Thank you udarrell. I will think about how to use your information. My windows are all at the same height. I do have 3 good adjustable height standing fans that have helped me to survive without air conditioning. I have been looking for consumer's recommended smaller air conditioners, particularly the quieter ones for my bedroom, and found that no one seems to have anything smaller than 8000 BTU.

I need to cool three rooms a length of 44 ft. The living room in the center does not have suitable windows. There is a small bedroom at one end and when the door is open a fan could move air conditioning in or out. At the other end is the dining room with a window facing the living room and a window facing the kitchen. I could put a fan in the dining room but no room for a return fan in kitchen area.

I have been thinking of an air conditioner in both the dining room and the guest room. But perhaps I should try just the dining room (and the one that is going in the master bedroom) for now. Does it make a difference which dining room window I use for the most efficient cooling or adjoining areas.

For a bedroom I would not want a room A/C over 6,000-Btu/hr.
The one I am using on the 1st floor is a 6,000-Btu/hr Whirlpool, The Quiet Partner Series, & it is quite especially on the lower of 3-speeds. It's just a 9.7 EER Rating but I love it!

"These are only suggestions, I am NOT telling you what to do, use only your judgment, NOT mine."

I would try the small bedroom window unit in the dining room with the fans & see if it can handle the cooling okay. Then you will know NOT to get one over 8,000-Btu/hr.

For efficiency, you want long run-times NOT short-cycling!
Let me know how things go!

I am a long time (started in mid 1970's) retired HVAC Contractor & Tech - udarrell

Udarell,
I've been thinking about getting central heat and air, but don't really like the idea of having the unit on my roof.
After reading your suggestions regarding window units, I'm thinking of purchasing a few of those fans you talked about. I also have an Admiral air conditioner for my bedroom that I bought last year. It has the same EER rating as yours.
Doing it your way would save me about 8,000 dollars.

I heard on a satellite news channel a few minutes ago that many electric power companies are planning to raise their rates by 30 percent.

There are a multitude of things that have to be done correctly, or you will have problems even with a brand new central system.

I have fuel oil heat & it is costing me a fortune to heat my home. My actual electric bills, "in an all electric home, during the cooling season," usually stay within $45.00 a month all summer. We have some hot & humid weather here during July & August, up to 104-F Heat Index.

Also, the government is talking about raising the minimum A/C SEER levels. For many reasons, I am totally against that.
Some of my reasons are on the linked pages. - udarrell

Here is a link that might be useful: Look at EER Ratings not Nebulous SEER Ratings

Thanks again, udarrell. I did some more searching on line (selection in stores is limited) and have ordered a 6000 BTU with a good noise rating for my master bedroom. That will help as that room may often be the only one I need to cool. I'll put the 8000 in the dining room and see how well the fans help to cool the rest of the rooms, before considering another small one for the guest room.

the biggest problem with teh low noise units is that they have SLOW fans, even on high speed they don't move much air. if you let it get hot in teh room before turning them on, they MAY not be able to cool it down. only thing you can do is try it an see.

we have an OLD 5800BTU unit that cools circles around every newer 6-6200BTU unit we can find. the difference, the old unit moves 3x teh volume of air, thus cooler quicker and better.

efficiency don't mean a thing IF they run forever and never cool it down. then you only waste electric. don't get me wrong, you want it to run long enough to remove humidity. but i am just not a fan of the newer models at all.

our tower sites have fixed equipment that always use the same amount of electricity a month. the above mentioned 5800 btu unit kept teh small(6x8) building cool as we wanted, even with outdoor temps over 100. the 6000 and later the 6200 we installed in the same building never could cool if outdoor temps were above 80, and they ran continuous. the electric bill showed a 40% INCREASE during teh times they were installed compared to teh same months of use during the times teh 5800 was in. we actually spent 100.00 for a new fan and put the 5800 back in, it was cheaper to pay more to fix than to pay less to replace but have bigger energy bills. and for your reference, the bills vary by only $10.00-$15.00 over a 15 year span OTHER than the 6 months those new "efficient" models were in, and those months were as much as 80.00 more!

so, as long as you don't have a high heat load and don't mind leaving them on even when you are gone for a while, go for it.

I also cool a 2,200 square foot house with window units. Where I live (Kentucky) it's also hot and humid in the summer, and I'll agree with Udarrel that the efficiency is great - my electric bills are usually $50 in the summer, maybe $60 if it's really hot. Friends pay $200 to cool comparable-sized houses with central air.

I believe in using fairly small units (around 6,000 BTU and using several). I have four of them, total of 2 tons cooling capacity, and my house will stay in the low 70s when it's humid and in the 90s outside. I am not a big advocate of fans along with a/c. To me, fans are noisy, and their motors add some heat, plus use some power, but I realize that some houses may need them to distribute the cool air. But that's why I like the 6,000 BTU units - you put the cooling right where you need it, no need to move a lot of air around with a bunch of fans.

On the issue Davidandkasie brings up about the different units and their efficiency ratings, old vs. new ones, etc., here's what I've found: The new high-EER units use more airflow to keep the evaporator warmer and remove more sensible heat (degrees measurable on a thermometer), and less humidity (latent heat). So in terms of measurable efficiency, the new ones are probably a little better, but since they cause higher indoor humidity, you probably wind up cooling to a somewhat lower temperature to be comfortable, so it's a wash. But it does not make much difference as a practical matter because the units you're going to be buying today will be the higher-efficiency design.

I have a very narrow window (13" width) and therefore AC normally would not fit. Can I stand a mini-AC on it's end and use it that way?