Act On Energy is offering eligible customers a $35 rebate on the purchase of ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioners. Download and print a Room Air Conditioner Rebate Form.

An ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioner (A/C) unit will use at least 10 percent less energy than conventional models and may feature a timer that helps keep energy usage to a minimum.  The power of an A/C unit is expressed in British Thermal Units (BTUs) per hour.

When shopping for an air conditioner, It is important to choose a unit that is properly sized to meet your needs. The power of an A/C unit is expressed in British Thermal Units (BTUs) per hour. If the BTU capacity of the A/C unit is not properly matched with the size of the area to be cooled, cooling efficiency will suffer.  Many people mistakenly assume that "bigger is better," but a unit that is too large may not effectively remove humidity, resulting in an uncomfortable room.

Get the right size room air conditioner
The chart below is designed to match the size of your cooling area with the correct A/C capacity. 

Area To Be Cooled (sq. ft.)	Capacity Needed (BTU / Hour)	Area To Be Cooled (sq. ft.)	Capacity Needed (BTU / Hour)
100 to 150	5,000	450 to 550	12,000
100 to 250	6,000	550 to 700	14,000
250 to 300	7,000	700 to 1000	18,000
300 to 350	8,000	1000 to 1200	21,000
350 to 400	9,000	1200 to 1400	23,000
400 to 450	10,000	1400 to 1500	24,000

 

The following capacity adjustments are recommended:

• A heavily shaded room: reduce capacity by 10 percent.
• A very sunny room: increase capacity by 10 percent.
• More than two people regularly occupy the room: add 600 BTUs for each additional person.
• The unit is used in a kitchen: increase capacity by 4,000 BTUs.
• When mounting an A/C unit near the corner of a room, make sure it can send the airflow in the right direction.
• When rooms are connected by permanently open entryways wider than five feet combine the square footage of both rooms, as if they were one room.

PURCHASE ELITGIBILITY:
rebate is valid for purchases made June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010 or until program funding is exhausted.  All rebate requests must be postmarked no later than July 1, 2010.

LIMIT:
Offer is limited to six air conditioner rebates per residential electric customer.  Qualifying air conditioners must be installed at a residence within the Ameren Illinois Utility service territory.  The Ameren Illinois Utilities reserve the right to conduct field inspections to confirm that installation is complete. Limitation of liability: The Ameren Illinois Utilities do not expressly or implicitly guarantee the performance of installed equipment.

Source: Information on energy savings is taken from ENERGYSTAR.gov.