Air Conditioner Buying Guide: Choose the right AC for your room

Air Conditioners have become more of a  necessity these days. In India, almost 8 months in the northern parts have summers whereas the southern and western parts have moderate and humid temperatures all year long which makes the want for the air conditioner a necessity.

In recent years the temperature reached up to 36 – 38 degrees Celsius in the urban areas and the rural areas are no less behind and so the need for an air conditioner is a must these days.

There are plenty of options available in the market, and it becomes very difficult for the customer to choose one from the lot. In this article I will point out the features which one should look for while buying an air conditioner. Along with that we will look into the best brands available as well as the types of air conditioners available.

Types of Air Conditioners

Window AC:

The window ACs are comparatively large since all the components are present inside the single unit and for the same reason they are also called monoblocks. Since all the parts are present inside a single unit, the user has to worry about lesser things like it comes with an easy installation. The monoblock design makes them cheaper as well. 

One mandatory condition for a Windows AC to be successful is that it has to be mounted on the window and that window should not open into another room else it will heat up the other room. The AC has to be mounted on a wall and the wall has to be 9-12 inches thick else you’ll need additional support for the same. 

Pros: 

• Cheap
• Monoblock design
• Easy to install

Cons:

• Needs a thick wall to be mounted on.
• The window should not open in another room.
• Noisy

Split AC:

As the name suggests, in these ACs the compressor and heat dispensing coils are splitted into an external unit which are placed outside the room, mostly on the terrace. The maintenance of these ACs is more as compared to the Window ACs since the maintenance personnel will have to access the external unit as well. These ACs are costly as well.

The external unit should be installed up to 40 meters away from the main AC placed in the room to work efficiently and offer the best cooling experience. The internal and external unit should be well connected via a well-covered interconnecting tube.

Pros:

• Mounted on any wall; window presence is not mandatory
• Makes less noise

Cons:

• Expensive.
• High maintenance.
• Higher risk of coolant leaks

You may also like: Window AC Vs Split AC: Which One You Should Buy?

Cassette AC:

The Cassette ACs are a variant of split ACs. The only difference is that the external units are mounted on the ceiling of the same. So just in case you have no access to the terrace, mostly in the case of flats then the Cassette ACs are the best option.

Pros:

• No need for the terrace to install the external units thus less ricks of coolant leaks.
• Mounted on any wall; window presence is not mandatory
• Makes less noise

Cons:

• Expensive.

Best Brands for Air Conditioners in India

The following are the best brands for Air Conditioners available in India as of 2021:

Daikin AC:

Daikin has been on the market since 1924. Their vision is to be the most preferred Air Conditioning company, and they are quite successful in doing that. Daikin India is the subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd Japan, and they aim to contribute to society by providing the most efficient and preferred AC. The brand has been successful in maintaining the trust and confidence among its customers.

Hitachi AC:

Hitachi has been in the market since 1962, and they have maintained their market value very efficiently. The Hitachi ACs are best known for their fast cooling since they are designed to start at high RPMs which helps in bringing down the temperature of the room sooner and thus providing fast cooling. They are also known for the 

Mitsubishi (Heavy and Electric) AC:

Mitsubishi has been in the market since 1921. Their ACs are known for their durability. All their models are manufactured in India and are being exported. The cross-flow fan and aerodynamic design make them one of the quietest ACs available in the market.

O General AC:

O General ACs are known for their robust build and provide good cooling which makes them preferable. These are a bit costly and high maintenance comparatively, but they provide the best cooling experiences. 

Blue Star AC:

Blue Star is India’s leading air conditioning company. The stats show that every 3rd building in India has Blue Star ACs installed. They have customers which install their air conditioners for commercial as well as for residential purposes. 

Buyer’s Guide for selecting the ideal Air Conditioner for home & office

If you’re not sure about, what to look for when buying an air conditioner, then check out this buyer guide written in Layman terms for better understanding.

Type: There are 3 types of ACs, Window AC, Split AC and Cassette AC. Each type has their merits and demerits and their detail in brief has been under the heading, types of air conditioners. 

In conclusion, Window AC are the most budget friendly and easy to install, but they always need a window in which they have to be mounted. Whereas the split AC and Cassette AC do not have that limitation. So the buyer should decide the type of AC to be bought according to the room in which it has to be installed, also it will depend upon the budget of the customer as well.

Capacity or Tonnage: The capacity or tonnage of the AC depends upon various factors like the size of the room, window area exposed to the sun, the overall weather conditions geographically, number of people in the room and so on.

So here’s a simple calculator through which you can determine the capacity of the AC ideally required for your room

This tonnage calculator will make your task quite easy to determine what capacity of the AC will suit in the room in which the AC has to be installed to provide maximum cooling.

Efficiency and Rating: It’s high time that we buy products which consume the electricity efficiency and we should always look at the efficiency before buying a heavy appliance. 

The efficiency of an appliance is shown on a scale of 5. More the stars, higher is its efficiency and less the power consumption. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has suggested that one should buy an AC which has a 5 star rating on it.

The 5 stars AC are more expensive than the lesser star ones but it is a one time investment and in the long run they will be proven more successful since they’ll consume lesser electricity and so less electricity bill and a sustainable product as well.

Inverter/ Non-Inverter ACs: Inverters convert Direct Current(DC) to Alternating Current(AC) and vice-versa. Within air conditioners, the wall socket supplies AC power which is converted to DC and is again converted to AC for the compressor to work. Traditionally, this was a fixed and regular process so the compressors were always in an ON state or an OFF state. This utilizes a lot of electricity and keeps the compressor in a working state always.

Now, the inverter ACs are available in the market which make the above process dynamic and the above process is repeated when required, it saves both electricity and maintains the efficiency of the air conditioner. This also helps in maintaining the cooling of the room better.

Pros of Inverter air conditioners

Uses less power

More consistent temperatures – Less reliable

Cons of Inverter air conditioners

Expensive

In conclusion, the inverter air conditioners are better than non-inverter ACs.

Filters: The air conditioners which come with a filter are an add-on feature. The filter acts as an air purifier since it traps the air particles. Mostly these air conditioners which come with filters are suggested to be installed in the hospitals and for someone who has breathing problems. Air conditioners come with bacteria filters as well and one should make a decision for upgrading their AC with this feature as per their requirement. 

Heating: Certain air conditioners come with dual functionality, and they act both as a coolant as well as a heater. In the regions which have both summers and winters, these ACs are preferred there since they reduce the number of appliances installed in the room. For regions having summers throughout or even for major time of the year, these ACs with dual functionality should not be preferred. 

Timers: The air conditioners which come with a timer should be preferred. The AC automatically turns down once the room’s temperature is reached by the user and once after a certain amount of time when the temperature starts rising again, the AC gets switched on again. This feature ensures lesser power consumption and sound sleep.

Author’s take

So these are the major points that one should consider while making a decision of purchasing the Air Conditioner. There are plenty of features available but the AC you opt for should meet the above mentioned criteria for sure.

The best time to buy air conditioner in India is around October to February, in this period the temperature is little soothing and gradually temperature trends to drop as winter season approaches the Indian subcontinent and stays till mid February, so generally ac prices are lower during this period.

Another good reason to buy during this period of time is that all major festival happens in between these months, brands & online e-commerce websites gives huge discounts during their festive sales.

I hope that this buyer’s guide helps you in making the correct choice for the best Air Conditioner for your room.

Read More:

List of best-selling Air Conditioners in India

Some FAQs