When summer approaches, interest in air conditioners increases considerably.
With interest, however, doubts and uncertainties also increase, because before buy an air conditioner it is necessary to evaluate numerous factors, some of a personal nature, others of a technical-functional nature.
As for the factors of a personal nature, we are referring to assessments that only you, the potential buyer, can know:
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- Purchase methods: online, offline, shopping center, specialized shop, etc…;
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- Space available to house the internal and external units, at least as regards fixed air conditioners, which we will talk about later;
- Quantity e square footage of the environments to be cooled or heated;
As mentioned, these are personal assessments, which only you can do it because only you are aware of your possibilities and your specific needs.
To these factors, then, must be added those of nature technical-functional, therefore linked to the characteristics of the air conditioner and the choice to be made based on the intended use.
To help you in choosing, we decided to create this air conditioner purchasing guide, within which we will try to clarify with respect to terminology, models, typologies and fundamental technical characteristics.
Let's begin.
Do you need to buy an air conditioner? Ask yourself why!
If you are about to buy an air conditioner or an air conditioner it means that you've done a series of assessments, and you have decided that this appliance can improve your life in some way.
Now, the question you need to ask yourself before even looking at the offers on flyers or online is to establish the reasons behind your propensity to purchase.
In short words, why do you want to buy an air conditioner?
Do you want to cool your home during the warmer months? Do you want a device that can cool in summer and heat in winter, to alternate or replace the use of radiators, towel warmers, pellet stoves, gas stoves and similar?
Maybe your house is very humid, so you need an air conditioner that also acts as a dehumidifier.
These are very common situations, perfectly normal, but it is necessary to clarify your ideas regarding your real needs, because between one model and another, depending on the functions, there is also a not entirely irrelevant price difference.
In short, if you only want to cool in the summer it makes no sense to spend a little more to have an air conditioner that heats even in the winter.
Clear?
Air conditioner or climate control? What differences are there?
The terms “air conditioner” and “air conditioner” are often confused, and used as if it were synonymous, but this is not the case.
The air conditioner and climate control are two different devices, which have different functions.
The conditioner, in fact, is an appliance whose only function is that of cool down environments during the warmer months.
The air conditioning, however, it can cool in summer and heat in winter, thanks to heat pump technology.
Today this difference, from a linguistic point of view, is almost no longer made, and the two terms are actually used as if they were synonymous.
To avoid making mistakes, we advise you to always check the functions of the appliance, so you can make sure it is the right one for you.
How to choose an air conditioner: fixed, portable or without external unit?
Air conditioners are divided into two main categories: fixed air conditioners and portable air conditioners.
Both types have pros and cons, as happens with any electronic device.
To these two is added a third, more recent type: the air conditioner without an external unit.
Portable air conditioner
The portable air conditioner is that, equipped with wheels, which you can easily move from one room to another and place wherever you like.
This, at least, is the intention.
In reality, in fact, a portable air conditioner is equipped with a flexible plastic tube from which, during operation, hot air comes out, which you must let out of the house.
Usually holes are drilled in the window glass, which can then be covered with an ad hoc lid, but if you can't or don't want to tamper with the glass you can keep the window open a little and let the mouth of the tube come out.
It must also be considered that portable air conditioners, having a built-in motor, they can be noisier compared to the fixed ones, which have the engine outside.
It's not very practical, admittedly, but it can represent an alternative when, due to various constraints, you cannot install a fixed air conditioner, not to mention that it does not require the intervention of a technician to make it work.
Fixed air conditioner
The fixed air conditioner is the one we are used to thinking about, the classic one that is fixed to the wall, at the top, inside the room to be air conditioned.
They are made up of two elements:
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- Internal unit: it is the part of the air conditioner that is installed in the house and which, in fact, refrigerate or heat the environment;
- External unit: it is the air conditioning motor, what allows it to function correctly.
These two units, as you can imagine and probably know, must be installed so as to be connected, which is why they are usually positioned on both sides of the wall, inside and outside.
For this reason, even if you can buy an air conditioner online with a simple click, you will still have to request the intervention of a specialized technician to install it.
Air conditioners without external unit
The air conditioner without external unit it's sort of in between between the desktop and the laptop, if we want.
