Putting lipstick on a mr.slim type unit
hello brownstoners–I have read through dozens of posts of these sort of units and some of you have mentioned ways to make these units a bit prettier by using some sort of grate but in researching assecories I have not found any such thing. Any advice to make the obtrusive Mr. Slim blend in a…
hello brownstoners–I have read through dozens of posts of these sort of units and some of you have mentioned ways to make these units a bit prettier by using some sort of grate but in researching assecories I have not found any such thing. Any advice to make the obtrusive Mr. Slim blend in a bit better????
Wow, talk about missing a point. Nobody was calling unzoned systems at all green. We were discussing Mr. Slim, so it went without saying that we were discussing zoned systems. You were contending that window systems were more green than central AC, even though nobody was talking about central AC. So, yeah, arguing a point that wasn’t made is annoying. And you’re still doing it.
Thank you for presenting actual info and logic, CMU. It’s zoning central air, and only zoning it, that would make this option more green than window units. I couldn’t even believe people were saying otherwise. And then calling me annoying for trying to direct the dicussion into considering what’s green or not. Which should be a huge consideration, these days. Sheesh. Look who is annoying.
I think one-zone central air where you cool the entire area is harldly green, and I think window units used correctly are better than cac. It’s not annoying to say so, feel free to be as wasteful as you want and I’ll feel free to comment on it.
That said, there’s some benefits to Mr Slim type units: 1-they are typically 12-14 eer as opposed to the best window units at 11. 2-if you get multi-zoned units (typically more expensive), each room can be separately cooled, as with window units.
OP here. Forthe record, all of my research shows this is a better-greener option that those clunker in window units–and i agree with Amy wholeheartedly. But really–my question was about making a lss than pretty unit blend better with my lovely details (the mini duct systems are intriguing but I have neither the time or money to strip my walls down to the studs in order to install them). I would love to hear back from the fist poster who seemed to have some ideas.
amen Amy. holy crap there are some annoying people on this blog.
Well, we don’t leave the window AC’s in all winter, of course not, and I know for certain we’re saving energy because we do know our neighbors’ electric bills and ours is a fraction of theirs!
Hi Anon 2:39 this is AC Questions. A couple of things, first off, leaving AC window units in all winter wastes tremendous amounts of heat, in that the insulation around the AC units usually isn’t that great and leaving them in all winter will lead to lots of leaks of cold air; so taking them out of the windows does conserve energy, and saves a lot of money. Also, both Mr. Slim and Space Pak claim to use less electricity than window AC units, so using central AC might also save energy, in addition to keeping the entire house cooler. So, to answer your question, yes, some of us do consider energy efficiency in things we do, such as air conditioning.
Why do you think that your window units are any better? They use the exact same technology as any other ac unit. The difference is where all of the various components are (in your window ac unit, they are all right there, self contained, but they’re still there).
Mr. Slim is not an all or nothing deal. Just like you may have some of your window units on while some are off, the entire Mr. Slim unit does not have to be all on or all off.
Also, how big is your place? If you’ve got a small place, where two or three window units work for you, and you don’t mind giving up the window space, and you don’t mind having a big ugly window unit sticking out of your window, and you don’t mind uninstalling them and reinstalling them every single year, then good for you. But don’t get self-righteous just because someone else doesn’t want to put up with all of that.
Further, what’s wrong with going green sometimes? Your post makes it sound like if you’re not going to do everything as green as you possibly can, why bother? “The cause” is not hurt by inconsistency. The cause is hurt by making people think that it is an all or nothing proposition. If everyone in the world went light green, it would make a huge, tremendous, overwhelmingly positive difference. A much bigger difference than what is made by a minority of preachy eco-snobs who try to make everyone else feel bad. In fact, I think you make it worse, because you give people the impression that being eco friendly and responsible is akin to being preachy and self-righteous.
Can I ask something? Why not keep your window units? Is anybody thinking about being energy conscious in their decisions on how to cool their homes? Because despite the liberal “green” leanings of Brooklyn, I feel like I never ever hear people say they decided not to install Central AC, because they don’t want to waste so much electricity. And yet those same people will torture themselves deciding on which “green” material to use for their kitchen countertop, and will sit at a dinner party and rant against global warming. (Then go out to their car and drive home, even though they live in NYC). It hurts the cause to be so inconsistent. Window units are noisy, but they do work. Ours cool our entire house just fine.