Hot and sticky British summers can be a pain, especially if you work in an office with very few windows or no airflow. Modern air conditioners can make life a whole lot easier all round. Portable or static, they can cool down a room in minutes and are perfect for both home and work.

Portable & Basic Air Cooling

The basic models of air conditioners are usually the portable kind with casters fixed to the base for ease of movement. These are generally known as 'single unit' models. The least expensive of these work by evaporating water and/or melting ice, which is poured into an aperture in the top of the machine. Lightweight and versatile, they're usually equipped with a four-option capability: cooling, venting, humidifying and ionising. There is often no external ducting required for these basic machines, making them even more portable, however, they do have their limitations in that they are only really meant for small rooms and confined spaces.

Single Air Conditioning Units

Completely self-contained, these units are fitted with a hose similar to that found on a tumble drier, which needs to be vented through a window. Easy to set up, these single units have an integral tank, which collects moisture from the surrounding air and must be periodically emptied. Most of these units are air-cooled, but some also use water as well to cool the incoming warm air. These configurations have a built-in water tank, which will need to be filled up regularly.

Central Split System Condtioing

Split System machines work in a similar way to single units except the water that has been extracted from the warm atmosphere entering the machine is separated off into a condenser box. The condenser box itself is usually positioned on the outside of the building and is connected to the main unit via refrigerated lines; these systems are more controllable and more effective for larger areas.

Cooler Room Air Conditioning

'Cool' is measured in BTU or British Thermal Units to you and me! Before you purchase a unit, it's useful to remember as a rule of thumb that you will need about 4 BTU per cubic foot in order to cool a room. With this in mind, it's always an idea to roughly calculate the area of the largest room you'll be cooling and use that as a guide.

Many other factors will influence the equation of course, namely windows, office and domestic equipment and, of course, number of people. All quality air-conditioners will have a recommended room size printed on them so you can make your judgement on models before you buy. Remember, though, that it may sometimes be more cost effective to buy two machines for a very large space than one. Machines with the highest BTU rating are likely to be the most expensive.

Air Conditioning Operation Costs

Split-system units are usually slightly more to run than single unit designs but then again, they are more powerful. If you look at an output of 1KW per hour for the single unit with 1.4KW for the split-system design you'll be in the right ballpark.

Air Conditioner Filters

There's a choice here. All air filters have some form of integral are-filter but the further you go up the scale the more efficient the filtration becomes. Higher quality models are often fitted with filters that clean the air as they cool it, while some filters will destroy potentially harmful bacteria, making the air purer. This is of significant benefit to people suffering with allergies.

Air Control Units

A unit's output in terms of how fast it can blow the cooled air is measured in CFM meaning, Cubic Feet per Minute. Many models give two settings so you can adjust your output depending on the conditions.

Quality air-conditioners these days often come with a remote control so you can adjust the machine without leaving the comfort of your seat, couch or bed! Many machines also have a timer and sleep setting so you can set the unit to fit in with your routine. Although modern machines are quiet, always ask about the decibel output of a machine before you purchase.

Disclaimer – it should be emphasised that these articles on Air Conditioners are for advice only, and we recommend that you read the instruction manual fully before using and maintaining any product.