A/C units/baseboard versus central air/heat?

Question

We have been looking around at houses and I'm curious as to which would be cheaper.  An A/C unit in the living room and bedroom (with a spare that doesn't get used much except for occasional guests in other rooms), not running very often as we like to have the breeze through windows and can use regular fans.

Or central air where its constantly maintaining a temperature though we only need a room or two to be a comfortable temperature.

I'm thinking the a/c units would be better, but would like some thoughts on both.

gas man · Accepted Answer

window units,way less to buy and less to run

Anonymous · Answer

Generally the insulation in your house and the degree it is sealed will make the biggest difference.  Widow air conditioners have different ratings by the make as well as the size for the room they are in.  When you use whole house conditioning, the walls will stay at an even temperature as well as just heating/cooling the air.  Baseboard heaters are also affected by the insulation of the walls and floors.  Heat is drawn to the cooler areas much easier than to the air surrounding it, so we come right back to the insulation factor again.  Most buildings designed for baseboard heat have 6inch walls.   If you opt for heated floors, electric wires or pipes under the subfloor, you must insulate the floor so that the heat isn't drawn by the cooler area.  When using window air conditioners, if you are in direct sun, the unit will not perform as efficiently as it would in the shade.

Phillip · Answer

Easy on the put downs guy, I cant believe you just threw that one out there.

A/C units/baseboard versus central air/heat?

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