We have to buy a window unit for our house. We have Central AC but it’s not keeping up and we can’t afford to upsize it right now. So until then I’m researching which window units to buy. Any advice or anything to cut through all the marketing spam and AI copy that I have to wade thru?
Yeah for new installs but service for the existing unit might be like $200 for a cleaning and it’s certainly going to be cheaper to run in the long run
Window units are built to fail, are mold prone, use an excessive amount of electricity comparatively (even the newer inverter ones) and a higher risk of injuring a person or damaging the building. Also their smart features often entice people to install apps that track you to sell to advertisers. So not only are you buying an inferior product but they’re also capitalizing of spying on you.
(tl/dr: fuck Frigidaire lol)
No, it’s not necessarily.
From an electricity usage standpoint, it’s cheaper to inefficiently cool one room than it is to efficiently cool a whole house.
Cleaning it also may solve nothing, it’s $200 on a chance of it solving the problem. If cleanliness wasn’t the issue, then you just wasted $200. On the flip side, you can find a used window AC for $200 easily, or buy a new one for $400 and then sell it when you’re done with it and get $200 back, and it is guaranteed to solve your problem assuming you’re concerned with a specific room.
I didn’t say cleaning would solve it. I said that a service tech should look at it and it was possibly a simple fix.
Also window units will have to fight against the rest of the house being warm. Interior walls are seldom insulated, warm air drafts in around the unit and around doors. A window unit in one room could cost as much as a dedicated unit for the whole house, as it has to work harder to maintain the desired cooling.
You said servicing the central AC will certainly be cheaper in the long run. That’s wrong.
It might be, but it depends on a lot of other factors.
You seem to be biased against window ACs for some reason, and seem hell bent on misinforming people about them.
Decent modern window ACs will have a higher baseline efficiency than older full house units, and cool just the room you want. Conduction losses through the wall are minimal compared to trying to to cool literally 10x as much space. They are incredibly easy to DIY, and cost $500 up front, but you’ll get half that back when you sell it when you’re done with it. Literally the same price as the AC tech who’s gonna come out and say that you need to install more return ducts, insulation, or another unit to keep up with the increased average outdoor temperature.
Like literally everything else, some are built cheaply, some are built well. Look up reviews before you buy.