Air conditioning buying guide Was this guide useful? Designed to keep your rooms feeling fresh and comfortable, air conditioners are available in a wide range of sizes, styles and prices brackets, making it easy to find the unit that’s perfect for your needs at Homebase.What types of air conditioners are there?For the purpose of this guide, when we talk about air conditioners we’re referring to portable appliances that draw hot air in, cool it down and then circulate this colder air throughout a room. Though static units are available that can be built into walls and windows, most air conditioning units in the UK are portable, allowing you to move the appliance to wherever it’s needed in your building. How do air conditioners work?When the appliance is switched on, air is drawn into the unit and passed over a cold evaporator coil, where it’s cooled and some of the moisture removed. The air is then re-circulated into the room, reducing the overall temperature and humidity.

At the same time, a chemical refrigerant in the system absorbs the heat from the warm air before venting it to the exterior of your home via a hose. As the air cools, water is released into the air conditioning system. This either empties away through an external drain or is collected in a tank that you can remove and empty when full.How cold can I make a room?All Homebase air conditioning units have a minimum cooling setting of 16˚C or 18˚C and a maximum setting of 32˚C or 35˚C.Though an air conditioner’s effectiveness will depend on the size of the room it’s placed in and the conditions, in general, this should be enough to maintain your perfect temperature, keeping you cool and comfortable whatever the weather.How can I ensure my air conditioner is working efficiently?Ensuring your air conditioner is working efficiently will not only help it to cool your home or office more quickly, it will also keep your energy bills down.When installing your unit, it’s sensible to make sure that the hose expelling the warm air goes directly to an exterior window.

If the air escapes inside your home, then your unit won’t be able to cool the space as efficiently.Closing windows and doors will also help to cool your space more efficiently, while keeping blinds and curtains drawn will prevent your interior being heated by the sun.What features should I look for in an air conditioner?Adjustable thermostatAn adjustable thermostat allows you to have complete control over the temperature of your room while the unit is operating, which is really important for maintaining a constant, optimum room temperature inside your home or office.1-12 or 1-24 hour timerA timer will allow you to select a specific operating period. Once this period has ended, the air conditioner will switch itself off, reducing wastage and saving you money.Washable pre-filtersWashable pre-filters remove dust, dirt and hair from the air being drawn into the filter, improving the air quality of your home, and preventing your air conditioner from becoming clogged up and working less efficiently. 

These filters can then easily be removed, cleaned and replaced.Mode settingsSome air conditioners have up to four different mode settings, allowing you to either cool, dehumidify, fan or heat the air as needed – making them suitable for use whatever the temperature.Energy efficiencyAs with many household appliances, air conditioners are given an energy rating to show their efficiency. A’ rated units are the most efficient and ‘G’ are the least, and the better the efficiency of your air conditioner, the less money it will cost to run.outdoor ac unit costWhen browsing our great range of portable air conditioning units, you’ll notice that all appliances carry a British Thermal Unit (BTU) rating. air handling unit componentsThis rating gives an indication of how much cooling the machine is capable of, and the higher the BTU rating, the larger the volume of air the unit can cool.what is the cost to replace ac unit

For a general guide on air conditioning costs, the first number of the BTU rating will refer to how much an appliance costs to run per hour in pence. For example, a 9,000 BTU air conditioner will cost 9p per hour to run, and a 12,000 BTU air conditioner will cost 12p per hour. Find your perfect product Let us help you complete your projectOne of the main reasons that people struggle to sleep at night is due to uncomfortable temperatures (both hot and cold) and high humidity. Air Conditioners can instantly and efficiently solve both these situations and they are less expensive than you may think. The Air Conditioning Company only installs air conditioners that are whisper quite and cause no distraction whatsoever. This means you won’t have to leave a window open and have external night-time noises affect your sleep; ideal if you live near a main road. Usually a low powered air conditioner is suitable for most bedrooms so when selecting an aircon unit the main considerations are usually based on price, features and aesthetics.

We provide a free site survey no matter how big or small the job. All surveys are carried out by our experienced air conditioning surveyors who can tackle even the toughest of bedroom installations. Wall mounted air conditioners are the most common units used in a bedroom setting. The two main advantages are that wall units are always the cheapest to install; they are also easy to retrofit in bedrooms without the need for redecoration. They are long, thin and placed at a high level on the wall. Like all models designed for bedrooms, they are exceptionally quiet which means that they’ll never stop you from having a good night sleep. A single wall unit is almost always powerful enough for a bedroom and, in terms of aesthetics, they are premium models of wall units (like Gree Moda, Daikin Emura and Mitsubishi Zen units – click the link below to see). They are a little more expensive; however, they are the best looking units. Low wall-mounted air conditioners are very similar to the wall units discussed above;

however, they are placed at a low level on the wall. They are more expensive than traditional wall units, but customers sometimes prefer them because, like radiators, they are placed out of their line of sight. Low wall air conditioning units are often used in bedrooms within converted lofts as they fit neatly on the short wall below a sloping ceiling. Our surveyors will usually recommend ‘high-wall’ units (due to price) so if you are interested in having ‘low wall’ aircon units in your bedroom, ensure to tell our surveyors, and they’ll happily design a suitable solution for you. Ducted Air Conditioning Systems are the most expensive option, but they are certainly the most aesthetically pleasing and are hugely popular in new-build properties. The ductwork and unit are hidden within the ceiling or loft space, so all that is visible is a small and unobtrusive grille in the ceiling. Ducted units are best fitted as part of a new development of building project as they require a ceiling void and some pre-planning.