Air conditioners are seen as an essential piece of equipment in any location that enjoys hot weather. The air conditioning reduces the air temperature, allowing you to feel more comfortable. In fact, research shows that productivity drops the hotter it gets, making industrial air conditioning an essential investment in any business.
Many people assume that turning the air conditioning on is similar to opening a window. Therefore, to save money they may open a window or, in a bid to cool the room faster, they may open the window and turn the air conditioning on.
However, the simple answer is that you should always choose the air conditioner and never open the window at the same time.
How Air Conditioning Works
Air conditioning units are designed to suck warm air in, pass it through specially designer condensers, and remove the heat. The air can then be pumped into the room at the right temperature, allowing the space to cool rapidly.
In most cases, the air conditioner takes air from outside the building, although it can be set to recycle the air in the building. This ensures the air in your building, supplied by an air conditioner, is still fresh.
What the Window Does
In contrast, opening a window simply allows air from outside in. This air is generally considered fresh but it will be at the same temperature as the other air outside. The hotter the day, the hotter the external air is. As opening a window simply allows air to move around, if the air outside is the same temperature as the air inside, it will have no effect on the temperature of the room.
This is also relying on the fact that the air is moving outside and will enter your building.
Alongside this, you need to note that the air outside is not always as fresh as you think it is. There are a number of potential pollutants from car emissions to factory outputs. Opening a window allows these pollutants into your workspace.
In effect, you are polluting yourself! An air conditioner doesn’t suffer from this issue as it has filters built into it, removing pollutants and ensuring you have clean fresh air.
Poor Air Distribution
It should also be noted that a well-installed air conditioner will gradually cool the entire space evenly. This isn’t the case with an open window. Assuming the air is cooler outside and a breeze pushes it in, it will generally only cool the area where it moves, not the entire building.
That makes it ineffective and the open window will make it harder for the air conditioner to do its job, increasing the pressure on the device and your energy usage for no gain.
Humidity levels
You should also remember that an open window allows warm air in that increases the humidity levels. This makes it harder to stay productive and introduces moisture into the building which can cause another range of issues.
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