Planning to Buy an Air Conditioner? Here’s What to Look For

Air conditioners are essential parts of our lives, so when the time comes to purchasing a new one, you should make your decision carefully. If you don’t choose the right air conditioner, you might endanger those who live within the same premise as you, especially those who suffer from lung issues or are asthmatic. But before you decide to buy a new AC unit, you need to troubleshoot it first for a possible easy fix. In troubleshooting issues on AC, you must include these possible culprits why your AC is not working.

When it comes to choosing one, there are a lot of factors to consider, like energy efficiency, price, and capacity. Along with the new technologies that keep popping up every day, you might be a bit confused as to which one to choose, but don’t worry about that, as this guide will help you make a decision.

Types of Air Conditioner

The first thing you’ll probably think about is the type of air conditioner that you should get. You can decide this upon the size of the room in which you’re going to install the air conditioner and the price. Split systems, for example, are the most common type and are excellent for open plan areas and any room. Usually, they range between $600 and $5500. Multi-split systems, on the other hand, are good for two or three rooms that are close together, and their prices are close to those of the split systems. Ducted systems are excellent for heating and cooling your whole house, but they can be a bit on the expensive size (up to $10,000).

A packaged terminal air conditioner or PTAC is also one of the best choices. In contrast with conventional units, PTAC is simpler to mount. It also doesn’t need ductwork. There are two distinct ways a PTAC works. It is via heat pump or resistance heat. The differences between a PTAC heat pump vs electric heat is that a heat pump draws 25-75 percent less wattage, making them more efficient than other electric heat systems.

Capacity

You can decide your unit’s capacity according to the size of your room or your house. The maintenance experts at ACDirect.com recommend taking the size of your room/ house into consideration before choosing a unit. If the air conditioner’s capacity is not big enough for your room, you’ll probably not get enough dehumidification. However, if the cooling capacity is bigger than necessary, it will turn on and off more often. Small-sized units will consume a lot of energy to cool or heat the room, which translates to higher energy bills. If you can’t determine a system’s capacity, make sure to a specialist at the store.

Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency Ratings (EER) have been a staple for a long time now. They have been created by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to start-rate the efficiency of any unit, so it will be pretty easy for buyers to determine which ones would work best in their homes. Of course, the more stars the unit gets, the more efficient it will be in your area. Small air conditioners are known to consume a lot of energy, especially when installed in large areas. Therefore, if you’re shopping for a small unit, you should pick one with a high EER to save money on your energy bills in the future.

Reverse-cycle Air Conditioning

One of the best methods that you can heat your house with is the reverse-cycle air conditioner, which can effectively heat all your house as much as it can cool it. A split system air conditioner will remove heat from indoor air and move it outside through the refrigerant gas.

The outdoor unit will then release the heat and channel the cooled refrigerant back to the indoor unit in an endless cycle. Heating modes, on the other hand, heat is extracted from the outdoor air and is sent indoors. So, if you’re looking for a system that has both cooling and heating properties, look for this feature. Air conditioners that have only cooling features are usually cheaper, but they’re ideal for hot summer days.

Inverter Technology

Although they might be a bit expensive, air conditioners with inverter technology are more effective at cooling and will save a lot of energy. So, the money that you would’ve spent on energy bills will equate the amount you’ll pay on one of these systems. Furthermore, inverter ACs are more effective because they can vary the speed of their compressors, so it will speed up and down according to your need, which means they will use less electricity than non-inverter ACs. They are also more likely to be durable than non-inverter ACs, as the latter can go through wear and tear due to being constantly on or off. They will also consume more energy to start every time you turn them on. So, while they might be cheaper, they will probably cost you more than inverter ACs in the long run.

You can choose the air conditioner that will suit your specific needs. There are other features that you must consider, such as noise control, dehumidification, sleep mode function, and a good warranty. If you want to save up the money of changing the AC filter, you can buy one with a self-cleaning feature. This feature is considered a necessity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.