Most people are aware of the main cooling system in their building. However, oftentimes there are areas in your home, office or warehouse that need to be a little cooler. Making the right decision about supplemental air conditioning involves knowing what cooling system is already in place and how big of an area needs to be cooled. Is there an area that needs additional cooling? Are there areas that are hot spots or need additional cooling at specific times? Before making any decision about additional air conditioning, three things to be aware of are primary cooling already in place, supplemental cooling, and spot-cooling.

​Most multi-tenant office buildings, malls and other buildings are constructed with central air conditioning which cools by a forced air system where one mechanical floor may serve sixteen floors, eight above and eight below. However, because of lights and other heat-producing equipment, some tenants may require a lower air conditioning temperature and lower humidity than is supplied by the building.

According to air-n-water.com, supplemental cooling units are used when a particular area already has a primary unit but won’t completely cool off, or if it needs to be even cooler in specific areas. An example of these areas would be homes, offices, laboratories, computer rooms, classrooms, trailers, hospitals and much more. These supplemental units can be portable or mounted to a wall or ceiling.

Computer rooms should be kept below 77 degrees F to avoid servers becoming overheated and losing data. Hospitals and laboratories all have equipment that needs to to be kept from overheating. Events such as weddings, fundraisers, plays and concerts can involve large groups of people, making the need for additional air conditioning. Supplemental air conditioning would be the answer for these situations and many more.

A spot cooling unit is portable and can be used when a small area needs to be kept cooler than others. This type of cooling is usually used when you don’t have a large area, but want to keep some areas cooler than others. Spot cooling would work in an area where the main cooling unit does not reach or an area that is much warmer than the rest of the area. These types of units are quick and easy to install and can be moved easily from one room to another. Usually they are just taken out of the box and plugged into a regular electrical outlet.

Many schools are open during the summer months for tutoring and summer school. Very often only a few classrooms or areas are used for these functions. Spot air conditioning would cool the areas being used without having to cool the entire building. Spot cooling would also work in areas where guests or employees are moving or working at certain frames of time such as weddings or conventions.

How do I know what to choose?

Knowing the size of the area to be cooled and the air conditioner capacity is important. The sizing of cooling systems are based on how many BTUs per hours there are. BTU stands for British Thermal Units and 12,000 BTUs equals one ton .A main rule of thumb is that one ton can cool an area of approximately 300 to a little over 500 square feet. Be sure to know the square footage to be cooled as well as how many BTUs the air conditioner offers.

Making an informed decision about supplemental air conditioning and spot cooling will save both time and energy and add flexibility to your budget plans.

Portable Air Solutions has the answers to your questions and will deliver, install, and pick up all equipment needed. It’s quick and easy and your friends and employees will thank you.
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