
A
traditional home comfort system has two parts: an indoor unit,
such as a furnace or air handler, and an outdoor unit. An air
conditioner is the outdoor unit that cools air and sends it to
the indoor unit for circulation through your home. Indoor and
outdoor units are designed to work together. When the air
conditioner is properly matched with a furnace or air handler,
you get maximum efficiency and longer system life. Air
conditioning and cooling efficiency is measured using a Seasonal
Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). A higher SEER means higher
energy efficiency. 13 SEER is the minimum efficiency standard.
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Here's what makes it
cool
A "split system"
central air conditioner includes a compressor, fan,
condenser coil, evaporator coil and refrigerant. The
system removes heat from indoor air and transfers it
outside, leaving the cooled indoor air to be
recirculated. A central air conditioning system uses
electricity as its power source.
The basic components
of an air conditioning system are:
- A condensing
unit (the outdoor section) and the evaporator
coil
- A matching
indoor air handler or furnace with coil
- Ductwork to
transfer the cooled air throughout the home
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Download Air Conditioning Family Brochure (535 KB PDF)
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