Before we discuss where it is best to position your air conditioner you should know that your air conditioner will account for about 27% of your electric bill when you use it. Knowing that you will be paying a premium for using your air conditioner should encourage you to take certain steps to make sure that your air conditioner is positioned in a prime location.

There are better places to position an air conditioner than others; you want to get the most out of your air conditioner unit so positioning in the best possible place is very important. 

The right position for your air conditioner  is very important for a couple of reasons; 

• The first and most obvious is because it will make your unit more efficient which ultimately will save you money. If your unit is placed properly it will not have to work as hard to cool the space of course less work for the unit means less energy burned. 

• The second reason is simple comfort. The idea of having an air conditioner is to make your indoor climate more comfortable if your air conditioner is properly positioned than your space will feel more comfortable more quickly! 

The Good locations for your Air Conditioner

1. You want to place your air conditioner in an area where the natural air flow of the space is going to work with the air conditioner not against it. In other words if your air conditioner is facing an often used door than it has to work twice as hard each time the door opens.
2. If you are using a window unit a good way to get more out of your air conditioner by simple placement is to put the unit in a shaded window or to build a shade for it if it is placed in the sun.  A window unit that is shaded can run 30% less electricity to cool down a space compared to a unit that is placed in a sunny location.
3. Place your unit where the air flow can move about freely. In other words do not install your unit behind a piece of furniture and don't block it with anything in front of it. It is imperative that an air conditioning unit is able to have a free flow of air surrounding it. If you block the air exchange you can actually burn out your unit rather quickly.
4. You need a power source so you will need to mount your AC where there is an outlet. It is best NOT to run extension cords to your AC.
5. Portable units (not window units) will work best if they are as close to the centre of the room as possible. If it is a vented model than you will be limited by the ability to place the vent pipe out a window.  Placing these units toward the centre of the room can help to radiate the cooling effects.
6. Rooms with ceiling fans are also a great place to position and air conditioner because the ceiling fan will help to circulate the air in the room AND make you feel overall cooler which can result if you relying less on your air conditioner.

The Poor locations for your AC Unit

Any place near an appliance that generates heat is not a good place to position your air conditioner. When you position your air conditioner near a heat generating device like a stove or a hot water heater you are really requiring that the machine fights an uphill battle.  

Your air conditioner has an internal thermostat that is supposed to shut the air conditioner off when the space reaches a certain temperature, if you locate your air conditioner near a heat producing device your AC may constantly run because it will detect the heat from the other appliance. 

Overall

There are other quick steps that you can take that will help you to properly place your AC unit. In the room that the AC unit is going try room darkening drapes. You can also try sun screens that can keep out 60-70% of the suns heat. 

Make sure the unit is installed correctly and that there are no gaps around the window when using a window AC unit.  Any gaps around the AC should be sealed to keep out any drafts of warm air. You also want to check the doors and other windows in the room to make sure that they are adequately sealed against the weather. Doors and windows that allow heat in defeat the purpose of the proper placement of the AC unit. 

Use lights in the room where the AC is located as little as possible. Light bulbs generate a great deal of heat and this can affect the performance of our AC unit. Position your AC correctly so that you can get the most out of it. 

For more advice on placing your air conditioner, or for general sales advice, please contact us at Aircon247.