What You Must Know While Buying An Air Conditioner

By Author: Nihal Sharma
Total Articles: 1
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With temperatures soaring every year, air conditioners are becoming a necessity in the household rather than a luxury. But the decision of buying an AC needs to be well thought of, as it is an asset that stays with you for years.

There a few basic parameters that the buyer should weigh before buying an AC.

1. Type of AC:

There are two types of AC’s available in the market- Window Air Conditioners and Split Air Conditioners. Buyer needs to decide the type of AC that suits their requirement. Window AC is a box unit and would utilise the window space. If there are no windows or you wish to keep the window, a split AC is advisable. Maintenance and cost wise, window AC’s are easy on the pocket but too noisy, whereas, split AC’s are a little expensive but the cooling experience is soothing and quieter. However, if you are living on rent, window ACs may be a better choice because of easy de-installation and installation that it offers.

2. The tonnage of AC:

The cooling capacity of the AC is calculated in tonnage as per the square ...
... centimetre area it needs to cool. There are variants in tonnage like 0.75 tonne, 1 tonne, 1.5 tonne and 2 tonne. Choose the capacity depending on the size of the room, like a 0.75 tonne would suffice up to 120 SQ feet area, 1 ton for an area between 120-160 SQ feet, 1.5 ton for 161 – 250 SQ feet and 2 ton for above 250 - 400sq feet area. The capacity would also vary depending on the sunlight in the room, cluster in the room, like for 120 SQ feet of room with heavy sunlight and lots of furniture, a 0.75 ton AC cooling wouldn’t suffice, it would require a 1 ton AC.

3. Condensing Coil:

There are two types of condensing coils inside the cooling unit of the AC. First is the aluminium coil and second is the copper coil. AC with aluminium coil are less expensive, but copper coils are recommended over aluminium coil as copper is a better conductor of heat. Also, if there is a leakage in the aluminium coil, it cannot be repaired.

4. Star Rating:

Today all the appliances are rated with stars to measure their energy consumption. Higher the stars, the more the energy saving the appliance is. However, as the number of stars increases so does the price. Hence, for a household where the usage is limited to the summer season, a 2 star or a 3 star AC would suffice. A 5 star is generally recommended if it’s used for commercial purposes. Moreover, there are Inverter models available in the market which surely help in reducing the electricity bills, but are very expensive. However, if the usage of AC is very high, an inverter model is a better buy.

So, make your choice considering the above features and have a Happy & Cool Summer. Enjoy shopping.