The average person takes about 20 breaths per minute, which works out to almost 30,000 breaths per day. Clearly this is an activity which we spend considerable time, if not effort. Each one of those breaths contain dust, bacteria, germs, soot, fumes, pollen and many other harmful material. It is true that our bodies have some built in filtration functions but why overtax the body? Estimates vary widely but some suggest interior air can be 10 or more times as polluted as outside air. If the man made indoor pollution is that concentrated should we really believe our bodies were designed for that? Not likely.

We humans live in closer proximity to each other than ever before. That proximity intensifies the airborne particles from vehicles, other people, animals, manufacturing and other sources. Some well known airborne diseases are influenza, diphtheria, hay fever, tuberculosis, colds, viruses, pneumonia, scarlet fever, measles, etc.

When we think about dust its not just dust it is made up of a vast array of materials. Most of the materials are not good, such as; soot, dander, sand, smoke, fibers, insects, hair, not to mention chemical fumes. The US Weather Service estimates that one cubic inch of air could contain as much as 100,000 particles of dust. Worse yet, each piece of dust can contain thousands of germs.

A human living indoors is a relatively new phenomenon, at least with more or less sealed buildings. Only one hundred years ago our buildings had no air conditioning, central heat, weather-stripping, thermal pane windows, insulation or any of the modern products currently used to effectively seal the inside air from the outside.

Health statistics show that incidence of asthma which is known to be aggravated by air pollution is rising dramatically in the USA. The health risks are too great to ignore the regular use and replacement of a good air conditioning filter

Consider a more versatile home air conditioner if you want to make a wise purchase. If your air conditioner includes a dehumidifier your rooms will be more comfortable and you won’t be breathing in recycled air all the time. An innovative product is an air conditioner that keeps you cool in the hot weather and produces heat in the colder seasons. A versatile unit like this is a good choice for areas where the winters are mild and you don’t have the need for a sophisticated home heating setup. If you have allergies then choosing a home air conditioning unit that has an air purifier may help you to overcome allergies. This is ideal in the summertime when the pollen levels are high. With an air purifier you won’t have to worry about stale air being recycled or circulated throughout the room.

Sometimes the focus of your search for the right home air conditioning unit might not be on what it does but on how it is installed. An easy to install home air conditioning system is often more attractive as it less disruptive to your home and there is no need for an external unit. The problem with an external air conditioning unit is that there isn’t always room for it on tiny properties.

Systems that don’t have an external unit can sometimes be more costly, but installation is usually easier and you might not require any rewiring. This way you can keep down the cost of installation as there is no need to call in a specialist for installation. Make sure you know the installation costs before you decide on a particular air conditioning unit.

If you’re looking for ease of use, a portable air conditioning unit is the way to go. There’s no need for installation with this type of unit, and you can move it around with ease. An installed system will do a better job of cooling you down that this type of unit, but it’s certainly much easier and cheaper.

Like any other Ac unit they are rated by BTU which makes choosing the correct size fairly straight forward. The more BTUs the more cooling the unit will provide. If you are planning to use one to supplement the central AC in your home you may be able to go with one of the smallest units. This will be less expensive to purchase and less expensive to operate. In this case you may not need to  worry much about how well the unit filters the air since the central system is providing filtration as well.

The physical size of these portables is often around 25 inches and 35 inches high and they weigh between 40 to 80 lbs, depending ton the size. They will almost always come with casters which makes moving them around fairly easy to do. Movement is limited by the power supply and the vent hose location.