Focus on: Swamp Coolers

Depending where you live, you may or may not be very familiar with a swamp cooler. The first time I had heard about a swamp cooler was when I moved to Denver. We certainly did not have them in the North East. Swamp coolers are also referred to as evaporative coolers, wet air coolers or desert air cooler. Swamp coolers are similar to air conditioners in the sense that they both cool the home. The difference is how it is achieved. Whereas an air conditioner unit will cool by employing vapor compression, a swamp cooler will cool a home down in dry climates by enthalpy of vaporization. In this process liquid water transitions to water vapor. The process cools the home more efficiently and with less energy in drier climates. Evaporative coolers are not popular in the North East as there is far too much humidity in the air for it to cool the air. If you live in a dry climate, such as Colorado, swamp coolers can be a cheaper, energy effective and environmentally conscious alternative to air conditioning.