So you want to beat this summer with an air conditioning equipment? Smart move. But before you rush to your local dealer and the fast talking sales-man makes you buy the one on which the dealer gains maximum commission, please take a moment to read this page.
1) Decide which capacity to go for?
You must choose the air conditioner with appropriate cooling capacity. It is measured in BTU/hr. For a normal sized room(150-250 sq feet), with normal incident sunlight and 3-4 persons occupying the room, 12000 BTU/hr that is, one tonne(1 T) would suffice.
Remember, 12000 BTU/hr is 1 T, 18000 is 1.5 T and 24000 is 2 T.
If you buy higher capacity machine, it’ll cool down the room faster than it can remove the moisture and your room will be too humid. And a lower capacity a/c won’t cool your room adequately.
There is a very good advice on choosing an air conditioner at:
https://fpl.com/home/contents/home_index.shtml
2) Perpare your room:
Insulate your room properly or the cooling won’t be adequate. If your room has large glass windows and sunlight is directly incident on it, install a thick curtain there. Close all open vents, outlets etc.
3) Buy an efficient machine.
The efficiency of an a/c is measured in EER(energy efficiency ratio) It has to be over 9.5 or the air conditioner is supposed to be inefficient. With higher EER you not only save electricity but also lengthen the life of the compressor since it has to work lesser to achieve the same cooling.
4) Air circulation.
The air circulation speed is measured in cubic meters per minute(m3/min) Your machine should be able to throw in at least 6 m3 of air per min.
Also, the noise level should be less than 50 dB. Remember this: 60 dB is the noise of general conversation, so a machine making 60 dB noise is as good as a person talking continuously in your room. Well, if you have any ladies at your home you are likely to be used to such noise levels! No offence.
About the popular brands:
I’ve scanned the pamphlets of about 5-6 popular brands models and have observed a few things.
LG models are generally cheaper, but I won’t comment on their performance since I haven’t experienced them. Voltas a/c s have very powerful compressors so they cool your room quickly and are suited in places like mumbai, chennai etc where the summer is verrrry HOT.
Another thing: If you live in a city where humidity levels are low, a good air cooler would do the job and you’ll save a lot of cash(also the running expenses) Check your newspaper and find out what the humidity level is. If it’s less than 50%, I suggest you give the air cooler a try.
(c) Amey Purandare.
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Thank you sandeep for raising a few more points. I’ve taken the liberty to add your comments right here so that they are visible to everybody who reads this review. Hope u won’t mind.
Comments by sandeep
Thought that I would contribute my two bit too. I have been around the country and the major factor that decides the success of the AC I feel is the running cost. Though one gets tempted to go in for the ones that come with the?kit?, I would advise you to think twice. After all, the machine is going to run at least 8-10 hours a day and the power consumption being overwhelming, one needs to consider that too. I feel that it should be the only factor in this aspect. This is where the branded ones win. Also if one is going to invest in the AC, one is going to stick with it for atleast a decade- the branded ones have good stuff in the copper tubes- they last. The local ones get corroded every two to three years due to the heavy air pollution in the?industrialised? cities- it forms the acid when the vapour condenses and kills them! I have both kinds at home and the Amtrex wins hands down- not only it is silent, but the efficiency is superb. Also one needs to consider the split type- after all they have real advantages, but at a cost- but then that is a seperate subject altogether- Great review all the same, Regards, Sandeep.