I’ve grown up enjoying the heat of Southern California. There were always pools to go swim in, beaches to lie out at, and a cool house to come home to. My family’s always had air conditioning. In the home that I grew up in, we always had central air conditioning (HVAC). The compressor (condensing unit) sat outside my house, ducts ran throughout the ceiling inside, connecting to a furnace in our attic. It kept each room cool in the Summertime and Warm in the cooler Winters. So refreshing.
When I moved out for the first time, it was into an apartment that had an air conditioner in the living room wall. Then, I rented a condo with an air conditioner in the living room wall and an air conditioner in my bedroom window. Unfortunately, that was the only window I had in my bedroom, and couldn’t enjoy the beautiful view of the park across the street!
Window and wall air conditoners are typically used in multi-family buildings like apartments, condominiums and town homes. In these environments, they are usually really old (some more than 20 years old), unsightly, noisy, and so un-environmentally friendly that they accounted for a nice chunk of our electric bill each month! Landlords often think that replacing window or wall air conditioners is expensive and can make their building look unsightly.
In fact, there are many reasons why a landlord should and absolutely no reason why a landlord should not replace or install a new window or wall air conditioner. Here’s why:
Keep tenants happy. First and foremost, a happy tenant is more often than not, a good tenant. After a long day at the office, it’s tougher to have clear, positive karma without the nice cool breeze of an air conditioner on a warm, humid night.
Cool at any price. First of all, if a landlord doesn’t want to spend the money for a new air conditioner, often times tenants would be willing to pay an additional few bucks a month in their rent to stay cool during those hot, humid Summers. Window air conditioners that would cool a small bedroom up to approximately 150 square feet can be purchased for about $70 after utility rebates!
Out of sight, out of mind. If the landlord doesn’t want the boxy-appearance of a sleeve sticking out of their exterior windows or walls, they can recommend that the tenant purchase a portable unit. Although the hot air still needs to vent outside of the room being cooled, the hose does not extend past the screen of an open window.
Process of buying an air conditioner is a pain! Buying an air conditioner is actually a pretty simple thing to do. Once you answer only a few questions, any landlord or manager will know exactly what they need to buy
Quieter, more appealing options. Again, if you don’t want the boxy-appearance of a sleeve sticking out of the exterior windows or walls of your building, and don’t mind spending a few extra bucks on the installation of a ductless mini-split air conditioner, these are a great option! Want to know more? Click here.
