Air Cooler versus Air Conditioner

Even though evaporative cooling has been around for many years, it is still a popular choice for people who are looking to lower the temperatures in their home or office, despite the rise in popularity of conventional air conditioning. Evaporative cooling units can be highly effective when used correctly, they are not always entirely suitable for all locations and situations. As the name suggests, these units use the evaporation process in order to cool the ambient temperature of a room, but this is something that tends to restrict their usage to hot and dry climates. If you live in an area where it is traditionally hot and arid, evaporative coolers are probably the most viable solution to your need for a cooler environment. In fact, there are a number of benefits to using evaporative coolers, but in order to fully understand these benefits, it is important to know the difference between these coolers and the more conventional forms of air conditioning. Therefore, in this article, we will take a look at some of the advantages of using air coolers versus air conditioning units.

Running Costs

One of the main benefits to using an air cooler is that because they are a much more efficient way to lower the temperature in a room, they can be a lot more economical to run compared to air conditioners. In addition to which, as well as being more energy efficient, they will require much less maintenance than a traditional air conditioning system. More conventional air coolers will require more maintenance such as a regular clean of the air filter, which can be a bit of a chore when it comes to those air conditioning units that are in hard to reach places.

The Quality of Air

Because of the way in which evaporative air coolers function, these types of unit operate at maximum efficiency when they are circulating air from outside your office or home. This has the added benefit of maintaining a good level of fresh air, whereas, with a more conventional system such as air conditioning units, they work best with windows and doors closed. This has the added downside of these units having to recirculate the existing air in the room in order to cool it.

Moisture Levels

The reason why these coolers are better suited to hot and dry areas is the fact that they work by placing moisture into the surrounding air, which helps to keep your room cooler via the process of evaporation. This has the added benefits of preventing skin and eyes from drying out, whereas on the flip side, traditional air conditioners often take moisture out of the surrounding air, which can be bad for your eyes and skin. In fact, an evaporative cooler can be a much better option if you already suffer from allergies and medical conditions such as asthma. The problem with dry arid air is that it can exacerbate asthma and allergy symptoms, especially in the elderly and the young. Therefore, using an evaporative cooler that can add moisture to the air can be very advantageous.

The Environment

The problem with conventional air conditioning units is that they often use a lot of energy, and they can emit carbon dioxide, both of which are going to be bad for the environment. An evaporative cooler will emit much less levels of CO2, as well as using much less electricity, which will significantly reduce your carbon footprint. In addition to being much better for the environment as a whole, the evaporative cooler is also much better for the environment closer to home, and by that we mean that they are much quieter than other forms of cooling appliance. Due to the fact that they are much quieter, this makes evaporation coolers a much more practical choice for offices, bedrooms and any other locations where you need to keep noise levels down. Of course, there are some portable air conditioning units on the market that have been designed especially to be less noisy, making them ideal for using in bedrooms and other areas where noise needs to be kept to a minimum.

The Pros and Cons Comparison

Air Conditioning

Pros

• Better for use in humid environments
• They are often faster at bringing down the ambient temperature

Cons

• Need to be vented
• Cost more to run and maintain
• More expensive to buy

Air Cooler Pros and Cons

The Pros

• Uses much less energy, making them cheaper to run and more environmentally friendly
• Much better for use in dry and arid conditions and climates
• Can be operated with windows and doors open
• Better for allergy and asthma sufferers

The Cons

• Can use a lot of water if run constantly
• Restricted to use in hot and dry areas, making them less suitable for use in humid areas