4 ways to cool your home

Source: Best Health Magazine, Summer 2009; Photo: Masterfile

We count the days until summer arrives, but when we’re blasted by furnace-like temperatures it’s no wonder we get hot and bothered. So Best Health put together a guide of your options for keeping your family cool when the mercury soars. It includes each one’s eco-friendliness, too’after all, we all want to save money when it comes to cooling our homes, but it would be so last century to do it at the expense of the environment.

1. Central air conditioners

How they work
The most commonly used system, called ‘split,’ consists of an outdoor unit with condenser and compressor, and an indoor unit with an evaporator coil located near your furnace. This system transfers heat from inside your home to the outdoors, leaving cooled air to be circulated through your ductwork.

Who they’re best for
They suit people with large homes who want the whole house cooled, and those with allergies. Air conditioners may help alleviate allergy symptoms because they dehumidify the air.

Cost
To install a split system with a minimum SEER of 14.5 to cool a 2,000-square-foot house, expect to pay between $2,800 and $3,200. (Air conditioners are assigned a seasonal energy efficiency ratio’SEER’which describes how much cooling the unit delivers for each watt of electricity used.)

Installation
Make sure you hire a qualified contractor, who will consider factors like your home’s size, air flow and rooms that are warmer or colder than the rest of the house and ensure the right-sized unit is installed. (If too small it won’t effectively cool your home; if too large, the unit will cycle on and off too frequently, resulting in added expense, uneven cooling and too short a running period to remove humidity from the air.)

Maintenance
An annual air conditioning tune-up/cleaning by a certified technician costs from $80 to $130. Francis Dietz, vice president of public affairs for the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, stresses the importance of ensuring your filter is regularly cleaned and changed.

Environment watch
Although split-system air conditioners do use a lot of energy, in terms of the refrigerant used they’re more environmentally friendly than they were when they relied on ozone-depleting CFCs (production of which was stopped in 1996). Today the refrigerant R-410A is the gold standard, while R-22 is being phased out in new equipment after 2010. The most energy-efficient products display the international Energy Star symbol. To qualify, a split-system air conditioner must have a minimum SEER of 14.5.

Good to know
Adding a zone control system allows you to cool only rooms that need it. Mark Giannousopoulos, president of G Force Air Inc. in Mississauga, Ont., also suggests purchasing a hybrid air conditioner with a heat pump, which can be used for heating in shoulder seasons; temperatures must be above zero. (If you’re building a home, a geothermal heat pump may be for you. It heats and cools your home using energy from the sun that is stored in the earth or groundwater.)

2. Ductless air conditioners

How they work
Like a split-system air conditioner, the ductless unit has an outdoor condenser. But instead of using ductwork, this system delivers cool air through one or several independently controlled indoor air-handling units, mounted high up on the walls or the ceiling. Ductless air conditioners also lessen humidity in the air.

Who they’re best for
Ductless systems are a good option for people who want central air conditioning but whose homes don’t have ductwork.

Cost
A unit with several indoor air-dispersing units will set you back $4,900 to $5,500. If you’re installing only a single indoor unit of 9,000 to 12,000 BTU (for example, to cool a loft or the upper floor of a home), expect to pay $2,900 to $3,300.

Installation
As no ductwork is involved, hooking up this system is relatively quick and easy for a contractor. It involves drilling a small hole through an exterior wall or ceiling and mounting the air-handling units indoors on the walls or from the ceiling. These are connected to a small outdoor condenser unit by refrigerant lines.

Maintenance
It’s important that a ductless air conditioner’s filter is clean so air flow isn’t disrupted, and that the condenser in the outdoor unit is kept clear of debris. Yearly tune-ups cost approximately the same as or a little more than for split-systems.

