When I wrote about the staid state of window air conditioner units a few years ago, I was surprised to find that it resonated with many readers everywhere. In spite of the superiority of central air, tons of people still have to manage with self-installable window units which, as I wrote, had not changed in decades. To me, this is one of the enduring mysteries of contemporary industrial design, which has over the past twenty years sought to reinvent, redesign or elevate out of commodity status almost every object in the home, from vacuum cleaners to thermostats to toaster ovens. The closest thing to innovation that the AC market seems to have produced is so-called ductless air conditioning, but those units don’t address the problem that most Westerners want to solve with window units: cool a room with a machine that costs less than US$1,000. This widespread general interest bears out in the Kickstarter campaign for Noria, a new project that aims to “redefine” window air conditioners.

With just over a week left to go, the project has already raised nearly three times its funding goal. That’s a clear sign that it addresses a real need in the market. Noria claims to be less than six inches tall and forty percent smaller than standard units. This allows it to be stored and installed easily (the video demonstrates the process, and it looks like a revelation in terms of ease of use). Critically, this also means that when it sits in the window it does not block the view, a huge humanistic benefit that should not be underestimated. It seems like a huge improvement over standard units, of course, but it appears to be miles ahead of other recent, similar attempts like Quirky’s Aros air conditioner too. I hope that when it ships it lives up to all this amazing promise. While some residence halls offer central air conditioning (Baker/Klipple, Palmer/Davidson, Painter/Whitcraft, Park, DeHority, Kinghorn, Studebaker East, Johnson A), we understand that some students with medical needs may require air conditioning in buildings without central air.

For this reason, students with written authorization from the Office of Housing and Residence Life may rent air conditioners for their residence hall rooms. The yearly rental fee is $150, which includes installation, and your bursar's account will be charged in September for the yearly rental fee. (Sorry, air conditioning units cannot be installed in Elliott Hall's casement windows.)(Please do not bring a roll away or freestanding air conditioning unit for your room. what is the price of an ac unitPlan to request an air conditioner from our office and follow the established program.) correct size ac unit for houseRequesting an air conditioner is a four-step process: Complete a Student Request for Air Conditioner form. central ac units on sale

Take Medical Verification Form to your appropriate licensed health care professional to complete. (Sorry, we're unable to accept a prescription from the physician, and a physician must complete the form in its entirety.) Mail or fax the completed Student Request Form and completed Medical Verification Form from a licensed physician to the following address: Director Ball State University Housing and Residence Life LaFollette Complex, Room N-10 Muncie, IN 47306 Fax: 765-285-3743 After your information is received and reviewed, you will be asked to sign a contract from our office.As part of the accommodation process, you may be interviewed. Remember, a request for an accommodation will not be considered without current medical verification of the medical condition and necessity of requested accommodations. Contact our office for copies of both forms and for additional information, or download the student request and medical verification forms (requires Adobe Acrobat). Once the forms are received, a review of the information will be made, and our office will respond as soon as possible.