Patent ID: 8019478

Claim:
A method of controlling operation of a pair of two-stage air conditioners that both serve a same area to be cooled, the method comprising: monitoring a temperature of the area served by the air conditioners; activating a first stage of a first one of the air conditioners when the temperature rises above a first set point temperature; activating a first stage of a second one of the air conditioners when the temperature rises above a second set point temperature; activating a second stage of one of the first or second air conditioners if the temperature remains above the second set point temperature beyond a first selected time period and only after the first stages of both the air conditioners have already been activated; and activating a second stage of the other one of the first or second air conditioners if the temperature remains above the second set point temperature beyond a second selected time period and only after the first stages of both the air conditioners have already been activated.