You're hot, you're sweaty, and you can't take another summer without apartment air conditioning! Which means you have to get a window unit. They're the only option for an apartment, right?
Wrong!
Compared to apartment living, getting air conditioning inside a house is fairly straightforward. Some systems will be better than others for the average home, but there is definitely a large selection to choose from. You could get a split system, a packaged air conditioner, a dual fuel heat pump, a swamp cooler, or even just get by with a bunch of window units. You have the room, literally, for a lot of choice in a house.
Obviously, apartments are different. Space is a major consideration. You don't have an acre of yard space to site a package unit or an attic to accommodate a split system air handler. All apartments have windows, so cheap and easy to install window units have been the go-to option.
But for apartment air conditioning, we don't think window units are the best or even a good option. In fact, we think they're a pretty bad option.
Apartment Air Conditioning Should Be Ductless
Footprint is everything in an apartment, so choose a cooling system with the smallest footprint available: a ductless mini-split air conditioner.
A ductless mini-split consists of two parts: the air handler and the condenser. The air handler can be installed on the inside of any exterior wall. The condenser goes outside, and their footprint isn't much larger than a few shoe boxes. A multi-level building isn't a problem either. Ductless condensers are light enough that you can hang them on an exterior wall with a sturdy wall bracket. They're done that way all the time in cities around the world.
Plus, ductless mini-splits are quieter, as effective, and far, far more efficient than any window air conditioner ever thought about being.
Ready to go ductless?
If you have questions about ductless apartment air conditioning, let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!
