Which Air Conditioners?
Discover which Air Conditioners are best and which Air Conditioners are right for you.
What Air Conditioners
Learn about what Air Conditioners can do, the key features of Air Conditioners and what to look for when buying Air Conditioners.
Best Air Conditioners
Find the best Air Conditioners by popularity, price and functionality -- browse by the most popular brands and featured stores for Air Conditioners.
The concept of home comfort has been re-defined by the advent of air conditioning (AC). The job of these unique home appliances is to provide a nice, cool and relaxing atmosphere in your home by replacing the warm air with refreshingly cooled air. Air conditioners use a thermostat to regulate the air temperature and give you full climatic control of your living room or bedroom, through manipulation of the room’s temperature, humidity and even its air quality. For many people, life in hotter parts of the world has become much more comfortable.
Not so long ago, having an air conditioner was considered to be a luxury, due to the high purchase price and ongoing operating costs, owning an air conditioner was beyond the means of most people.
But that’s not the case anymore. Advances in air conditioning technology has meant that prices have tumbled, making them affordable for most households. Modern AC units also use a lot less energy than before, which means that the running costs are significantly lower than they used to be.
Most room air conditioners come in two parts. The biggest part is a wall mounted compressor unit that is installed outside and connected to the main cooling unit inside through a wall. AC is an effective way to cool the air in small, confined areas but may prove to be ineffective in larger rooms or rooms that have doors and windows left open. Some types of air conditioners do more than just cool the room however. A reverse intake air conditioner can also provide heating for a room, making them useful home appliances all year long. It’s also possible to buy smaller, single-unit air conditioners.
An air conditioner works by using a condenser which pulls in and pressurizes refrigerant gas, thereby raising its temperature. This high-pressure, heated gas travels along to condenser coils in the outside unit where fins distribute the heat from the gas evenly. Now the gas is cooled, it condenses into a very cold liquid that travels on to evaporator coils, and there it will absorb the room’s heat. Meanwhile, there is a fan that blows air through the AC unit, expelling cooled air into the room.
Split AC
The biggest and most common kind of AC unit is the split AC unit. As the name suggests, this air conditioner is split into two parts. The hot outside part is called the compressor unit and the cool indoor part is the evaporator unit. These units are ideal for commercial buildings or large offices as they are by far the most powerful, however there are now many smaller split AC models available that are ideal for home use. Another advantage of the split air conditioner models is that with the compressor being outside, the noise level inside the room is almost imperceptible.
Window AC
These air conditioners are smaller and less powerful than split AC’s and are a lot more suitable for residential homes. The window air conditioner sits snugly in an open window, with hot air being released outside and cooler air being blown into the room. While many older window AC units used to have a bad reputation for being big and bulky, nowadays these units are much more elegant and compact, and they give off a lot less noise too.
Cassette AC
A good alternative for anyone wanting a comfortable living environment without destroying the décor of their room is the ceiling mounted cassette air conditioner. These units slot into your ceiling just like a cassette slots into a cassette player. Once it is installed, you’ll hardly notice it’s there.
Floor Standing AC
Also known as Tower Air Conditioners, these free-standing units are the newest breed of AC unit available on the market. Split AC’s, window AC’s and cassette AC’s all need something to be mounted on, which is why the floor standing air conditioner is so popular; They’re mobile and versatile, they don’t need to be installed and due to their smaller size they are often much cheaper to run. As with the other popular kinds of air conditioner, floor standing AC units are usually available to fit two purposes, residential use and commercial use.
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There are many different kinds of air conditioner to choose from, so it’s a good idea to consider some of the different features available that are designed for your own convenience and those which can cut running costs.
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Oscillating Vents |
Ventilation/Exhaust |
Sleep Mode |
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Most modern split and window air conditioners now come with oscillating vents that will sweep the air around the room, either side-to-side or up-and-down, or even both in both directions. The oscillating vents can even be set to stay in one position, which means you can direct the cool air around the room at your own leisure. This allows for much more effective room cooling.
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A vital feature that will allow fresh air from outside to come into the room, preventing the air from becoming stuffy and stale.
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A very useful feature that allows you to set the air conditioner to turn off automatically during the night. This means that you won’t be waking up in the early hours feeling cold, as the room temperature will slowly rise back up during the night.
