The amount of electricity consumed by an air conditioner largely depends on two elements – operational period and compressor speed. In the case of a fixed speed air conditioner, the compressor speed remains constant and the compressor turns off and on repeatedly to maintain the set temperature level. In general, the power consumption is measured by the AC’s runtime in hours multiplied by its wattage.
On the other hand, the power usage of inverter air conditioners can be controlled as increasing the thermostat reduces the speed of the compressor, hence, bringing down power consumption quickly. When it comes to determining the power consumption of an AC, you can use an energy usage meter.
In today’s times, air conditioners come with an EER rating, which refers to the Energy Efficiency Ratio. It means the ratio of a unit’s cooling capacity against its wattage. Thus, an AC with a capacity of 24000 BTU having an EER of 10 would consume 2,400 watts.
Since air conditioners make high power consumption, it is recommended to choose a unit that has an EER of 11 or above.
BTU simply refers to the unit’s cooling capacity. The more the BTUs the more the price. For example, an 18000 BTU Inverter Split AC price in Kenya would be less than an AC with 24000 BTU capacity. However, your focus should be on EER which should be higher.
In general, the power consumption of 18,000 BTU air conditioners remains at 185 kWh per month.
There may be infrequent air conditioner extents in the 12,000 to 18,000 BTU category, including 13,000 BTU, 14,000 BTU, and 15,000 BTU, and room size measurements often yield outcomes that don’t complete any AC available in the market.
In these scenarios, an expert might suggest a bit (or even considerably) larger unit (such as an 18,000 BTU unit) if available in the market.
The power /wattage of 1.5 ton air conditioners usually ranges from 1,470 watts to 1,614 watts, and contains EERs ranging from 11 to a bit more than 12.
Do keep in mind that this isn’t the units’ swelling power usage, it is actually the wattage when they run at optimum efficiency. The EER is generally mentioned on the yellow energy label shown on the unit.
It is recommended to go with the best. As air conditioners with EER of 12 are easily available, go with ACs that have EERs over 12. However, the distinction between 11 and 12 is not very crucial. Go with a
device that comes with exception customer support which can be defined as buying the unit from a trustworthy seller who provides free maintenance during the warranty period.
Luckily, inverter air conditioners are easily available in this range. In certain cases, inverter units tend to reduce energy consumption by 50% to 60% in comparison to non-inverter counterparts. So, if you use your air conditioner more often, you can choose to save more.
Apart from choosing an AC with a higher EER rating, you can choose from a number of ways to reduce the energy usage of your air conditioner. A few of them are listed below.
If you are looking to buy an air conditioner for your home, do pay attention to the BTU of the chosen air conditioner model. Also, adopt the recommended ways of AC usage to save on more electricity. Keeping all the aforementioned factors in mind, you can easily determine an 18000 BTU AC price.
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