How to buy an air conditioner

It’s HOT and you blew it by ignoring my advice to buy an air conditioner during the winter. Before you make an impulse buy, do a bit of mathematics for best results.

The first thing you need to do is measure the space that you want to cool. You need to know the square footage, which is easy to figure out. Just measure the floor. Measure in one direction and then measure in the other direction. Then multiply the two numbers. Ta-da! Square footage.

Now take your square footage and multiply that by 35. That will give you a general idea of what SIZE air conditioner to buy. That doesn’t mean how big in inches. It means how big in BTUs – British Thermal Units.

Every window air conditioner has a cooling capacity number that ranges from about 5,000 to 18,000 BTUs. (Larger systems are usually rated in tons of cooling with a ton being equal to 12,000 BTUs.) The higher the BTU value, the stronger the air conditioner is. BTUs determine how much cooling the unit can deliver in an hour. Too little BTUs and you won’t get cooled off. Too many BTUs and you will waste energy and MONEY – yikes!

For those of you living in high humidity areas here is a bit more insight: Many people buy an air conditioner that is too large, thinking it will provider better cooling. However, an over-sized air conditioner is actually less effective — and wastes energy at the same time. Air conditioners remove both heat and humidity from the air. If the unit is too large, it will cool the room quickly, but only remove some of the humidity. This leaves the room with a damp, clammy feeling. A properly sized unit will remove humidity effectively as it cools.

Once you determine your BTU need (square footage multiplied by 35), make sure that you make adjustments for room location and heat load:

* If the room is shaded, reduce the BTUs by 10%
* If the room is very sunny, increase the BTUs by 10%
* If the air conditioner is in the kitchen, add 4,000 BTUs
* If the room is going to be occupied by more than 2 people most of the time, add 600 BTUs per person

Another thing to consider is EER, which stands for Energy Efficiency Ratio.” Air conditioners’ EERs usually range from 8.2 to 10.5. The higher the number, the more efficient the machine and the more expensive to buy, but cheaper to operate. It’s a numbers game.

OK, so now that you know what size air conditioner you need, look on Craigslist. If you can’t find what you are looking for there, check out one of the big box warehouse stores like Sam’s Club, Costco, or BJ’s. They have competitive prices and their return policies are fabulous. Don’t buy an air conditioner online because the shipping cost will be enormous.

When installing your window air conditioner, use a window that is in the shade. Ensure that there is space around the inside and outside for air flow. In other words, don’t put the air condition up against the back of your couch or right up against a bush outside. Insulate where the window and air conditioner meet to make sure there is no air leakage around the unit and the window. Make sure that you clean the filters on a regular basis as this will increase the efficiency and life of your air conditioner.

OK, those are my tips. Good luck and stay cool.

Save Money on your Air Conditioning Tip #1

Most people don't pay any attention to their air conditioning system until it isn't working. If you want to save money, you need to pay attention to your system when it IS working.

In order to know when your air conditioner is not working normally; you need to pay attention to it when it IS working well. Only then will you know what "normal" is.

Here are several easy steps you can do so you have a baseline for your system:

1. Listen to your air conditioner. Notice what it sounds like when it is running. Listen to how it sounds when it turns on and off.

2. Time your system. How long is it on and how long is it off. Notice how the timing changes based on the "heat load." Heat load is not just how hot it is outside. Heat load can also be affected by running major appliances (especially the oven) and how many people are in the house.

3. Discover where your air conditioning system drains off the water created by running an air conditioner (condensate water.) If your house is cool and it is hot outside, the system will be creating water that will be draining off. If you don't see the condensate coming out where it normally does, then it is coming out someplace where you don't want it to come out.

4. Put your hand over the unit (about a foot above the fan) while it is running. How warm is the air that is coming out? It should be warm, not cool.

If you pay attention to the above four items, then you will notice if there is a change or not.

As with any repair, early detection reduces the damage and therefore the cost of returning your system to normal operation.

How to buy a window air conditioner

Someone recently wrote to me asking where to get a good window air conditioner at a great price. Because this is an excellent question and an item that you can pay WAY too much for, I thought I best share my answer with my readers.

When I lived in New England (where the winters are cold and the summers are hot and humid), I bought all my window air conditioners second-hand at yard sales at the beginning of winter. I usually paid about $20 and they worked great. The same air conditioner at a yard sale at the beginning of summer would cost about $60. At a store, the same a/c would cost at least $200. Need I say more?

