Color me opinionated, but I think swamp coolers are the way to go, if you live in an arid climate. That’s why I’ve put so much work into making them even more attractive by developing an advanced controller that produces superior comfort, but will also
Swamp coolers are the most efficient way to cool air, period. They have no serious competition. They are drop-dead simple machines, easy to produce, reliable, need only simple maintenance twice a year, last a very long time, and cost a lot less to operate. This all means they’re better for the environment. Remember your mother! Earthship us.
How does an evaporative cooler beat out the latest compressor-based cooler tech? They don’t have to work as hard. Pumping up a tire is much harder than blowing seeds off a dandelion. Likewise, compressing a gas in one place so that you can expand it somewhere else [a refrigerated air cooler] takes more work than pumping a trickle of water while blowing air with a fan [swamp cooler]. Evaporative coolers are a blower and a pump, low-tech, and have been around a long time. Some manufacturers are innovating mechanically, but the basic design works like a hammer, doesn’t need much improvement. But add a smart controller and you’ve got comfort like never before. You even save some water, which in an arid climate is no small thing.
So I designed a controller for swamp coolers that uses the latest in sensors, processors, low-cost integrated display/touchscreens, solid state and mechanical relays, and finely honed software that puts you in control, you first. The power company cannot throttle your cooling when you use this controller. Oh, you didn’t know about that? Yes, power companies can adjust your smart thermostat remotely, according to Bob Vila. But they can’t adjust the Roadrunner Comfort remotely. And equally remote is the possibility that they will be able to do so anytime in the near future. When there is a law requiring external control of a thermostat’s settings, then I’ll comply. Until then, while it’s my product, that is not happening.