AC buying guide

With the increasing global warming, AC is becoming essential in daily life, especially for those who live in hot and humid areas. And if you are going to buy AC, the suggestion is “Don’t wait for the summer to come when you can grab the better deals in the winter. Purchasing an AC could be confusing because there are very different types and too many brands of ACs are available in the market. It can be challenging to choose one of the huge options. You will able to compare the AC of one brand to another brand because every company markets specific features of AC in their own different way, which makes it more challenging to select one. 

Our AC Buying Guide will help you to make your decision easily and specifically on the basis of your need. The very first thing you have to take is your budget, under what budget are you looking for AC? After that, you have to study which type of AC is suitable for you, and then calculate the capacity of cooling of the AC that is required for your room. You have to also consider “how often you would use the AC and look at their power efficiency ranking”.

Which Type Of AC Is Suitable For Your Room?

Three types of AC are available in the market:

• Split AC
• Window AC
• Portable AC

Each of them has its own merits and demerits and you have to select by keeping your need in the mind.

1. Split AC

An indoor unit and an outdoor unit are both present in split air conditioners. The blower and an evaporator (cooling coils) are features of the indoor unit, whereas the compressor and condenser are components of the outdoor unit. A pipe connects the two devices.

Split air conditioners provide faster cooling and more airflow, but they are more expensive to install and difficult to remove when it’s time to move to a new house. Furthermore, the distance between the indoor and outdoor units has a limit; the further apart they are, the less effective the entire unit is. In comparison to other types of ACs, they are also more expensive to maintain.

Advantages:

• Fast cooling for a larger room
• Can install on any wall
• Less noise
• Aesthetically pleasing

Disadvantages:

• Costly
• Expansive maintenance 
• Difficult to uninstall

2. Window AC

Window AC also referred to as monoblock ACs, are easier to install compared to split AC and take up less space. Since all the parts are contained in one unit, installing and removing a window air conditioner is much simpler and less expensive. This implies that a window AC might be less of a hassle if you rent your home and move around a lot. They do not, however, appear as upscale as split air conditioners.

To block the window opening and be relatively noisier, these types of ACs. They might not be a good idea for very large rooms as well.

Advantages:

• Affordable
• Easy to install and uninstall
• Easy relocation
• Ideal for a smaller room
• Easy to maintain

Disadvantages:

• Block window view
• Very noisy
• Not good for a large room
• Simple design 

3. Portable AC

Moving portable AC from one room to another is simpler. They resemble window AC but can be moved. Such ACs include a hose, one end of which is connected to the AC unit and the other of which must be placed outside the window.

A portable air conditioner can be a good option if you want to cool your living room, where you spend the majority of your time, and your bedroom, where you sleep, but you don’t want to spend the money on two different ACs. However, it comes with a few drawbacks of its own, such as more noise and a marginally higher cost. And they work well in smaller spaces.

Advantages:

• Easy to install
• Easy to move
• Suitable to cool multiple rooms.

Disadvantages:

• Messy
• Costly
• Noisy

What Is The Size Of Your Room & What AC Capacity Do You Need For Effective Cooling?

Firstly you have to measure the room for which you are going to buy an AC then decide what will be the ideal capacity of the AC you need to cool your room. In India, AC capacity is measured in tonnes, but the British Thermal Unit (BTU) rating is a more precise way to determine how quickly an AC can cool a room. The BTU rating is also used to gauge how energy-efficient an air conditioner is.

1KW/Hr = 3,412 BTU

12,000 BTU = 1 Tonne

Here are different factors that can affect the AC’s cooling effectiveness:

• Number of windows
• Number of heating sources
• The area exposed to the sun
• Ceiling area exposed to the sun
• Number of people in the room

You can use the table below to determine the effective tonnage for your room.

