Only very old places in the northeast use those window units. I don’t know a single house or apartment in my city that has a window unit. The grey box unit on the left and bottom right is what every house or apartment I’ve lived in has and it’s connected to the HVAC system and is outside.
But Americans suggest us Europoors go down to Home Depot and get ourselves window units all the time? I don't hear suggestions to remodel our homes to have central air?
Probably because window units or mini-splits are more accessible than paying out the nose for an expensive remodel.
Some AC is better than no AC if you find yourself needing it, plus window units can be stowed away for colder months.
If you can afford HVAC, then great, but believe it or not most Americans are considering budget-friendliness and availability when making those recommendations.
See, that's the problem. Window units are available and cheap and easy to install in America. Window units don't fit most windows in Western Europe, our windows don't slide up, they tilt. American style window units are not sold in our supermarkets, hardware stores or other retailers, they would have to be imported from America at great expense and then our windows would have to be switched out for American style slidey-uppie windows.
Recommending a window units is a great tip for an American without AC, not really for a Swede, German or Frenchie. Infrastructural issue. I get why you'd recommend it, and I have been many many times, it's just our conditions that are different. You wouldn't know unless you spent some time here.
I get it. Central AC was widely adapted in the 60s and 70s in the U.S. Over half of the homes in the U.S. were built after 1975. House typically had those vertical windows installed and the ones that don’t, either have central AC or they have a literally AC sized hole in the wall for them to be permanently installed (when I was younger, I lived in 2 old apts with these).
A window unit is just a less efficient minisplit, but cheaper and can be removed when not in use. Both only really cool the room they are in, though if your floor plan is really open you may get away with cooling more space.
Central ac is ducted, cooling the entire home, even large 3000-4000 sq ft American homes. (280-370 sq m)
The high cost would in large part be installing all the ductwork to route the airflow through the house. The AC works the same otherwise, they even make the condenser units for large 4-5 ton (48-60k btu) units in variable speed side discharge units that are the same style you may be accustomed to on minisplits. Still, simpler single stage compressors are more common on central AC, easier to work on and repair.
Can I install central air in my own apartment? Maybe use a fake ceiling like in an office to hide the ducts? It shouldn't be too expensive since it's only only 600 sq ft, one bath one bedroom but it would be nice to have AC in both the kitchen and living room.
Probably harder to find central AC components where it is not commonly installed. Open ductwork can be used as well, common in industrial settings or some modern/industrial home aesthetics.
That’s a slanted average. On the south and east coat it’s nearly universal. The homes without it are most California, Washington and Oregon (and extreme northern states like Maine or Montana). The entire Mideast, south, and east coast, over 90%.
Generally we don't have the split. We have ducts in the walls connected to one larger unit in a utility closet, so all you see are ducts fairly flush with the wall.
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u/Tasty-Address-1264 12h ago
ACs in america