In fact, where there is no possibility of installing an external unit on the facade of the building - think, for example, of historic buildings - but you don't even want a portable unit that clutters the room, you can opt for this hybrid solution.
Even if it is a little less efficient than the fixed air conditioner with external unit, this solution is a good compromise between aesthetics and functionality.
How to choose the power of an air conditioner:
The power of an air conditioner must be dependent on the size of the environment to heat or cool.
To make your choice, in any case, you must check the BTU - acronym for British thermal unit - of the model you are interested in.
How are the necessary BTUs calculated?
There are different formulas to calculate the BTUs needed by the room to be air conditioned.
In this guide we will show you a very simple operation to do, which will allow you to precisely calculate how many BTUs are needed to air condition the environment for which the device is intended.
There formula to use it's the following:
m2 xk = BTU
In this formula with the letter K we indicate a coefficient that has a value equal to 340.
K is a coefficient that corresponds to 340.
Why are we reporting this formula to you? Because it has been calculated that we need approx 340 BTU to air condition one square meter. Consequently, to know how many BTUs we need, simply multiply the square meters of the room by 340.
Let's see a practical example: Let's assume we need to air condition one room of approximately 30 m2. At this point all we have to do is proceed with a simple multiplication:
30 x 340 = 6800
Therefore, when purchasing the air conditioner you will have to focus on those models that have BTUs of around 10,200.
Technology used: Inverter Vs On-Off
When you buy an air conditioner you will be faced with further information relating to the technology used.
Specifically, you will find models with Inverter technology, all those with On-Off technology are obsolete and out of production.
What does “Inverter” mean, and what does the term “On-Off” refer to?
The air conditioners with tinverter technology are regulated in a fixed manner, that is, they release cold air at maximum power and then, once the temperature has been reached, they regulate the power in order to obtain a
stable temperature.
In this way, yes reduce consumption automatically.
The air conditioners with On-Off technology, however, they turn on and off depending on the temperature we have set, and when they reach it they turn off and then turn back on when it changes.
These models, unfortunately, consume a little more. It is in fact one technology now out of production.
Energy class of air conditioners
Staying on the topic of consumption, an element to take into consideration when purchasing an air conditioner is the energy class.
This actually applies to every household appliance.
The energy class is indicated on the label and on the product box with letters, from A to G - where A indicates the lowest consumption and G the highest - to which the + symbol is added, up to a maximum of 3.
This means that the best model in terms of consumption and energy efficiency is the air conditioner equipped with a energy class A+++.
Monosplit or multisplit?
Before purchasing an air conditioner, or multiple air conditioners, you have to decide how many rooms in the house do you mean cooling or heating, because the final choice will depend on this.
In fact, if you intend to install a single room, or two adjacent ones not separated by doors - think of a living room with kitchenette, for example - a single monosplit air conditioner may be sufficient.
The term monosplit indicates an external unit on which it is possible to install a single entire unit.
If, however, you are thinking of installing an air conditioner in each bedroom and living room, you can opt for a multisplit, dual, trial or quad depending on the number of internal units you need.
Air conditioning with Wi-Fi remote controls
The most modern models are increasingly turning towards home automation and Iinternet of Things, using the connection to the home internet network.
Being able to have, for example, a remote on, off and temperature regulation system can be really very convenient.
For example, just before returning home, you can turn it on and enter an already cooled or heated environment, with all the advantages this entails.
Conclusions
Whatever your final choice, remember that if you opt for a fixed air conditioner you must contact a specialized technician to carry out the installation correctly.
Furthermore, we would like to give you two other pieces of advice:
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- However hot it may be, do not set never the temperature too low, because it could cause an energy overload capable of damaging the device;
- Periodically carry out the Cleaning air conditioner filters
Now that you know everything about purchasing an air conditioner, you can consult our wide offer of Online Air Conditioners. You will find the best brands on the market at great prices. What are you waiting for?
Visit the section of the ClimaFast.it shop dedicated to the purchase of air conditioners
Do you want to install an air conditioning system and would like advice?
Try ours Video Inspection Service
For any other needs, do not hesitate to contact us at 06 8781136 our technicians will be happy to help you choose the air conditioner that's right for you.