Which Air Conditioner To Buy?

[HetalDP 947]

Looking for 1.5 tones of Capacity based AC -

Following thing have been selected

DAIKIN 3 Star 1.5 Tones Approx Rs 39 with Installation

DAIKIN Inverter 1.5 Tones No Idea of price

Panasonic Inverter 1.5 Tones = approx Rs 45k with Installation

Panasonic delaer have told me Invertor Tech can save you bills upto 70% compared to 3 star in best condition and so we can expect atleast 50% power saving

My Usage = Need it for Bed room of size 15 x 15, 4 to 5 months a year use, 8 to 9 hours a day when used. - Low Maintenance units only

PLEASE Give your Comments on Inventor Technology and its power saving efficiency, How much bill will it come for 3 star 1.5 units vs Inverter based 1.5 AC for my usage pattern

[dkaile 1,051]

The prices quoted to you are much on higher side. No need to go in for Inverter technology. A 5 star rated unit will be quite close to it and better cooling than it. Best Split AC at the moment is HITACHI. It is 5 Star Rated, 1.5T and will cost you 34K all landed and installed. Go for that for total peace of mind.

Edited May 3, 2012 by dkaile

[Dushie 30]

Well i agree, it's always best to go for a 5 Star rating Ac , than going for anything else. I have Whirlpool at home, have been using from last 3 years , without any issues and its working great. Yes any good 5 Star rating AC for 1.5 Ton would cost you in the range of 32 to 35 k.

[copperco2 24]

if you have frequent power gul moments then only an inverter ac should be preferred otherwise 3star + should do okay.

Daikin seems to be good as we have installed one just a month back.. i might add.. ,since i was out of station, i did not had any say in the hardware.

[taunk23 41]

Hitichi is best in the business, its the most expensive but the cooling is the best, for a bit cheaper options you can go in for Blue star or Volats above 3 star.

Please view the link for comparison.

http://compareindia.in.com/category_home_html.html?cid=21

[@v@nit 3]

I am using DAIKIN Inverter 1.5 Tones from last 1 year and would recomend the same. DAIKIN Cost is on higher side but you will get Completely Japan built unit with supurb quality and on top of that power consumption is very less. I pay around Rs.200 every month with 12 hours of daily use. I am using other 3 brands as well and found this as best.

[admirer2000 100]

Looking for 1.5 tones of Capacity based AC -

. . .

My Usage = Need it for Bed room of size 15 x 15, 4 to 5 months a year use, 8 to 9 hours a day when used. - Low Maintenance units only

PLEASE Give your Comments on Inventor Technology and its power saving efficiency, How much bill will it come for 3 star 1.5 units vs Inverter based 1.5 AC for my usage pattern

For the mentioned usage, it is preferable to go for regular (non Invertor type) 3star Split A/c* with Rotary compressor & a good Volage stabiliser + power trip off option for load varations.

*if you have a window in that room and possible to instal a window A/c then that is even better than split A/c, for ease of maintenance.

[taunk23 41]

Only 200

[amtrag 20]

I would also suggest Hitachi split. A 5 star should be better because usage is moderate, not low.

I have a Carrier window ac in one bedroom and Hitachi split in other bedroom. And the Hitachi is definitely better. Lesser noise and better & uniform cooling.

[HetalDP 947]

Guys please also have a say about Inverter AC Monthlu bills vs 3star or 5stars A?C monthly bills, forgot to tell you i want 5 UNITS

[csmart 472]

The power saving for 5 star ac should be minimum 30% more compared to 3 star. I changed by bedroom AC from old window to split, 3 star, Daikin, and found no much difference in my power bill. My dealer had warned me about the power consumption.

Suggest to but 5 star - any technology. Better to ask any dealer or electrician how much watt or kwh is consumed by each AC. based on that you can decide which to buy. but no 3 star.

[mastermunj 10]

I have recently purchased 2 Hitachi 5 Star Split AC and one of my friend is using Hitachi AC since more than 2 years now.

We are so very happy with performance and bill is also not much. Check EER Rating, the higher the better.

Hitachi AC are best in segment and has best EER ratio's too.

The power saving not only depends on star rating but also on how the AC is used. If one keeps it running at 18 degree for 12 hours regardless of so much cooling need, bills will go higher for 5 star rated AC too.

[HetalDP 947]

Claim from Dealer

Invertor AC saves upto 60% percent power compared to average brand 3Star and upto 45% compared to average brand of 5 star

[dkaile 1,051]

^

See their brochures. Power consumption of Inverter AC and Normal 5 star AC varies according to each model. No one formula can be made to specify which is more economical. Also real world cooling figures in Indian heat also differs and power consumption will vary according to ambient temperature. My advice to you was based on feedback received from a dealer friend who deals in all brands of ac's since last 20 years. You have to see which is successful in Indian conditions rather than buying by advertising propaganda. Also to be seen is the quality of condensor, whether cooling coils and condensor coils are all brass; what is the thickness of those coils, etc. etc. Most Rotary Compressors fails or reduce in poerformance in 45 degree heat after initial 1-2 years of service. That also has to kept in the back of the mind.

