We've seen several small-scale gadgets from the Quirky+GE partnership, but its first appliance, the Aros Smart Air Conditioner, might be its most appealing offering yet. That's not just me saying that -- with its Nest -like smarts, futuristic-looking design, and $300 price point, the Aros quickly shot up to the top of Amazon's pre-order charts soon after being announced in March. After spending some time with the Aros, I'm convinced that the buzz was justified. As air conditioners go, it performs admirably, and the design looks better than just about anything else on the market. Throw in its smart features, which include remote scheduling, geofencing, and a handy budget tracking mode, and the Aros looks like a steal at $300 -- especially when comparable, non-connected AC units sell in roughly the same price range. Amid a field of bland-looking competitors, the Aros is certainly an air conditioner that stands out. With a glossy, white build and a vivid LED display that vanishes into the face plate when not in use, the Aros looks the part of a modern smart appliance.

Still, the design isn't one that stands out too much. There's a fine line between eye-catching and ostentatious, and Quirky+GE's design team have landed on the correct side of it. For the most part, the design is a practical one, too. The touch controls on the front are intuitive and easy to use, and the upward stream of air was effective, and preferable in my eyes to one that blows straight out. It isn't a perfect build, though. The flaps on the sides of the unit which close the gap between the Aros and the window frame are essentially horizontal window shades that hook onto the unit. They look a little cleaner than the accordion-style flaps that do the job on most AC units, but unlike those other flaps, they don't create a snug, insulated fit. You'll definitely have a little bit of air leaking out (and I could even imagine bugs crawling in). If it bothers you, it's an easy fix with a bit of duct tape, but that's far from an ideal solution for such a design-centric appliance. Another important facet of the Aros' design is the noise that it makes.

Like most air conditioners, it's far from silent, with a fan that's especially audible on high settings. The compressor, on the other hand, ran incredibly quiet in my tests, with almost no audible vibrations or buzzing. I appreciated this, as the hum of the average AC unit typically bothers me a lot more than the whir of the fan. Overall, the Aros didn't seem any noisier to my ear than other air conditioners I've lived with in the past, and the team at Quirky claims that it's benchmarked at or below the noise level of comparable 8,000 BTU units. Still, if you're especially noise-conscious, and hoping that Aros would feature a noticeably quieter design than what you're used to, you might come away disappointed. Standout design aside, you'll use the Aros in much the same way you would any other air conditioner. There's a Cool mode for those especially hot days, a Fan mode for basic air circulation, and an Eco mode that alternates between the two. All three modes are capable of blasting air at low, medium, or high settings.

One basic difference between the Aros and most other modern air conditioners is that the Aros outsources all remote controls into your smartphone, with no physical remote control for the unit. That's an understandable omission, but I think I'd still prefer to have a dedicated remote for those times when my phone is charging in the other room. 15 ton ac package unitLEDs on the face of the machine will let you know what settings you're currently running, along with the current room temperature. outdoor ac unit filterThose LEDs will change to display the target temperature as you adjust it up and down, then change back to the actual temperature after a few seconds. how much for a 5 ton ac unitLeave the Aros running for a few minutes, and the LEDs will turn off for a more inconspicuous look.

Like the Pivot Power Genius , the Spotter , and the rest of the devices in the Quirky+GE family, Aros connects to your home's Wi-Fi network using the free Wink app for iOS and Android devices. I thought that Wink was one of the standout home automation apps of last year, with a playful, helpful design and easily understandable features, both of which apply to the new Aros controls. The Aros bears the same house-shaped home sensor as its Quirky cousins. Using the Wink app, you'll flash an automatic light pattern at the sensor in order to connect the Aros to your 2.4 GHz home network. I tried this out multiple times with the Aros on two different networks, and it worked perfectly each and every time. The Wink app offers basic remote controls over the Aros using a display that mimics the face of the machine itself. Each and every control located on the Aros is also located within the app, so whether you want to adjust the target temperature, change cooling modes, or just turn the machine on or off, you'll be able to do it from your phone.

You'll also find access to the Aros' smart features within the Wink app. Most notable among these is Smart Away, which uses geofencing-based presence detection to track when you're home and when you aren't -- and turn the Aros on and off accordingly.SEER is one measure of how efficiently a cooling system keeps you comfortable. SEER, short for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, is a metric representing the energy efficiency of air conditioning units. Adopted in 1979 and now prominently displayed on the Department of Energy’s yellow EnergyGuide sticker attached to all new air-conditioning units, the SEER rating provides an at-a-glance means for consumers to comparison shop among different makes and models of cooling systems. SEER calculates the amount of heat energy extracted from a home in BTUs divided by the kilowatt hours of electricity consumed. Units are tested in a range of outdoor temperatures from 67 degrees Fahrenheit to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, and results are averaged over the 1,000 operating hours considered to be typical for a 125-day annual cooling season.

The higher the resultant SEER numeral, the more energy-efficient the cooling function of the unit. Central Air Conditioning When SEER was adopted, the average rating for a central air conditioner was SEER 6. In the decades since, air conditioning technology steadily advanced, energy conservation consciousness rose, and the SEER minimum requirements were revised. In 1992, federal law mandated a minimum SEER rating of at least 10 for all central air-conditioning units sold in the U.S. In a revision issued in 2006, the minimum SEER rating was upped to 13. Central air conditioners with a SEER 13 rating are considered standard efficiency units, while those with SEER 14 or above are classified as high-efficiency. The ratings for high-efficiency central air conditioners top out around SEER 23. Heat Pumps A heat pump provides both cooling and heating. When operating in cooling mode, heat pump efficiency is rated by the SEER scale. As with central air, the same federal minimum SEER 13 applies to all heat pumps sold in the United States, and heat pumps with cooling modes rated as high as SEER 24 are available.

Efficiency of the heating function in a heat pump is rated by the HSPF, short for Heating System Performance Factor. Generally speaking, heat pumps with high SEER ratings will also have high HSPF ratings. Ductless Mini-Splits Ductless mini-splits use heat pump technology to condition individual rooms without ducts. The indoor component of a ductless mini-split system includes a compact wall-mounted air handler containing a coil and blower fan. The handler is connected by two refrigerant lines that extend through an exterior wall to an outdoor housing that holds the compressor and outdoor coil. A single outdoor unit can serve up to four indoor air handlers in individual rooms. Unlike a central air-conditioning system where one air handler accomodates the entire house and disperses cool air through ductwork, ductless mini-splits typically offer the highest available SEER, with SEER ratings as high as 26. Window Air Conditioners Window air conditioners are rated by a more simplified variant of SEER called EER, short for Energy Efficiency Ratio.