Just about everything is getting “smart” and web connected these days — even the boring old window AC unit. Quirky, a New York City company that crowdsources product development, and General Electric announced the Aros this morning, a smart and sleek air conditioner controlled by a mobile app. It’s up for pre-order today on Amazon for $300, and it will be available in major retailers this summer. What makes this special? The Aros learns your usage habits, automatically shuts off when you leave your home, and even makes predictions about your future energy usage. And, of course, it doesn’t look like any AC unit I’ve ever seen. The Aros probably seems a bit quaint compared to something like Nest‘s learning thermostat, but there are plenty of people (especially apartment renters) who can’t make any major changes to their heating and cooling systems. During the warm seasons, their only option is to roll out their window AC units. This is the first major device to come from the companies’ recent partnership (GE poured $30 million into Quirky as part of its recent $79 million round).

Quirky has raised around $170 million to date — clearly, investors are eager to get a foothold in connected devices. The Aros began as an idea that Garthen Leslie posted on the Quirky platform based on his frustrations with his own inefficient AC and his experience working at the Department of Energy. “I was tired of choosing between wasting energy [and] suffering through the stuffy summer heat,” he said in a statement. “After receiving the submission for this invention, it was clear that this was a product that absolutely needed to exist, but a challenge that most companies would shy away from,” Quirky founder and CEO Ben Kaufman said in a statement. “With the support of GE’s technology expertise, scale, and supply chain, we were able to focus our efforts on leveraging our community’s ideas into a beautifully designed product where every aspect of the product’s interaction was attended to.” If anything, the Aros shows what’s possible when you combine the efforts of smart consumers, a crowdsourcing platform, and traditional consumer electronics companies.

It would have taken Leslie and Quirky a lot longer to develop an AC unit from scratch, and who knows how long it would have taken GE to think of something like this on its own. 1 posts, read 11,489 times 14,631 posts, read 13,256,502 times 11,715 posts, read 30,214,841 times 301 posts, read 1,177,617 times 7,532 posts, read 21,260,421 times 13,387 posts, read 13,094,777 times 2,382 posts, read 3,289,017 times 1,492 posts, read 5,796,741 times 1 posts, read 9,672 times 3,971 posts, read 3,571,670 timesCentral air is a luxury feature many apartment hunters look for, but it may not be the best option for you. Here are the pros and cons: A small window air conditioning unit may only be able to cool a room or two in your apartment, but central air will provide you with a consistently pleasant temperature. The system pushes cool air through vents that snake through your whole building. You and your neighbors will enjoy the cool air anywhere inside.

You might face a large energy bill if your apartment uses central air conditioning, especially if you don’t have individual control over the temperature. Central air cools the entire apartment, even in areas you don’t need it. [Reduce Energy Costs This Summer] A window unit only cools certain areas, so you can choose to install it where you want to be most comfortable. ac units in a tentIf you don’t think you need to cool the whole apartment, a window unit is more cost effective.ac window unit target While you don’t have to foot the bill to install central air in your apartment, the costs could trickle down into your rent. split unit ac problemIf the landlord just added central air, the rent price could increase to ensure they get a return on their investment.

Central air systems also utilize filters to provide you with cleaner air to breathe. The system circulates the air in your apartment so it doesn’t get stuffy. Window units, on the other hand, aren’t as effective at moving air or cleaning it. You might make central air a top apartment feature priority if you have dust-related allergies because it will decrease the amount of partiles you breathe. Having central air allows you (or your landlord) to install a programmable thermostat. You can essentially tell the device when to turn on your air conditioning and to what temperature. For example, you can program the thermostat to turn on your air conditioning during times when you’re home. [Dealing with No Air Conditioning] Using the device helps decrease energy costs by reducing the amount of time your air conditioning has to work. Programmable thermostats may or may not be available to you—it depends on whether each apartment has individual control. Central air systems require very little maintenance, but do gunk up over time.

Mold and mildew can form in the ducts and blow around your apartment. As long as your landlord is up to date on your air conditioning maintenance, this shouldn’t be a problem. [Tips for Reducing Indoor Humidity] However, if the landlord doesn’t regularly check the system, you could end up with allergy issues. Talk to others who live in the building before you make a decision. They’ll be able to tell you if they’ve had breathing problems as a result of poorly maintained air conditioning. Our fall ends on Friday, and we're still $5,000 short of our goal.I've been told that in the Mother Jones DC bureau last week, a debate raged over whether or not it's only crazy cat ladies who leave the air conditioner on all day for pets. I can see both sides: Sure, it's pitiful to see dogs pant and cats make themselves as flat as possible to beat the heat, especially during gnarly heat waves. And yes, it's true that pets are unable to doff their fur coats. On the other hand, their ancestors lived outside for eons before we domesticated them, so surely they must be heartier than we give them credit for.

What's more, round-the-clock AC is exorbitantly expensive and contributes significantly to climate change, as the New York Times recently reported. Because of the soaring demand for air conditioning worldwide, and because the gases emitted by modern cooling equipment are extremely potent planet warmers, scientists estimate that AC units could account for a staggering 27 percent of global warming by 2050. So is it really necessary to chill Fido all day long? I decided to call a few veterinarians to settle the argument once and for all. Dr. Helen Myers, veterinarian at the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center, had this to say in an email: When the temperature and humidity rise, it becomes crucial to keep our pets comfortable and safe. Animals cool themselves by panting, a process of exchanging warm air from their lungs for the cooler air outside. This cannot happen when it is hot and humid, which leads to increased risk for heat stress and exhaustion. Leaving the air circulating with fans or, better yet, leaving the air conditioning on will help to keep pets cool and healthy.

Thermostats should ideally be set at 78-80 degrees, an appropriate comfort level for most pets. Basements are typically cooler than the rest of the house, so if your basement is a comfortable place for your pet to be, having them spend time down there during a heat wave is also an option. Pets should also always have access to fresh water, as they can get dehydrated. Both cats and dogs are susceptible to excessive heat and humidity, but cats are more likely to control their activity so as not to add heat from muscle activity. Elderly, overweight, and pets with heart or lung diseases should be carefully watched, as they are highly susceptible to heat stroke. Pets with short muzzles like pugs, bulldogs and Persian cats are at a higher risk of becoming overheated because they cannot effectively pant. These pets should be kept in rooms with air conditioning so they can stay cool. Kimberly May, a veterinarian and spokeswoman for the American Veterinary Medicine Association, added that it's important to observe your pet and adjust the indoor temperature according to its particular needs.

"Keep an eye on your pet and see where your pet hangs out," says May. "If your dog is constantly by the AC vent, you probably shouldn't turn it off. But if you see the dog sitting in the sunlight, you might have a little more leeway." As a general rule of thumb, cats are often slightly more heat-tolerant than dogs, and for both species, the longer the fur, the more uncomfortable the animal will be in extreme heat. As for the argument that animals don't need AC since their forebears dealt with heat just fine, May doesn't buy it. "We've domesticated them and ruined all that," she says. "It's not smart to make an assumption about their needs based on their ancestors. We've changed their diets; we've changed a lot of things." A few other tips from May: You can try putting ice in your pet's water bowl, but only if your animal is comfortable with it; some cats and dogs are freaked by ice and won't drink ice water at all. Some dogs like the pricey cooling pads sold at pet stores and on the internet (this one is $79.99 on eBay) but others won't go near them.