7 Benefits of Air Conditioning in the Home

High humidity can lead to problems for both your property and the health of its inhabitants. When the water vapour content in the air continually exceeds a certain threshold, it encourages the growth of mould and causes rot. In worst case scenarios, this can lead to costly damages to the fabric of your building, as well as damaging your belongings. 

In terms of health, damp and mould caused by high humidity can induce asthma attacks, cause allergic reactions, and introduce harmful bacteria into your home. There are also consequences of low humidity levels, such as skin irritation. 

An air conditioning system is the most reliable way to control humidity in the home. 

3. Boosted Productivity

Historically, this was one of the major benefits of air conditioning in the workplace, but with more and more people working from home, it’s now relevant to domestic users too. 

A hot, stuffy environment with poor ventilation does little to encourage productivity. It makes it difficult to concentrate, and saps our energy. A constant supply of fresh air from outdoors, however, brings the oxygen we need to stay alert, so an AC system is a valuable addition to any home office space. 

It’s not just of benefit to the adults in the household either. Fresh air and comfortable conditions will help the children focus on their homework, or study effectively for their exams. 

4. Less Noise and Fewer Pests

Throwing open our windows in summer can have its advantages, like the sound of birdsong or the smell of freshly cut grass for example. Not so pleasant is traffic noise, and a constant influx of bugs. 

It may seem like a minor inconvenience but it can actually prove a major disruption, particularly if you’re working from home. With an AC system installed, it’s one less issue to contend with.  

5. Better Quality Sleep

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An air conditioner cools your home with a cold indoor coil called the evaporator. The condenser, a hot outdoor coil, releases the collected heat outside. The evaporator and condenser coils are serpentine tubing surrounded by aluminum fins. This tubing is usually made of copper.

A pump, called the compressor, moves a heat transfer fluid (or refrigerant) between the evaporator and the condenser. The pump forces the refrigerant through the circuit of tubing and fins in the coils.

The liquid refrigerant evaporates in the indoor evaporator coil, pulling heat out of indoor air and cooling your home. The hot refrigerant gas is pumped outdoors into the condenser where it reverts back to a liquid, giving up its heat to the outside air flowing over the condenser's metal tubing and fins.

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, nearly all air conditioners used chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as their refrigerant, but because these chemicals are damaging to Earth's ozone layer, CFC production stopped in the United States in 1995. Nearly all air conditioning systems now use halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) as a refrigerant.  The latest HCFC, HCFC-22 (also called R-22), began to be phased out in 2010 and stopped entirely in 2020. However, HCFC-22 is expected to be available for many years as it is removed and reused from old systems that are taken out of service. As these refrigerants are phased out, ozone-safe hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are expected to dominate the market, as well as alternative refrigerants such as ammonia.