Almost all of us these days have air conditioners at our place. With the summer temperatures increasing every year, it has become almost mandatory to install an air conditioner to keep oneself cool and comfortable. Although the prices of air-conditions have come down considerably in the recent past getting one is still a serious investment. And even after we make such an investment we hardly take the trouble to know anything about the device. However, that is the way it should be where we at least have a basic understanding of what the device is all about.

In the following section of the article we elucidate some of the key terms that are often associated with an air conditioning.

Amperage

Amperage is basically the measure of the amount of electricity your wires are capable of carrying. Generally house wires come with an amperage rating of around 15 amps. However this is not fixed and can vary from as low as 5 amps and can go up to 15 amps. In case of installing an air conditioner your wire needs to support 12 to 15 amps just for the air conditioner. Now, some houses might not have that kind of amperage ratings in their wire. So before installing an air conditioner it is absolutely necessary to check the amperage of the wires. If they are not good enough to support the air-conditioned, then a separate electrical line, dedicated for running the air conditioner needs to be installed.

Plug Type

Most of the regular models of air conditionings come with the common 125V/15A, three-prong plugs. These plugs are suitable to be used in most homes as points for such plugs are generally there in a house. However, if you are planning to install a bigger cooling system than the regular ones, you would have to call an electrician and upgrade the circuits in your house. Some larger machines can have plugs of 125V/20V, 250V/15A, or higher.

If you are replacing your old air conditioner with a new one, then it is advisable to buy one with similar plug.

Dehumidification

This is the measurement which gives us an estimate as to how much effective an air-con is in removing the humidity from the air. An air conditioner can remove anything between one pint and ten pints of moisture in an hour. So someone living in a humid area needs an air conditioner with higher humidity rating. However it must also be remembered that the main function of the air conditioner is to regulate the temperature and not maintain humidity levels.