Home Improvement Editorial

Archive for the ‘Appliances’ Category

Portable air conditioners have become very popular in recent years. Many people use them even if they have a central system because portable A/C can provide excellent cooling for a significantly lower cost. Find out about the pros and cons of a mobile A/C unit and if one could work for you.

A portable air conditioner is a self contained unit, usually about 30 inches tall and about 80 pounds in weight. The best thing is that it doesn’t require any installation: it stands on the floor and you don’t have to fit it in your window or your wall. Most mobile A/C units have little wheels, so you can easily move them around.

Portable A/C pros:

- you can move your portable unit from room to room, so there is no need to buy a window-mounted air conditioner for each room
- you don’t have to block your window or make holes in your wall – a portable air conditioner is ready to use as soon as you unpack it
- using a mobile air conditioner to cool only one room instead of switching on a central system saves you a lot on energy bills

Portable air conditioner cons:

- a portable unit costs slightly more than a window air conditioner with a similar cooling capacity
- comparable to central air conditioning and mini-split systems (where the compressor is outside), portable A/C is loud. If noise is an issue, look at the reviews of several portable units and select the one that makes the least noise.

Is portable A/C effective in cooling large rooms?

That depends on the size of your unit. Small portable units with cooling capacities of about 8000 BTU are perfect for a 300 sq. foot room, while larger 24000 BTU air conditioners can effectively cool a 1000 sq. foot room. So, as you can see, a properly sized mobile air conditioner can do a good job even in a very large room. However, you should know that larger doesn’t necessarily mean better. An air conditioner that is too large will consume more energy and won’t cool your room effectively, because it will stop and start constantly.

Portable air conditioner energy efficiency.

Everybody knows that air conditioners chew a lot of energy, so energy efficiency is a big issue. However, recent developments in technology allow manufacturers to produce very efficient air conditioners. A few years ago an EER (energy efficiency ratio) of 6 or 7 was considered good. Now the standard is 12 or higher.

Modern portable air conditioners are as energy efficient as window or mini split units. To select the most efficient air conditioner, look at its EER – the higher, the better. Also choose a unit with an Energy Star. The Energy Star means that an air conditioner meets energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

How affordable is a mobile air conditioner?

You might be surprised to learn that portable A/C is not too expensive. The prices have gone down significantly, in recent years, and now you can buy a good unit from around $300. Of course, air conditioners with a larger cooling capacity cost more, and so do those with higher energy efficiency ratings. However, when it comes to paying more for a more efficient unit, you actually save money because your energy bill will be lower.

To conclude, if you don’t have air conditioning and don’t feel like investing in a central system, a portable air conditioner can be a great alternative. And if you have a central A/C, it’s still a good idea to have a portable unit for cooling just the room you are in, instead of the entire house. It can significantly reduce your bills.

Do you know that, in summer, the average American family pays about 40% of their energy bill for air conditioning of the house? But it doesn’t have to be this way, Use these simple tips to help you keep your house cool and significantly reduce your energy bills during the hot months.

1. If you need to cool only one room, don’t use your central air conditioning. Invest in a portable air conditioner, instead. Modern portable units have a very high energy efficiency rating, so it will cool your room effectively and save you a lot.

2. Install mini-blinds or white window shades. Mini-blinds can be very effective and can reduce heat gain from direct sunlight by 40-50 percent. You can also hang bamboo shades or tightly woven screens outside your windows. This will stop up to 80 percent of the sun’s heat from getting through your windows.

3. Keep all windows closed during the day. At night you can open them for ventilation and switch on a fan instead of an air conditioner.

4. If you are using a mini split air conditioner, make sure that the outside compressor is well shaded. However, trees and shrubs shouldn’t be planted right next to it; it needs some room for air flow.

5. It is best to clean your air conditioner filter at least once a month. Dust build-ups can significantly reduce air flow.

6. When buying an air conditioner unit, make sure that it is the right size for your room. A unit that is too small will not cool your room effectively, and an A/C that is too large will consume much more energy than necessary. See recommendations for proper air conditioner sizes for your room.

7. If you use central air conditioning, seal all A/C ducts. Insulate ducts that run through rooms that don’t need cooling, like the basement or the attic.

8. If your air conditioner is old, consider replacing it with a modern high efficiency unit. Older A/C systems have a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) of only 6 or 7, while the best air conditioners on the market today offer SEER as high as 13. That means that it will consume almost 50% less energy.

9. Cooking, drying cloth or dishwashing generates a lot of heat. Try to delay these activities until the evening, when it gets cooler.

Most people just switch their air conditioners on and set the desired temperature. This will cool your room, of course, but it will cost you, too. Furthermore, excessive energy consumption is not environmentally friendly, so by following our simple advice you could not only save on your bills, but you could also help to reduce pollution in your area.

Often, when buying, we are led by what we see and we often ignore or do not pay enough attention to functional and practical aspect that should have these products. While not seem as important in principle, it is, because having a place in home appliance and occupy very little use is not helpful to anyone.

Thus, these tips are very well to take into account when deciding to purchase and find the different options available in the market of small appliances:

Plates:
Here it is better to consider the type and amount of iron your clothes regularly. The dry plates are the best option for people with few simple garments. The steam irons when using different genres and apparel for special garments as it facilitates the wrinkles removed. There are different models depending on the amount of steam generated. Many Steam irons have a button for cleaning the ducts called self-cleaning, removing debris that are usually calcareous in the plate.

Fans:
Make it as quiet as possible. That has at least 3 speed. That the plot of the grid is quite small so that children can not access the propeller. In what may be rotating to cover more area and if the model allows, you can tack to the wall.

When taking care of our family, what better way to provide fresh air, clean and pure breathing, at least at home, a place we can control. This Sharp has launched two new air purifiers. This is the KC-C100U and KC-C150U, two products that combine great features and functions to improve the air we breathe.

Is that both teams combine three technologies to clean and freshen the air. To do this, Sharp’s products use a triple filtration system consisting of a pre filter that traps dust and other larger particles, the second is a carbon filter that is responsible for the absorption of odors and, finally , a filter that has an antimicrobial coating that eliminates 99.97% of particles that ultimately passed the first filter. This will tell you goodbye to bacteria, mites, germs and mold, among other things.

In addition, the purifiers have Plasmacluster technology that takes care of humidification, generating 50% more moisture in dry environments. But this is not everything, since both products work quietly and feature a stylish design. Thus, the model KC-C100U can cover less area and is priced at $ 399.99, while the KC-C150U covers a broader area and can be purchased for $ 499.99. Now yes, clean air, clean air, moist air in our own home … you may.