Should You Open Your Windows When the Air Conditioning Is On?

April 4th, 2020 by Airedale Cooling

We’ve finally made it into springtime, and while there is a lot going on in the world right now, we can probably rely on the fact that the temperature during the day is going to start rising. With that comes the temptation to open your windows to let the air in, but should you open your windows when the air conditioning is on?

This month we’ll be answering that question, giving you the practical background behind how air conditioning works and how having your windows open impact this.

How does air conditioning work?

We’ve explored the details of how air conditioning works in a previous post, but to give you a quick overview:

1. Refrigerant liquid absorbs heat from the air to become a gas
2. The heat is blown out of the space
3. The gaseous refrigerant is then compressed into a liquid
4. This creates cold air blown into your room
5. The process then repeats

What air conditioning does to the air inside

Based on the simplified explanation of air conditioning above, your air conditioning unit is taking the heat out of the air using a refrigerant and blowing cold air back out again.

Via the removal of the moisture carrying the heat in a room, cool air is created, allowing you to keep the temperature low.

What is humidity and how does it impact air conditioning?

Humidity is the amount of water which air can hold. The warmer the air, the more water vapour it can hold, while colder air has a lower capacity. The greater the humidity level, the more your air conditioning unit will have to work in order to get rid of the warm air. This is because your unit will be fighting to pull more and more moisture from the air, with warm air having a greater capacity to carry water vapour.

Extra humidity puts a strain on your unit, so when asking if you should open your windows when the air conditioning is on, you should remember that you’ll be inviting extra warm air into the room.

Will an open window break my air conditioning unit?

While an open window won’t break your air conditioning unit straight away, the additional strain will certainly lead to a drop in performance and, over time, will surely result in damage to the internal workings. All of this means you won’t be able to cool your space properly and may need professional help or new air conditioning units to help you tackle the warm weather.

At Airedale Cooling, we have trained engineers on hand to provide installation, maintenance and repairs. So whether you’ve previously opened your windows with the air conditioning on and have seen a drop in performance, or you’d like to have air conditioning installed in your building to combat the need for opening windows in warm weather, we’ve got the right service to help you.

Contact our friendly team today for more details or to discuss your individual air conditioning requirements.