If you own a home here in Victorville, CA, you’re already aware of how critical its air conditioning system is. After all, we see multiple summer months with average temperatures in the high 90s. However, you probably also know that running your home’s AC nonstop is an expensive thing to do. So, you’ve probably gone looking for a more efficient cooling option at one point or another. In your search, you may have heard that a swamp cooler can be a suitable AC replacement here. But is that really true? Here’s everything you need to know about whether a swamp cooler is a good option in a desert climate.
What Is a Swamp Cooler?
A swamp cooler, also known as an evaporative cooler, offers energy-efficient cooling for homes in dry climates. The key to understanding how it works is right in its name. A swamp cooler pulls in dry, hot air from the outdoors and passes it over a damp pad. That forces the water in the pad to evaporate, capturing heat in the process. It’s the exact same natural process your body uses to cool down. The result is air that’s between 15 and 40 degrees cooler than the outside air. A swamp cooler uses that air to cool your home.
Unlike a traditional air conditioner, however, a swamp cooler doesn’t rely on sealing your home against the outdoor climate. Instead, it uses the cool air it produces to displace warmer air in your home, pushing it out. That results in superior ventilation in your home compared to using an AC. And better still, swamp coolers work best in arid environments. That makes them ideal for homes in Victorville.
The Advantages of Swamp Coolers
Using a swamp cooler as your home’s cooling solution comes with a variety of advantages. The following are a few of the most important among them.
Superior Energy Efficiency
In ideal conditions, a swamp cooler can keep your home cool while using up to 75% less energy than a traditional air conditioner. This is because air conditioners rely on compressors to work, and those draw quite a bit of power. A swamp cooler, by comparison, uses little more than a water pump and a fan to function.
Lower Upfront Cost
Installing a swamp cooler in your home should also come with a lower upfront cost. For example, it costs an average of $3,900 to install a swamp cooler in a 1,500-square-foot home. A comparable air conditioner for a 1,500-square-foot home would cost around $5,000 to install.
Improves Indoor Air Quality
Since a swamp cooler works by pulling in fresh air from outside, it will also improve your indoor air quality. On average, the air inside your home can be between two and five times as polluted as the outside air. The less ventilation your home has, the worse that situation becomes. Plus, a swamp cooler will add humidity to your home’s air, which will further improve indoor air quality.
Environmentally Friendly
Since a swamp cooler uses less electricity and no refrigerants, it is also more environmentally friendly than an AC. The refrigerants that current-generation air conditioners rely on are extremely potent greenhouse gases. That means they can severely damage the environment in the event of a leak. Plus, our electric grid is still carbon-intensive. So, the more energy you use to cool your home, the more you contribute to climate change.
The Disadvantages of Swamp Coolers
Swamp coolers aren’t perfect machines. They come with a variety of disadvantages worth considering. They are as follows.
Limited Temperature Control
Unfortunately, the cooling capacity of a swamp cooler is completely dependent on the outdoor temperature. And you can only expect a swamp cooler to lower your home’s temperature by about 20 degrees relative to it. On a mild summer day, that’s more than enough to stay cool. But when the temperature reaches the triple digits, as it often does here, a swamp cooler may not be enough.
Increases Water Usage
A swamp cooler will also consume a significant amount of water while it operates. In some cases, a large unit may use more than six and a half gallons of water every hour. As a result, using a swamp cooler could lead to higher water bills for your home.
More Frequent Maintenance Required
Swamp coolers also require more frequent maintenance than central AC systems do. If you own a swamp cooler, it will need a yearly maintenance visit, but that’s not all. You will also need to check its water pads every month to see that they’re still clean. Depending on the environment around your home, you could need to clean the pads frequently.
Efficient Swamp Cooler Alternatives
It’s also worth noting that there are other efficient cooling options that don’t come with a swamp cooler’s drawbacks. For example, you could invest in a heat pump with a high SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating. That would give you extremely efficient cooling in the summer and extremely efficient heat in the winter. Heat pump owners can save up to 50% on their heating and cooling costs compared to traditional HVAC systems.
You should also consider adding a whole-house fan to your home’s cooling arsenal. They use far less energy than AC systems and can keep your home comfortable for most of the year. Whole-house fans work best at outside temperatures up to 85 degrees. As a result, you can use one for up to eight months per year and keep your home’s AC switched off.
Another option would be to install a new, high-efficiency central AC system for your home. A new system would likely cut your home’s cooling costs relative to your existing AC. Plus, it will give you years of reliable service and keep your ongoing repair and maintenance costs low.
You could even switch your home over to a ductless mini-split AC to further trim your cooling costs. Those avoid the considerable ductwork-related energy losses experienced by ducted AC systems and are thus more efficient. Plus, they offer zoned cooling by default. That reduces energy waste by allowing you to only cool the parts of your home that you’re using. It also gives you far more precise temperature control throughout your home.
Your Efficient Cooling Experts
No matter what kind of efficient cooling solution you want for your Victorville home, Aace's Heating, Air Conditioning & Swamp Coolers can help. We sell and install the latest air conditioners, mini-splits, heat pumps, whole-house fans, and swamp coolers. We can also see to all of your other HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair needs. We’ve served local homeowners for over 17 years. Plus, we’re Better Business Bureau accredited with an A+ rating, so you can expect quality service from us. We even offer financing options on approved credit to help you afford your desired cooling solution. So, if you’re interested in a new efficient cooling option for your Victorville home, contact Aace's Heating, Air Conditioning & Swamp Coolers today!
