The new standard is called Seasonally Adjusted Cooling Capacity – SACC.ĪCC 95 = Capacity SD − Q duct_SD − Q infiltration_95ĪCC 83 = Capacity SD − Q duct_SD − Q infiltration_83 This new standard is a much better representation of the actual cooling capacity of portable AC units. So they compromised with portable AC manufacturers to come up with a new standard for determining cooling capacity. The Department of Energy recognized this trend and wanted to do something about it. Hence why the commonly specified 14,000 BTUs of cooling capacity for 14,000 BTU units is so much higher than their actual cooling capacity. In the past, portable AC cooling capacity was measured in very forgiving conditions. This causes higher pressure hot outdoor air to get sucked into the room by any means it can find – through air gaps in windows, etc. This removal of air creates an area of low pressure inside the room. The second major portable AC inefficiency also has to do with its removal of warm air from the room it's actively working to cool. The large surface area (most portable AC units use a 5 inch diameter hose) and thin plastic construction of the duct readily radiates heat back into the room the portable AC unit is actively working to cool. As the heated air travels through this duct (to be exhausted outside) it heats up the duct. The heated air is removed via a large diameter plastic duct. This air gets heated up (as its cooling the components) and has to be removed from the room that the air conditioner is actively working to cool. A portable AC unit absolutely has to intake air to cool its warmer components. They provide a complete AC system in one compact portable package which makes them very convenient to use, but that convenience comes at the cost of two major inefficiencies. The problem is that portable AC units are inherently inefficient. The least efficient 14,000 BTU units have an actual cooling capacity closer to 7,700 BTUs – almost half of the claimed BTUs. The most efficient 14,000 BTU units have an actual cooling capacity closer to 12,000 BTUs. The actual cooling capacity of a 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner is often much less than 14,000 BTUs.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |