The Different Types of Air Conditioning System

If you live in a particular area in the U.S. where summer months are warmer than usual, then it means you cannot live without a cooling system at home. Air conditioning systems have been in use for a very long time now and they’re one of the most important inventions when it comes to guaranteeing comfort in homes. They are used in literally every home in the U.S. these days because there is no better way of conditioning the air inside a living space.

Now if you’re one of the few remaining individuals who still does not have an AC system at home, this article should help you decide the right type for your specific needs. So read on…

The image above shows the different varieties of window type air conditioners.

Let us start with two of the most basic types – the portable and the window air conditioner types. See these short descriptions from Sylvane.com:

Portable Air Conditioners

Portable air conditioners are freestanding floor systems that cool a space by pulling in fresh air, removing heat and dehumidifying it, and returning it into your space while exhausting hot air. To cool properly, portable AC systems must be configured to release hot air outside through a window–such as a vertical sash or sliding-style window–a specially created wall hole, or upward through a drop ceiling plenum. Almost all portable air conditioners come with a window kit and exhaust accessories that allow you to easily set up the exhaust configuration.

Window Air Conditioners

In contrast, window AC units are designed to be installed inside a vertical sash window or, in some cases, through a measured and prepared wall hole. These appliances sit on top of the window frame in a partially opened window–or on the wall frame–with the hot air exhaust system facing outside and the cool air return system facing inside.

See the other types mentioned in this article by clicking the link.

You see, those two types are generally designed for small spaces like apartments, rooms, and dormitories. They’re not intended for homes with multiple rooms and floors because they don’t have enough power and cooling capacity to cool a large space.

Every central air conditioning system has an external unit/component like the one pictured above.

So let’s proceed to the other kinds of air conditioning systems built and designed for larger spaces. In the article “Types of Home Air Conditioning Systems and How They Work” from About.com, there is a good amount of information about two of the most sophisticated types of air conditioning that can be installed in both residential and commercial settings.

Split or Ductless Air Conditioner

The split system or ductless system is technically called a “packaged terminal air conditioner” or PTAC. You see these occasionally in home applications but more commonly in hotels, motels and apartments. The split system breaks the air conditioning system into two packages or terminal units and refrigerant tubing passes through the wall connecting both package units.

One terminal package is the condensing unit located on the exterior and includes the compressor, condenser and condenser fan. The other terminal package is the evaporative unit located on the interior and handles air cooling and distribution. The internal evaporative unit includes the fan, expansion valve and evaporator coil.

Central Air Conditioning

The central air conditioning system is the premium cooling solution for your home. It is the quietest, best performing and most comfortable. The only real risk is that the system be sized appropriately for your home. If it is sized too large it will not perform well and will not adequately dehumidify and may also short cycle. Proper maintenance of a central air conditioning system is also very important.

The central air conditioning system is made up of two packaged units, the condensing unit and the evaporative unit. Both are connected by refrigerant tubing. The condensing unit is the large boxy unit that sits outside and consists of the compressor, condensing coils and condensing fan. The evaporative unit typically sits in the plenum of your furnace so the air conditioning can use the same ductwork as your heating system. In the plenum, the evaporative unit consists of the evaporator coil and expansion valve.

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On a final note, you have to also understand several technical aspects of air conditioning and how it consumes energy. This way, you’ll know what to expect in terms of the energy bills you will shoulder once you start using your newly installed system. For one, you should learn what SEER or seasonal energy efficiency ratio means. In the simplest explanation possible, it is a measurement of how much energy your system will use in order to sufficiently cool your home. It is computed by getting the total cooling output over the course of a summer, to be measured in BTUs or British thermal units, and then dividing that number by the total amount of energy the system utilized over that period.