AC – A Necessity Not a Luxury
Summer has started and the heat is on and the need for Air conditioners is one that is important at the moment to get some relief from the heat.
Air conditioner now is not considered as a means of luxury but more of a necessity and prior to investment of this expensive device it is essential to know some facts and figures which needs to be considered at the time of making a decision and purchasing it. AC of the lowest tonnage is 1 ton which is the fixed one that is needed for the smallest room while the next which follows is 1.5 ton which will be suitable for a medium sized room.
Thereafter is 2 tons which can be installed for a large to a very huge room. The consumer could use these details for an AC, based on the size of the room and make a choice accordingly. There are several types of air conditioners which opens a wide choice to the consumers who have the option on deciding on the basis of the machine.
These comprise of four types such as the split system, the reverse system, the inverter system and the multi systems.
Various Options to Choose
The split system comprises of two parts, the first one is kept inside the room while the second one is kept outside which enables the consumer to get the best quantity of fresh air from outside giving the best ventilation.
In the case of the second type, the reverse type is where one has both the cooling as well as the heating function in the same machine, providing the benefit from a single machine. The third kind is the inverter system wherein the air which is produced is mixed with different levels of usage which helps in getting the desired room temperature quickly and could be beneficial in the long run though the only drawback is that these ACs tend to be expensive due to their enhanced facilities.
Consumers also need to make a note of the extra features that may be needed which include a remote control dehumidifies along with timers which could help in the cooling process of the room while asleep and provide with improved facilities.
Details to be Considered
Other details to be taken into consideration is the levels of energy which can be consumed by the machine that can be done by studying the wattage of the machine and since it is utilised mostly in summer, one need to make a judgement or calculation to know a figure which could help to arrive at a right conclusion.
A basic branded AC cost a little over Rs 10,000 and most of them claim to be power efficient and the first choice offered by the dealer is a split or window AC. Window ACs tend to be easier to install as well as cheaper than split ACs.
The split ACs are offered with two separate units, with a compressor unit on the exterior area of the house and one or two units installed inside the house and the installation charges tend to be on the higher side. When compared to the sound, split ACs score over a Window AC with better air distribution.
Noise level on an average ranges from 30 decibels to 60 decibels and the higher the AC capacity, more the decibels. Rotary compressors tend to be more efficient as well as quieter than reciprocating options though are difficult to repair and would cost more. Consumers could check if the AC has variable fan speeds as one would need to use different speeds at different time of the day. They should also check for humidity control button as it reduces the amount of humidity in the room
Some ACs with More Features
A deodorising filter tends to eliminate odour, electrostatic filter clears off dust particles, and antifungal removes bacteria, ionisation filters clears germs and dust. All these things need to be taken into consideration which can determine how closely a unit can maintain a given temperature.
Some of the AC come with more features like sleep mode which tends to adjust the temperature during night, automatically or timers which turn an AC on or off on schedule or an auto restart which can restore original settings whenever the power is restored. Extra feature would also mean adding to the budget; hence these details also need to be considered prior to the purchase of the said AC.
The most important feature to check prior to purchase is its cooling capacity which is measured in British Thermal Units per hour (Btu/hr) that indicates the quantity of heat a room AC could remove within an hour. Referring to the AC in tonnage, one tone is equivalent to 12,000 Btu.
These ranges between 5,000 and 24,000 Btu and the higher the Btu, more cooling power does the unit have though this does not indicate that one should opt for the highest Btu. One should not choose a model with more cooling capacity than needed since it could cycle on and off too often thus resulting in wearing out the machine and would not stay on long enough to eliminate the humidity from the air.