Room Size   BTU             Tonnage

100-120 sq. ft.     6,000 BTU   0.5 Ton

120-150 sq. ft.     9,000 BTU   0.75 Ton

150-180 sq. ft.   12,000 BTU   1.00 Ton

180-250 sq. ft.   18,000 BTU   1.50 Ton

300-350 sq. ft.    24.000 BTU   2.00 Ton

350-500 sq. ft.   36,000 BTU   3.00 Ton

Inverter vs. Non-Inverter AC: Which Is Better?

There are two types of ACs: inverter and non-inverter AC. Although inverter ACs typically use less energy and they come on the expensive side. Untrue to the widespread belief that an inverter air conditioner must be powered by a power inverter (power backup). Most likely you will hear this response from salespeople in some retail shops.

A non-inverter AC compressor runs continuously until the room temperature reaches the desired level, at which point it shuts off. This start-stop process uses more energy and adds a sudden load to the power supply. However, an inverter AC compressor operates continuously and modifies power consumption as necessary. Because of this, inverter ACs use less energy than non-inverter ACs. However, this feature is more expensive.

Energy Efficiency: What Are BEE’s EER & SEER Ratings?

In India, the BEE(Bureau Of Energy Efficiency) determines the EER(energy efficiency rating) of ACs. The rating agency has mandates that large electrical devices, like air conditioners, have an energy efficiency rating. The power efficiency increases with rating, which results in less energy being used to cool the space. However, more expensive ACs also have higher ISEER ratings. Here is how to calculate EER and ISEER: EER = BTU/Hr / Watt

Additional Features to Consider While Buying an AC

1. Auto Start: When there is a power cut and power comes back, some AC doesn’t restart by themselves. AC with the auto start feature help to restart it after the power is back and set the same temperature that you had set before the power cut. 
2. Dehumidification: All ACs control the humidity level while cooling but some AC comes with advanced dehumidification features in which AC reduces the humidity level in the room. It becomes an important feature to consider while buying an AC when you live in a high humidity level area.
3. Four-Way Swing: Most ACs have a two-way swing for disparaging air in the room. While it doesn’t significantly affect the AC’s ability to effectively cool the room, having air pass by you every few seconds improves how cool you feel. Some air conditioners have a four-way swing, which allows them to distribute air both horizontally and vertically, making it simpler to fine-tune the airflow. If you value airflow to a particular area of the room, then this is a crucial feature to have.
4. Sleep Timer: The sleep timer feature is used to turn off the AC after a fixed period of time and decrease the electricity bill. It replaces the hassle to wake up in the middle of the night to turn off the AC. 
5. Smart Features, App Control, and Wi-Fi Connectivity:  Some premium AC comes with smart features like wifi or Bluetooth connectivity. By using these features you can connect your ACs to your smartphones and operate the smartphones. Which can be used to control the AC while you are not in the room or even in your home. Choose models that work with Alexa, and Google Assistant if you want your new AC to have these smart features, and they should have a companion smartphone app for both Android and iOS.
6. Turbo Mode: For this feature, most brands use a different marketing name. This feature can be activated to speed up the cooling process while using more energy overall. 

AC Gimmicks To Stay Away From

1. Mosquito Repellent Feature

Some companies advertise the ability to keep mosquitoes away in their ACs. You might become drawn to this feature in markets like India where there are more mosquitoes. Don’t buy an AC just because it says it has a feature that repels mosquitoes because that feature has been shown to be ineffective.

2. Triple Inverter AC

Dual inverter ACs operate over a wider range of frequencies and with greater balance thanks to 180-degree phase-shift compressors. In a similar vein, you might assume that a triple inverter air conditioner would be superior to a dual inverter air conditioner, but the triple rotary creates a relatively unbalanced compressor.

3. Anti-Bacteria or COVID-19 Virus Filtration Claims

Some manufacturers assert that the filters in their air conditioners remove dangerous bacteria. Some businesses may even assert that AC filters can remove the COVID-19 virus during this pandemic. However, it’s challenging to assess the efficacy of such features because the majority of consumers are unable to test them in practice. Therefore, avoid selecting an AC based on this feat.

Frequently Asked Question