Which Is Better: Central Air Conditioners or Room Air Conditioners?

Central air conditioning unit outside of house

Shopping around for a new air conditioner?

You’re probably aware that there are two main types:

Central air conditioners
Room air conditioners

So, which one is better? Well, it’s not so much as a matter of which one is better, but which one is better for you.

The two main factors to consider are the the size and construction your home, and how big of a budget you have.

Let’s look at what most people use each air conditioner type for.

Room air conditioners

These are called “room” air conditioners for a reason: because that’s about as much as they can cool. Most room air conditioners are cheaper and easier to install than central air conditioners.

Room air conditioners are ideal for those who have:

A limited budget (we’re talking like, a few hundred dollars)
A small space to cool (such as an apartment or mobile home)
No ductwork or limited ductwork (installing ductwork costs more)
Hard to cool spaces in their home that central air can’t reach.

Types of room air conditioners

Window-mounted
Wall-mounted
Portable units

Central air conditioners

Central air conditioners work in tandem with a forced-air furnace’s blower to cool your entire house at once through your ductwork. These systems cost more than room air conditioners, but they add more overall comfort to your home and are more energy efficienct.

Central air conditioning is ideal for those who have:

The budget to afford it- Central air conditioners cost about $1,500 per ton, but you can cut the cost of the system with federal tax incentives (ask us about this)
A pre-existing ductwork system
A larger home

Types of central air conditioners

Split system- Has an outdoor cabinet with the condenser and compressor, and an indoor cabinet with the the evaporator. A refrigerant line connects these two units.
Packaged system- Puts the condenser, compressor and evaporator together in one unit. Less energy efficiency, but it’s great for when indoor space is limited (as is usually the case for mobile homes and homes on a crawl space).

Get the one that's best for you

Like we said, it generally comes down to your budget and your home size and construction.
If you determined that central air is the best for your Atlanta-area home, Coolray provides and installs a variety of energy efficient central air conditioners.