On Friday, August 10, 2012 8:50:44 PM UTC-5, bob haller wrote:
in areas with cold winter weather the work and hassle of spring and fall window unit removal can become a major issue....



either remove the unit and store indoors, or leave it in and put up with drafts or the cold conducted indoors by the window unit....



in the summer a window unit means you cant just open the window on a nice day......



and when the weather is very hot and your trying to just run the bedroom window unit while your sleeping you may have to turn it on hours earlier to not only cool down the room but remove the excess moisture / humidity...



I bet anyone here that believes window units are better has never lived with central air.....

Here in Texas, when your central A/C fails, invariably the repair company says "It's shot, you need a new one". $5000 for a plain old 3-ton for a 1500 sq ft home. they rape you, because you are sweating and you just wan it cool NOW.
With window units, if one fails, the other 2 or 3 keep working while you go down to Sears of Lowes and spend $300 for a brand new one. Done deal.
I like the idea of the mini-splits, if the cost difference were not so high. they also are a little more technical for a DIY replacement. They are higher quality than most window units, and more efficient. And window units do have that low-rent social status.
I am about to built a 1000-sq ft garage with a guest apartment on a 2nd floor, so I have been considering this question. If I can find a winter deal on a central unit, I'll go that way, but if there is a big difference in price, I'll probably go with mini-splits, but window units are not out of the question. I'd do wall mounts if I use window units.