Central air conditioning, commonly referred to as central
air (U.S.) or
air-con (UK), is an air conditioning system that uses ducts to distribute cooled and/or dehumidified
air to more than
one room, or uses pipes to distribute chilled
water to heat exchangers in more than
one room, and which is not plugged into a standard electrical outlet.
With a typical split system, the condenser and compressor are located in an outdoor unit; the evaporator is mounted in the
air handler unit. With a package system, all components are located in a single outdoor unit that
may be located on the ground or roof.
Central air conditioning performs
like a regular air conditioner but has several added benefits:
When the
air handling unit turns on, room
air is drawn in from various parts of the building through return-air ducts. This air is pulled through a filter where airborne particles such as dust and lint are removed. Sophisticated filters
may remove microscopic pollutants as well. The filtered air is routed to air supply ductwork that carries it back to rooms. Whenever the air conditioner is running, this cycle repeats continually.
Because the condenser unit (with its fan and the compressor) is located outside the home, it offers a lower level of indoor noise than a free-standing air conditioning unit.
