Air Conditioning – ACs (Window, Portable, Mini-Split, Central), Fans, Coolers

Air conditioning is a process that primarily utilizes electricity to decrease the temperature of indoor air. 84% of all homes in the US have some kind of air conditioner. Air conditioners are an essential part of almost every home.

HVAC stands for Heating, Air Conditioning, And Ventilation. Air conditioners are a major part of HVAC and include ventilation (even distribution of adequately conditioned air) as well.

In this ‘Air Conditioning’ segment, we primarily cover all types of air conditioners. The most common types are mini-split, portable, window, and central air conditioners. On top of that, we also cover evaporative cool and fans which facilitates ventilation.

Mini-Split Air Conditioners

Mini-split AC units are ductless split system AC types. These are split-system units consisting of 1 outdoor unit (contains the compressor) and 1 or several indoor units, commonly referred to as air handlers.

They are very energy-efficient, quiet, and the best alternative to ducted central air conditioners. Here are some resources we have on mini-split air conditioners and heat pumps:

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps work both as air conditioners and as heaters. By reversing the flow of refrigerant, they can provide both cooling (in the summer) and heating (in the winter).

Portable Air Conditioners

Portable AC units are the easiest ones to use and move around. They are becoming increasingly popular because they can provide a cooling effect for a room, or can be utilized as an auxiliary air conditioning unit during summer heatwaves.

Most portable AC units can also be used in the winter for heating. By reversing the flow of refrigerant, portable air conditioners can produce a heating output. They are very affordable compared to mini-split AC units or central air, and as price and specs-wise in the same category as window air conditioners.

Here are useful resources about portable air conditioners:

Window Air Conditioners

Window air conditioners are mounted on the window sill. They provide up to 25,000 BTU of cooling effect, are fairly easy to install (you can DIY window AC installation), and don’t require a lot of maintenance.

They are very useful especially for smaller rooms since they are the only ones that can produce only 5,000 BTU of cooling effect. There are several different kinds of window air conditioners, you will find even some new designs in our summary of resources on window AC units here:

Central Air Conditioners

Central air is a whole-house air conditioning system. These are the old-school ducted system that are currently being replaced by ductless-mini split AC units. Central air AC units are still the most powerful units (cooling output is measured in tons, rather than BTUs), but they are very expensive, require additional ductwork, and need professional installation.

Here are our resources about central air conditioners:

Air Conditioner Problems And Repairs

Useful Air Conditioning Resources (+ Other Kinds Of AC Units)

Evaporative Coolers (Ventless Air Conditioners)

We are adding new content about air conditioners continuously. Our goal is to inform everybody how air conditioners work, how to adequately size them, and which specific air conditioners are the best for specific uses or based on a certain specification (like EER, SEER, noise levels, and so on).