On a side note, I am planning to install a Panasonic Split AC, 1.5T, 3 Star; all landed cost at 29K (with stabiliser); It is non inverter type. Will not be used daily and will be used just 5-7 days a month and that too for few hours, hence compromised from Hitachi.

Edited May 3, 2012 by dkaile

[HetalDP 947]

Panasonic and DAIKIN all have Copper only parts for sure they only have Zinc or Blue Coating so copper dont get rust.

Assuming Todays Max and min Temperature is 22 lowest in night / 38 highest in day, to be installed at Sixth floor

[dkaile 1,051]

^

At a highest ambient temperature of 38 degree, even a 2 star AC will work fine.

[tanveer 59]

Got myself an O general window recently. Thanks to Delhi weather, havent used it much.

[ayaz_cool 30]

go for general ACS they are best and less power consuming

[ami1 237]

ACs with 'Invertor' technology have a variable speed compressor (power is converted to DC to control compressor speed - hence the name 'invertor')

So, instead of Stop-Start compressor operation, invertor ACs continuosly increase or decrease compressor speed to maintain the required constant temperature.

This results in significant power savings as frequent starting takes up immense power, and even more importantly there is much less wear tear and maintenance.

Good side effect is that there is no momentary voltage fluctuation every time some AC in the house starts or stops.

Its definitely a much more sensible technology. I don't know why invertor ACs are not available with star rating.

[tanveer 59]

For public good, can someone list available acs according to the technology they use?

[sgiitk 32]

I take it for granted we are discussing Split ACs here. My own tuppence worth.

1, Check whether the condenser coils are copper or aluminium. The latter may corrode faster in a coastal area.

2. Check if you can get R410a in place of R22. R22 is banned after 2022 as per the Montreal Protocol. See how quickly R12 vanished. As far as I know Daikin and General (not O general as it is often referred to) have R410a units.

My experience is that unlike window units splits often need some topping up after 5-6 years.

3. Daikin is the best there is closely followed by General and Panasonic. Hitachi are more reputed in Window units. So in cockney, "You pays your money and takes your choice". I have an 11 year old Videocon 2TR unit whch will be replaced by a Daikin or General before next summer.

4. One advantage of Inverter units is that you choose as per the standard rating, but get advantage of the peak rating for rapid cooling. Also, Inverter units do not require stabilizers.

5. The star ratings were updated this year (scan of advt attached). In the market some people are still selling using the old ratings.

Edited May 3, 2012 by sgiitk

[KapilAgrawal 340]

Inverter type AC are Expensive but the Best.

The power consumption of Inverter AC would fall to 300 watt/hour once the room is Cool. While similar 5* AC would consume 600 watt/hour.

The reason for this difference is - Inverter AC does not turn Off, Its working all time but in low power mode. Hence temperature is stably maintained & power saved.

[Venkatagiri 53]

Theory says Inverter Air Conditioners save 30 to 50% power as reported here

http://www.airconditioner.me.uk/Benefits_of_Inverter_Air_Conditioning.html

However if you are using AC for 9 hours a day a fixed speed compressor will be running for 5 hours and will be stopped for 4 hours asuming that compressor ON-OFF period to be 50-50% after reaching room set temp. This gives a feeling that the saving may not be 30-50% as claimed with the compressor running all the time in case of inverter AC.

Back to the starting point as someone using both has to say the difference and I tell you it is not easy to find the power consumption.

Anyway thanks Hetal Bhai for starting this topic.

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Hitachi claims a more moderate 30% power saving for inverter ac as compared to 50% claimed by panasonic. Both are in comparison to a 5 Star rated ac. There is no dispute on whether inverter ac will save power, question is how much?

Let's assume the lower 30% energy saving rate for our calculation. I could find the following online prices for Daikin A/c's..

Daikin 1.5 ton invertor split ac Rs 44,700

Daikin 1.5 ton 5 Star Split ac Rs 42,200

Daikin 1.5 ton 3 Star Split ac Rs 34,750

Let's assume a 1500 watt power input for a 1.5 ton 5 star split a/c (Typical). That comes to 1.5 Unit per hour of operation. Hp's usage is 8 hours a day for 6 month a year. Assuming Rs 7 Per unit rate in Maharashtra, the energy cost per month comes to Rs 2,520. With 30% saving in inverter ac, it will be Rs 1,764. So a saving of Rs 756 per month. Incremental cost of Daikin invertor ac compared to 5 star is Rs 2,500. So the payback period is approx 3.3 months after which savings actually start.

Further assuming DK's cost of Hitachi 1.5 ton 5 Star at 34K and HP's Panasonic invertor 1.5 ton at 45K, the difference is Rs 11,000. Payback period for an inverter ac in this case for HP's usage should Rs 11,000 / Rs 756 = 14.5 Months after which actual savings start.

Since ac's are used for atleast 5 year by normal people, prima facie, inverter ac does make sense and should save good amount of energy cost.

HP, calculate the above figures with actual price of models you are considering and you have the answer.

[@v@nit 3]

Panasonic and DAIKIN all have Copper only parts for sure they only have Zinc or Blue Coating so copper dont get rust.

Assuming Todays Max and min Temperature is 22 lowest in night / 38 highest in day, to be installed at Sixth floor

I am using Daikin Inverter in almost same climate in Bangalore with approx bill of Rs.200/month.