offices there are a few things that should be looked into, we've stated here some of the top benefits you can take into consideration.
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- Energy bills account for heating and air conditioning, as well as ventilation
Here's a little list of the top benefits of air conditioning which we will benefit you as a user the most:
Reduction in Humidity
Although air conditioning provides accurate temperature control it also has the ability to reduce the humidity within your building without over-cooling any room.
Controllable Comfort
Today's air conditioning systems allow you to set the perfect temperature for any room within the building meaning if you wanted your room to be fairly warm but the back room to be colder it can be set with ease. As air conditioning provides a constant level of temperature you're guaranteed to have maximum comfort.
Constantly Silent
With newer technology air conditioning systems have become even more advanced today, this newer technology has enabled air conditioning systems to work in harmony with silent surroundings.
Reduction of energy bills
As air conditioning systems today are build for multi-purpose temperature settings this allows the air con to be able to be used for heating and cooling whilst running efficiently, in fact up to 80% more efficient!
As air conditioning systems today are build for multi-purpose temperature settings this allows the air con to be able to be used for heating and cooling whilst running efficiently, in fact up to 80% more efficient!
Improve Air Quality
Residential air conditioning systems feature air purifying filtration systems which will help reduce dust, bacteria, fur, pollen and even mites meaning if you suffer from allergies then you wont have to worry any more!
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Saving Energy When Using Air Conditioning
As the weather eventually becomes warmer, using your air conditioning unit will be necessary.
In order for you to save energy while you'll cooling off, we've listed a number of tips below for you to follow.
Night-time - In the late hours of the day, you will not require the AC Unit to work at full capacity - turn it down so it will be running less while you are sleeping.
Portable units and windows - Another great way to save energy is to invest in a portable cooler that will cool the room you are occupying. They use up to 50% less energy than a regular AC Unit.
Have your unit serviced - On some occasions, a quick maintenance check could be the only thing your AC Unit requires, however, many will benefit from a thorough cleaning.
Furniture rearrangement - Furniture placement actually plays a big role in potentially saving energy with air conditioning. If furniture proves to be an obstruction to any air conditioning vents, the back of a settee could be getting cooled rather than yourself.
78° - Running your AC Unit oat 78 degrees is a suitable level, similar to that of a car on cruise control. There is also the option of turning it another 5 degrees lower to save energy.
Home alone - When you are not home, attempt to turn the AC Unit to 85 with any windows and drapes securely shut. It may be warm when you return, however, the blinds/drapes will have kept out the sun as well as the heat not being so considerable thus the unit won't have to work as hard to cool the air.
Use a fan - With air conditioning units being the go to, we are forgetting that fans also do a wonderful job of keeping you cool. Using them to circulate the cool air means that you will not require too much being pumped into the room, not only that but having them as a backup is a great idea as they use left energy!
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