Choose Green Report: Room Air Conditioning

Summer 1999

Get out your calculators for this equation-laden look at room air conditioners and packaged terminal air conditioners. Determine the cooling capacity you need. Calculate the energy use with your current air conditioner as well as the possible savings with a higher-efficiency model. Green Seal defines the standard Energy Efficiency Ratio and provides its own efficiency guidelines. It also explains how to factor in the air conditioner’s efficiency in dehumidifying the air using the Sensible Heat Ratio. Green Seal recommends 31 room air conditioners and 24 packaged terminal air conditioners and provides the phone numbers of their six manufacturers. Finally, if you need some spice for your report to upper management, the issue features a neat full-page graphic and description of how a room air conditioner works. Cool!