Central 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. If you don’t think you need to cool the whole apartment, a window unit is more cost effective. While you don’t have to foot the bill to install central air in your apartment, the costs could trickle down into your rent.

If 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. 262 posts, read 495,655 times 18,512 posts, read 22,111,878 times Originally Posted by HtownLove I don't know about efficiency, but central A/C uses a lot more power overall. Saving on air conditioning & cooling - by Ask Mr. Electricity Originally Posted by AD1985 That's a BS article. IF you need 5 tons of cooling and only have 2.5 tons, then of course your bills will be higher because your unit will run constantly.

secondly, central AC isn't designed to run constantly, it is designed to cycle, and like I said before if your tonnage is lower than needed you won't get a good cycling going on.air handling unit installation thirdly, of course if you are running something that is 1440 watts constantly and running something that is 3000 watts constantly the one that is 1440 watts will obviously going to result in lower watts used. fix your own ac unitBut the author neglects the fact that central AC is not supposed to run constantly.ac window unit rental Central AC is supposed to be running less than 25% of the time, so you are supposed to divide the wattage of the central AC by at least 4. Finally, the central Ac works more efficiently, and gives a more even cooling if it is done right.

When I lived in San Antonio the house had window units in the bedroom and the living room. It had a closed layout (the kitchen opened out into the dining room through a door, which then opened up into the living room where the AC was. Every time we cooked we had to either open the kitchen door or die of heat stroke. If the house was cooled by central air, the unit would suck out the heat from the kitchen and replace that with cooled air. The window units didn't cool the kitchen one bit 26,349 posts, read 68,900,480 times 5,286 posts, read 14,859,778 times I didn't realize that a house can be cooled in extreme heat without working continuously. I'm trying to read more about how central A/C cycles on/off, do you have any good sources? no, sorry I don't , but yes even in extreme heat an AC is designed to cycle. do you know whether you are moving to a studio or some place bigger? If you get just a studio then the window unit will pull the least electricity.

Central AC is expensive to install though. It usually runs about $5000. if you are moving to a place that is humid that will be another factor as central units dehumidify the air a lot better. The best I have ever seen are the chill water systems. My first apartment had one and we had to pay in to use it. The fee ranged from 8 dollars to 12 dollars, which was great because I didn't have to worry about AC on my electric bill and normally paid about 25 bucks for electricity. Having one big chiller instead of individual units cuts down the cost dramatically.These Neighborhoods Have the Most Apartments with Central Air Conditioning By Alexandra Leon | July 28, 2016 5:18pm@alexandraaleon StreetEasy ranked the 10 coolest neighborhoods in the city by looking at those with the highest density of rental units that offer central air conditioning. NEW YORK CITY — Downtown Brooklyn is the city's coolest neighborhood — literally.  The neighborhood topped a list of areas featuring the most rental units with central air conditioning, according to StreetEasy.The real estate website pulled data from rental listings between March 31 to mid-July of this year to show which neighborhoods offered the highest density of apartments that come with central AC.►READ MORE: How to Survive a Sweltering NYC Summer Without Air Conditioning►POLL

: What's Worst Thing About Summer in NYC?►POLL: What's Your Philosophy on Air Conditioning Use?The highest number of listings with central air were in Brooklyn, with only one neighborhood in Manhattan and one in Queens making the top 10. The city’s coolest neighborhood is Downtown Brooklyn, with 43 percent of rental listings — or 303 units — offering constant cool. Stuyvesant Heights in Bed-Stuy ranked second, with 23 percent of listings (261 units) including central air conditioning. While the area is made up mainly of brownstones, a large share of units are in recently renovated multi-family homes, according to StreetEasy. New residents can usually also find a cool rent deal in this neighborhood, as the median asking rent is $2,395 per month.Hunter’s Point in Queens came in third with 22.3 percent of rentals (236 units) featuring central air. The only Queens neighborhood on the list, Hunter’s Point has seen a massive amount of development in recent years, making it a safe bet that apartment hunters will find a new, amenity-filled buildings, according to StreetEasy.Number four on the list was Bushwick, with 22 percent (570 units) including central AC.