Window AC vs Central AC

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
I have two central ac units for upstairs and downstairs. I have two nest thermostats to help me control electricity costs. I'm thinking of getting a portable a/c unit for my bedroom at night to cool only when I sleep. my wife will hate it. my HOA forbids window a/c units.


Cute, the upright ones are like your regular window a/cs, only has a 4inch circular vent, it is hardly noticeable. you can do a permanent hole for it like a louvered vent.
That is what I am going to do for my toyota camper I am going to rebuild someday.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
We have central air and I wouldn't have anything else. It keeps our entire 4200 square feet of house comfortable, it keeps the humidity at an ideal level, and it is very inexpensive to operate. Even in the summer months we've only broken $100 on our electric bill once or twice in the nearly 20 years we've lived here.

The real key is to have a properly configured system and an energy efficient home.

Try Arizona. Even newer houses of a decent size it's not uncommon for our electric bills to be $400-$500+

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: stockrex
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
I have two central ac units for upstairs and downstairs. I have two nest thermostats to help me control electricity costs. I'm thinking of getting a portable a/c unit for my bedroom at night to cool only when I sleep. my wife will hate it. my HOA forbids window a/c units.


Cute, the upright ones are like your regular window a/cs, only has a 4inch circular vent, it is hardly noticeable. you can do a permanent hole for it like a louvered vent.
That is what I am going to do for my toyota camper I am going to rebuild someday.

These types of AC units (even with dual ducts) are quite inefficient in real world use. All of them remove "some" air from the room to cool the condenser. Yes, they work, Yes, the fact that they create a low pressure in the room pulls warm outside air in to the rest of the structure.

I have the model on the left, with the dual ducts. Due to design issues, it's still pulling some air from the room and pumping it outside. If I close my bedroom door, I can feel air flowing underneath,,,, and it comes from the rest of the house.

So, I took the unit apart and sealed what I could. If you think about how the evaporator creates water, and about how the condenser is used to evaporate that water, and how the water must flow downhill (unrestricted) inside the unit, you will understand why they cannot fully use outside air exchange. (because they can't seal it)

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
We have central air and I wouldn't have anything else. It keeps our entire 4200 square feet of house comfortable, it keeps the humidity at an ideal level, and it is very inexpensive to operate. Even in the summer months we've only broken $100 on our electric bill once or twice in the nearly 20 years we've lived here.

The real key is to have a properly configured system and an energy efficient home.



Efficiency helps however saying it costs $xxxx is not as meaningful as power rates vary state to state and even power company within....

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Efficiency helps however saying it costs $xxxx is not as meaningful as power rates vary state to state and even power company within....


A 10 SEER ducted AC is, in reality about 6 SEER, due to the influx of warm air. A 10.8 SEER window unit is considerably more efficient, and a 19 SEER "mini-split" will cost 3x less to operate than your ducted AC unit. Regardless of electrical rate.