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Remote Temperature Control
If you’ve just got yourself comfortably settled into your armchair, the last thing you want to do is get up again to adjust the air temperature. You don’t need to move so long as the remote is within your reach.
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Some of the things you need to consider when buying an air conditioner include the size of the room you want to cool, the temperature range and its running costs.
First of all you need to determine the area of your room, which can be done by multiplying the length by the width of the room. While there are many other variables which will affect what size air conditioner is the most suitable for your room, such as the number of windows, the biggest factor by far is the room size.
The cooling capacity of an air conditioner is measured by BTU per hour. A room measuring between 150 to 250 sq feet will need an air conditioner that has a BTU rating of around 5000 to 6000. Meanwhile a 1000 sq ft room would need an AC unit that has a monster BTU rating of at least 18,000.
Other factors that will have an effect on the size of air conditioner you need include the following:
- Number and size of windows in the room
- How much available shade the room receives
- The direction that the room faces (for natural sunlight)
- If and how well insulated the room is
- The number of people using the room
- Any other appliances that are in the room
You need to make sure that the temperature range of your air conditioner is suitable for your needs. If the span is lower than 15 degrees, for example its range is only between 20 to 30 degrees C, then it may not be suitable for your requirements, especially if you live somewhere hot. Also, be sure to choose a model that allows the temperate to be incremented by no more than one or two degrees F. This means that you can control the room temperature with much more accuracy and save on unnecessary electrical waste.
While there are no real energy saving air conditioners available as such, many of them do have extra features such as oscillating vents, sleep modes and thermostat controls in order to regulate their use and gain maximum efficiency from them. It is not recommended that you buy a smaller AC unit (One with less BTU’s) than what you need to cool your room, but by choosing one with such features as these you can easily save money when you learn how to manipulate them.
- Determine the type of air conditioner that is most suitable for your room – Split air conditioning, window air conditioning, cassette air conditioning or floor standing air conditioning.
- Make sure you do measure your room and select an appropriate powered AC unit.
- Check that your home’s electricity system is able to meet the AC unit’s energy requirements.
- Try to buy an AC unit which has filters that are easy to open up and clean out. By regularly cleaning your air conditioner it will run much more efficiently.
- Choose an air conditioner that has as many air distribution features as possible. Even though such features may cost you a little more in the beginning, in the long run the extra efficiency they provide you with is sure to save you money on running costs.
Popular Air Conditioners Brands
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Amcor Air Conditioners Amcor - specialize in self-contained AC units which don't need a water outlet. Therefore they don't need installation either. Amcor offer four basic AC models; AL series, PLM series, NanoMax series and the Personal Air Cooler series. |
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Prem-I-Air Conditioners Prem-I-Air – are recognized as world leaders in the air conditioning industry for the high quality of their machines. They specialize in air conditioning units for the home and commercial properties. |
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DeLonghi Air Conditioners DeLonghi – Innovative Italian based company that offers a wide range of models including split system air and reverse cycle air conditioners. |
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DiO Air Conditioners DiO – offer a range of portable, low power, energy efficient air conditioners that are good options for anyone looking to cool smaller rooms. |
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Ecoair Air Conditioners Ecoair – Offer a full range of air conditioning units, including split AC's, window AC's and floor standing AC's. |
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Proline Air Conditioners Proline – A low cost air conditioning manufacturer that offers an economical way to keep cool with its SAC100EW-U series. |
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Sealey Air Conditioners Sealey – Quality portable air conditioners come in a wide range of sizes and power options. Most models have extendable exhaust outlets so they can be placed almost anywhere in an office or at home. |
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Ukayed Air Conditioners Ukayed – Another bargain priced manufacturer that offers surprisingly powerful air conditioning units. A new brand name, all their models feature reverse air cycles making them a very inexpensive model that can be used all year round. |
AC – Air conditioning unit.
BTU per hour – An abbreviation that means British Thermal Units per hour, which is a measure of the amount of heat necessary to increase the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit each hour.
Compressor – This is the air conditioning unit's pump that moves the refrigerated air around the AC cycle continuously.
Thermostat – A device for controlling the temperature of the AC's cooling system, using a series of sensors to monitor its functions.