If you don't live in an area that has drastically defined seasons, I suggest that you check out Craigslist.com and get yourself a great deal on a second-hand air conditioning unit. Try to do this in the coldest part of the year, but Craigslist is awesome anytime of the year. If you don't know what Craigslist is, then read about it in my earlier blog entry.

Before you rush off on your bargain buying spree, this treasure hunt requires a bit of research and mathematics prior to embarking on the expedition for best hunting results.

The first thing you need to do is measure the space that you want to cool. You need to know the square footage. It's easy to figure out. Just measure the floor. Measure in one direction and then measure in the other direction. Then multiply the two numbers. Ta-da! Square footage.

Now take your square footage and multiply that by 35. That will give you a general idea of what SIZE air conditioner to buy. That doesn't mean how big in inches... it means how big in BTUs - British Thermal Units.

Every window air conditioner has a cooling capacity number that ranges from about 5,000 to 18,000 BTUs. (Larger systems are usually rated in Tons of cooling with a Ton being equal to 12,000 BTUs.) The higher the BTU value, the stronger the air conditioner is. BTUs determine how much cooling the unit can deliver in an hour. Too little BTUs and you won't get cooled off.... too many BTUs and you will waste energy and MONEY (yikes!)

(For those of you living in areas that actually have humidity here is a bit more insight: Many people buy an air conditioner that is too large, thinking it will provider better cooling. However, an oversized air conditioner is actually less effective — and wastes energy at the same time. Air conditioners remove both heat and humidity from the air. If the unit is too large, it will cool the room quickly, but only remove some of the humidity. This leaves the room with a damp, clammy feeling. A properly sized unit will remove humidity effectively as it cools.)

Once you determine BTUs based on square footage (multiplied by 35), make sure that you make adjustments for room location and heat load.

If the room is shaded, reduce the BTUs by 10%
If the room is very sunny, increase the BTUs by 10%
If the air conditioner is in the kitchen, add 4,000 BTUs
If the room is going to be occupied by more than 2 people (most of the time), add 600 BTUs per person.

Another thing to consider is EER. "EER" stands for "Energy Efficiency Ratio." Air conditioners' EERs usually range from 8.2 to 10.5. The higher the number, the more efficiency... and more expensive to buy... but cheaper to operate. It's a numbers game.

When installing your window air conditioner, use a window that is in the shade. Ensure that there is space around the inside and outside for air flow. In other words, don't put the air condition up against the back of your couch or right up against a bush outside. Insulate where the window and air conditioner meet to make sure there is no air leakage around the unit and the window. Make sure that you clean the filters on a regular basis as this will increase the efficiency and life of your air conditioner.

OK... those are my tips. Good luck and stay cool.

Timing is Everything - knowing when to buy what

OK, bargain hunters, here is today's lesson:

Timing is everything... you've heard this before. It holds true in many areas of life, and it certainly holds true in bargain hunting.

Here's a great example.

You need an air conditioner. You REALLY need the air conditioner in the middle of a blazing heat wave in the middle of the summer. Imagine what a window air conditioner will cost when the weather outside is above 100 degrees. IF you can even find one to buy...

Now, think SNOW... think FREEZING... think hats and gloves, sweaters and snow boots (you folks in Southern California, think... long sleeved shirts). What do you think an air conditioner will cost during this weather? BIG difference!

This difference even holds true at Yard Sales (my favorite shopping place). During the hot months an air conditioner will be snapped up at a Yard Sale. During cold weather, that same air conditioner will go for almost nothing.

Why? Don't know. Maybe people forget that it will ever get warm again. Maybe the person selling the item doesn't think of it as having any value. But, I tell you... this is TRUTH!!

Yes, yes, yes... I know that there are SALES during "the season." But, I hardly ever find REAL bargains during a "Season Sale." There ARE bargains to be had during the "End of Season Sale." I just bought a fireplace grate at Home Depot for $2.50... it retailed last month for $18.95.

So, when it is cold, buy things for warm weather.... air conditioners, pool supplies, bathing suits, patio furniture, bar-b-ques, etc.

When it is warm/hot, buy things for cold weather ... space heaters, winter coats, flannel pajamas, ski equipment, etc.

And of course.... when to buy Christmas decorations? The day after Christmas, of course.

As always, let me know your bargain finds. You can email me at: Bobbisbargains@hotmail.com