Correctly choosing one air conditioner to heat your home will affect two aspects that surely interest you very much: the comfort of your home and your Pocket or. Of course, a wrong decision will affect those same aspects, but not in the way you would like. Here, we’ll guide What Air Conditioner to buy. Choose according to your requirement.
To be successful in that election, it is not necessary to invest a lot of time or make any special effort; it is enough to have clear some basic concepts in relation to the different air conditioning systems that exist, assess certain characteristics of the home and lean towards a product of proven solvency and quality.
The best brands of air conditioner
Choosing a brand or a model to buy is always a difficult task, for this we will help you by telling you which are the most reliable brands.
Normally in airs, the best brands are usually Japanese, and that does not spend summers in Spain far from the beach. Among these Japanese brands, we highlight Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Panasonic. These brands today are the best in terms of new technologies in air conditioning and those who invest most in R & D to get new products.
Right after and very close are the Korean brands Lg and Samsung, which are well known as they are not only dedicated to air conditioners, but to many technology products. They are considered a good quality-price option, but they are not yet top brands in air conditioners, although they have little left to be.
And finally the brands of Chinese origin as Daitsu , among others, which are brands that usually present good products at great prices but sometimes with air appliances with a little higher consumption or something more noisy, so to search a star product you have to look very good as there are many bargains in air conditioners in these brands .
There are many more brands that we can see in any store such as Orbegozo, Comfee, Jhonson, Olimpia … brands that are increasingly taking more and are selling more and more.
Types of air conditioning systems
The first of the possibilities of air conditioning of a house happens to have a preinstallation of conduits arranged for that purpose under a false ceiling. This is usually the case of some new buildings, and its main advantage is that with a ducted air conditioning system, this previous installation can be used to distribute the cold or heat throughout the rooms, silently and with great efficiency. When there are no devices in sight, there is no aesthetic impact either.
But do not worry if your house does not have that previous installation: current technology offers other very valid and perfectly effective alternatives. The most recommended, in general, is a fixed air conditioning equipment , although there are specific situations in which a portable system is suitable: for example, if you live in a rental apartment or if, even if you are an owner, the neighboring community does not allow that device of this type are placed on the façade.
To this first differentiation of equipment between fixed and mobile must be added a second: the one that distinguishes monobloc systems, which only consist of one element, split type equipment, formed by an indoor unit and another outside. It is this outdoor unit that is usually located on the facade, terrace or balcony and is connected by tubes to the interior.
The equipment type air conditioner split is the most popular for home use. A fixed split system will offer sufficient power and a comfortable climate control, as well as simple maintenance and silent operation thanks to the distance separating the compressor (the external element) from the evaporator.
There are also portable split devices that you can move with the limitations imposed by the length of the tube that connects both units. Its consumption is greater and its power more scarce, to which it must be added that they are not very quiet.
A portable monobloc device is a system integrated into a single unit. It does not need installation, it can move to any part of the house and it is very economical, but also noisy and much less efficient from the energy point of view.
Split Air Conditioners are the best sellers
We have already said that the installation of a fixed split air conditioning unit is the most usual option when it comes to air conditioning a family home. And it is convenient to indicate also that the disposition of its units offers several alternatives and can be adapted to the characteristics and needs of each case.
Thus, it is possible to place the interior module on the wall ( split wall ), on the ceiling or on the floor. You can also use the split cassette, in which the internal unit is installed in a false ceiling and hidden from view; or finally, to opt for the multi-split modality, with several indoor units to condition the different rooms.
It should be added that the majority of current equipment incorporates a heat pump that allows the appliance to also function as a heating system. In this way, its usefulness extends throughout the year, cooling in summer and heating in winter. If the operation of a conventional air conditioner consists of absorbing the heat of the room and expelling it, the heat pump can behave inversely: taking advantage of the outside temperature to bring heat to the interior of the house. It is a very efficient system when both temperatures are relatively close, although its performance decreases as the thermal difference between indoor and outdoor increases.
What factors should you take into account when choosing an air conditioning system?
The ability of an air conditioner to absorb heat and, therefore, lower the temperature, is usually expressed in BTU per hour. So we must find out how many are needed to cool our home.
Although its exact calculation would require estimating a good number of variables, a reference is usually used that allows us to obtain an approximate result: for each square meter we will need about 100 BTUs.
For a room of 30 m², therefore, it would take 3000 BTU. If we took into account the orientation, the construction materials, and some other aspects we could achieve a more precise figure, but to choose our device an orientation is sufficient.
In case the power of the air conditioning system is indicated in watts, we can do the conversion multiplying by 0.86:
1000 watts = 860 BTU (1000 x 0.86)
To convert frigorías to watts, we will divide by the same amount:
3000 BTU = 3488 Watt (3000 / 0.86)
The energy efficiency of air conditioning
It tends to think that a device with a lot of power will have a large consumption that will be reflected in the electricity bill, but it does not necessarily have to happen that way. A powerful team will reach the temperature we want in less time than one that is not so much, but in terms of its consumption and the expense that it will entail for our pocket, what is decisive is its energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency measures the relationship between the consumption of the appliance and its ability to fulfill its mission. That is to say: between two equipment capable of maintaining a room at a certain temperature, the most efficient will be the one that consumes the least amount of electrical energy.
