Many people are confused about how to choose the right air conditioner (AC) in order to get comfort in the room where they live.
It’s not just a matter of brands, air conditioners on the market have many complicated terms that make people even more confused. As a result, many people end up choosing the air conditioner carelessly so that the unit does not suit their needs.
You need to know, there are several important points that you should pay attention to as a way to choose a good and correct air conditioner so that you will not be disappointed in the future, such as:
1. Choose AC that Fits the Room Size
The first way to choose an air conditioner is to know in advance the size of the room that will be given air conditioning. This is so that you are able to determine the right PK size.
What is PK? Paard Kracht or often abbreviated as PK is the amount of AC power in cooling a room. The higher the PK number you have, the better the AC’s ability to cool the room.
If you choose an air conditioner with a PK that doesn’t fit the room, obviously you will suffer a number of downsides. One of them is the increased electricity costs because the air conditioner is not optimal in cooling the room.
We recommend that you use AC with a size of 1 PK in the living room at home. This is because the airflow in the living room is easy to change because of the large number of people coming and going. Meanwhile, for the bedroom, choose AC measuring ½ PK only because the area of the average bedroom is not too big.
2. Make Sure the Power Supply and Voltage are Right
Generally, air conditioners that are sold on the market have a special plug form, namely a plug with three holes. Not only that, the AC voltage also varies. This depends on the shape of the outlet.
Therefore, you must first check the type of outlet and the type of voltage capacity available at home before buying the AC unit you want.
3. Choose AC Brands That Provide Energy Saving Features
One of the most important ways to choose an air conditioner is to check whether the unit you choose provides electricity saver features or not. One thing that you have to underline when checking this energy-saver feature, also try to pay attention to the level of power-saving capability of the unit.
Typically, this information is indicated by the number of stars the AC in question has. This star is an indicator of the minimum standard that has been set by the government so that AC can be traded to the public.
The star rating on this air conditioner is also an indicator of whether the air conditioner is energy-friendly or not. The higher the stars you have, the more energy-efficient your air conditioner uses. Of course, the more stars you have, the more expensive the air conditioner is.
You also have to understand COP or the coefficient of performance which is an indicator of the efficiency of an air conditioner in saving energy. The higher the COP, the more efficient.
However, COP is only a theoretical calculation. This calculation is then changed to the APF or annual performance factor which is able to calculate the ratio of the efficiency of the AC energy use.
In addition, you also have to be able to see the energy-saving ability of the AC unit based on the EER value or the energy efficiency ratio it has. The higher the EER value generated, it means that the AC’s ability to save electrical energy is also better.
On average, air conditioners with EER numbers starting from 10.41 can be considered energy-efficient and are categorized as four-star products.
4. Choose An Air Conditioner Without the Auto-Clean Feature
In recent years, many manufacturers have released AC units with an auto-clean feature. But be aware, this feature only performs a few simple cleaning methods, not as thorough as you might think.
There are many components in this AC unit that still cannot be reached by this kind of feature so they still need to be cleaned periodically in order to maintain the durability of the AC.
Not only that, this air conditioner which is equipped with an auto-clean feature is deliberately made with a structure that is much more complicated and difficult to disassemble. In fact, the price is much more expensive than ordinary air conditioners that are made without these features.
If you are accustomed to using AC cleaning services, it is highly recommended that you buy an air conditioner without an auto-clean feature. Besides being cheaper, maintenance is also much easier.
5. Pay Attention to the Cost of Installing and Uninstalling Air Conditioners Carefully
It would be nice to also take into account a number of additional costs for uninstalling the old air conditioner and installing a new air conditioner when you buy it. If you don’t have a special AC outlet, don’t forget to also calculate the cost of installing this one tool.
When you buy a new AC unit that includes the installation cost, get ready to spend between 2 to 3 million. Even so, each store certainly has a different price for loading and unloading the air conditioner, so it’s a good idea to ask the shop in question first to get more detailed information.
Those were some of the ways to choose the most appropriate air conditioner that you can try to apply so that you don’t get it wrong and trigger feelings of disappointment in the future.