[quote=FlyerInHi]when I bought my house in vegas, the AC was not working in July. So I setup an window AC for a few days until I could have the AC repaired (needed a capacitor).
That first month, the bill was more than other months with central AC.
I did some research. It has to do with the SEER rating and how well insulated the house is.
If you want to cool just one room, you might consider a mini ductless unit (one of these you hang on the wall and the compressor is outside).
Minimum standards are pretty much what builders put in.
Older than 1992 SEER 5 or 6 (Super Energy hog)
1992 SEER 10 (energy hog)
2006 SEER 13 (30% more efficient)
2015 SEER 14
those are manufacture dates. But your house might have older AC units already produced when the house was built.
I’ve looked at houses being built in San Diego over the years. Most new houses have only fiberglass insulation. Few have radiant heat barriers.[/quote]
Thanks for the info everyone…
I was actually only looking at the dual hose/exhaust models where you draw in air from the outside, and also push it back outside to keep the air equilibrium I guess. My house is from 2009 so I’d assume the insulation is decent.
As this is for the office where I literally spend 18 hours a day, it gets hotter than the rest of the house since all the office/computer equipment (printers, multiple monitors, storage devices) as well as people constantly being in the room. It just gets noticeably hotter compared to any other room in the house.
I know the portable types aren’t as efficient as the window models, but I don’t really want a window one since it’s probably not even allowed in my HOA and I don’t really want something sticking out of the window.
The room isn’t too big (maybe should get one rated to 200 sqft due to extra equipment generating a lot of heat) and I probably wouldn’t need a huge one, but most models seem bigger than that for dual exhaust models and if they also have a heater and dehumidifier.
I was considering something like this which is overkill, but the prices seem to be around this range anyways for dual exhaust and the features I want (have it auto expel water, etc…):
Would be very open to smaller units with similar features (probably save more power too).
As this is also sitting in the office permanently, it would also be a business expense.
Just wanted to hear more if anyone has tried one of these.
Running the central air is ok, but I’d assume if I only need 1 room cooler than the others for most of the day and night, this would still be cheaper to run for most summer days.