What is inverter technology?
We have already said that most of the current air conditioning systems can play the role of refrigerator and heater, and to achieve this with high efficiency incorporate the so-called inverter technology.
In a fixed-speed air conditioner, which is uncommon today, the compressor always works one hundred percent; it is not possible to regulate its intensity. That translates into low efficiency and much higher consumption.
With the inverter technology, the device achieves the desired temperature beforehand (increasing the speed of the compressor), in addition to keeping it constant, regulating its activity automatically. While a traditional system works by starting and stopping the engine, and therefore generating large peaks of consumption and remarkable temperature oscillations, in the inverter technology the compressor rotates continuously with the right intensity so that the environment remains at our pleasure.
This constant and gradual flow of the equipment achieves a much higher climate comfort and a very considerable energy saving, in addition to prolonging the life of the compressor and changing the noisy on/off cycles by a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
Indispensable if you are going to make frequent use of your air conditioner as a heating system, it is important to keep in mind that its effectiveness decreases when outside temperatures are extremely low. There are, however, inverter systems of maximum performance designed to function as heating even in those cases. Its efficiency is very high and its cost is also higher, so it only makes sense to consider your purchase in case you live in a particularly cold region.
How to measure the energy efficiency of an air conditioner?
To measure the performance of an air conditioning system, two parameters have been used, called EER and COP. The first indicates the relationship between the developed cooling capacity and the energy consumed by the equipment; that is, it measures the performance of said equipment when it functions as refrigeration. The COP, for its part, indicates the relationship between the calorific power and the energy consumed; expresses the performance of the system when it is used as a heating system.
The higher both indicators are, the higher the energy efficiency of the device and the lower, therefore, the energy it needs to use to maintain a room at a certain temperature.
However, some years ago these two indicators were modified to offer more accurate information to the consumer about the real efficiency of a team.
The parameters that are currently used are SEER and SCOP, which measure the same concepts but considering their seasonal performance, over a long period of time, because that is what is really important when talking about their actual use. For this, factors such as the consumption of the system when it is switched off and its operation at different intensity levels are taken into account.
The SEER and the SCOP thus offer a more realistic and reliable reference to the consumer, and the values obtained by both standards are what determine the energy classification of an air conditioning equipment. In the energy label, which must have all air conditioning system, that efficiency rating will be shown according to a scale that goes from the A +++ to the G.
Air conditioning equipment consumes
We have already seen that SEER and SCOP indicate the performance of a device in cooling and heating mode, respectively, and now we are going to use those values to calculate the consumption. Suppose that our device has a nominal power of 3500 watts. What we must do is divide that figure by the one indicated by the SEER code (or SCOP, in case we want to know the consumption in heating mode). If the SEER is 6.1, the operation would be as follows:
3500 / 6.1 = 573 watts per hour. Or, which is the same, 0,573 kW / h.
With this data we can calculate, knowing the price of kW / h, the cost per hour of the operation of our equipment. In most cases, we will see that acquiring a very economical price system, with a low SEER, is much less profitable in the medium and long-term than opting for a more expensive purchase that ensures significantly lower consumption.
The sound level, what air makes less noise?
Of course, minimizing the noise that has traditionally accompanied the operation of air conditioning devices has been a priority for manufacturers. Do not forget that it is about making our home more comfortable, and without silence, we can badly achieve it.
Currently, the inverter technology allows the sound levels presented by most fixed split equipment to be very low. A figure below 40 decibels guarantees your peace of mind, although there are brands that have decreased their noise level to around 20 decibels, a value that is considered suitable for a bedroom.
Filters and air quality
The modern air conditioners have also solved the problems of odor and environmental dryness caused its operation a few years ago. To achieve a cleaner and higher quality air, different types of filters are used, to which we must pay attention to make an adequate choice for our needs.
A standard filter consists, basically, of a micro-grid made of plastic or other material that retains the larger particles. It requires a periodic cleaning.
The filters plasma are more complex; They purify the air and are particularly indicated for people with asthma or allergy problems.
Those of activated carbon, on the other hand, are ideal if the house has pets or is smoked frequently, thanks to its ability to absorb smoke and odors. It is not possible to wash them and they must be replaced as soon as their useful life ends.
There are other types of filters, such as antibacterial, photocatalytic or ion, which use different advanced systems to achieve a better elimination of odors and a greater purity of the air.
Conclusion, which is the best air conditioner for me
In a large number of cases, a fixed split system that incorporates inverter technology is the most appropriate option to install air conditioning in a family home, and have cold and heat in a reliable and silent manner.
However, there are many products of this type and it is necessary to make a choice adapted to our case to obtain the best performance and the highest comfort at the most adjusted price. For this, we must take into account the square meters of the room that we want to air condition, calculate the power we need and observe the energy rating of the device to know its efficiency and consumption. Finally, we must assess the types of filter and its maintenance, and check the sound level of the equipment, especially if we want to install it in a bedroom.
Of course, the last important advice is that all those characteristics are backed by the prestige of a proven road brand, such as Mitsubishi. Our catalog has a wide range of equipment with different technical specifications and very advantageous prices, and we are sure that it will not be difficult to find the air conditioning system that best suits your needs.