Environment watch
Giannousopoulos says ductless is more efficient than central because ‘you’re cooling the house the way it should be cooled, from the top down rather than from the basement up.’ (Cool air is heavy and therefore falls down.) Also, by cooling the air to the specific requirements of each room (the bedrooms at night, for instance), you use less energy. But if you don’t have a sufficient number of units placed throughout the house, you may find some rooms don’t get cool enough. Ductless systems with a minimum SEER of 14.5 can display the Energy Star symbol.

Good to know
These air conditioners come in cooling-only models and models with heat pumps. The latter can be used to heat your home until the temperature drops below ’15°C.

3. Window air conditioners

How they work
Window units pull heat from your home to the outdoors. The compressor sends cooled refrigerant through coils. As warm air is forced over the coils, it’s cooled off and humidity is reduced.

Who they’re best for
These are a more economical choice than central air for those with smaller areas to cool, such as one or two rooms.

Cost
A window unit will cost between $200 and $600 depending on size, EER (energy efficiency rating, a measure of how efficient a unit is when the outdoor temperature is at a specific level) and options. Features include timers and remote controls. (Portable units are another option; they can be moved from room to room and aren’t installed in a window. They range from $400 to $600.)

Installation
Installing a window air conditioner is relatively easy, but may require more than one person if it’s heavy. The unit is held in position with brackets and its weight is carried on the windowsill. Position it on a slight downward slope so that condensation will drain properly.

Maintenance
Window unit filters should be cleaned once every season as dirty filters reduce air flow and can damage the unit. Filters can be purchased for under $10. Make sure the condenser is kept free of debris (such as leaves). Removing the unit at the end of the season and storing it indoors will help it last longer and prevents heat from escaping during the winter. At the very least, protect the unit in winter with an air conditioner cover (vinyl covers cost about $10).

Environment watch
According to Natural Resources Canada, makers of air conditioning systems of any kind in Canada and the United States must use refrigerants that meet increasingly strict environmental standards. Also, according to Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE), if you replace an older model with a new Energy Star unit, it will use up to 30 to 40 percent less energy. But never send an old unit to the landfill; call your municipality about proper disposal. The minimum EER to qualify a unit as Energy Star is 10.7 for a small room air conditioner, 10.8 for a mid-sized model and 9.4 for larger units.

Good to know
Choose the right-sized window unit. A formula is available on Natural Resources Canada’s OEE website.

4. Ceiling fans

How they work
Fans cool people, not rooms (so turn them off when you’re not there), and they won’t remove humidity from the air. In the summer, ensure that your ceiling fan is rotating in the counter-clockwise direction, which pulls heat up and produces a wind-chill effect.

Who they’re best for
Ceiling fans are a great option for people who don’t want to spend money on an air conditioner and for those who want to reduce their energy consumption.

Cost
They can be found for as little as $20 and as much as $500. More expensive models boast features such as lights, a remote control to operate the fan and lights, and an angled mounting option for sloped ceilings.

Installation
If you have concerns about hooking up the ceiling fan’s wiring or whether the electric box in your ceiling can support the weight of the fan, you may want to hire an electrician (Best Health was quoted anywhere from $70 to $250 for professional installation, so shop around). If you install it yourself, make sure the fan’s blades are at least 12 inches from the ceiling and 24 inches from the wall. Ceiling fans work best when seven to nine feet above the floor.

Maintenance
Dust regularly.

Environment watch
This choice uses far less energy than air conditioners and doesn’t require refrigerants to function. The U.S. Department of Energy says that using a ceiling fan in conjunction with air conditioning will allow you to raise the thermostat setting two degrees with no reduction in comfort. And according to the OEE, Energy Star-qualified ceiling fans are up to 20 percent more efficient at moving air than the standard option.

Good to know
Consumer Reports finds that fans with large blades that have ridges or other surface texture make more noise when on high than fans that have smooth blades. For rooms that are 144 to 225 square feet, a 42- to 44-inch fan is recommended. For rooms from 225 to 400 square feet, a 52-inch fan is your best option.

This article was originally titled "Keep Your Cool," in the Summer 2009 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!’and make sure to check out what’s new in the latest issue of Best Health.