Picking an air conditioner that will last and not drive up energy bills is harder than it looks, according to Oleksiy Zhabin, a technician at climate service company AirPro, who spoke to UNIAN about common buying mistakes.
Start with the brand and the installer
Zhabin said buyers should prioritise brands with a long market presence, a solid reputation, and positive reviews. He also advised checking whether the manufacturer has service centres in your area, as warranty support from lesser-known companies is often harder to access.
He warned against saving a few dollars online and then hiring the cheapest available installer. His advice was to find reputable technicians through reviews and let them handle the purchase, delivery, and installation, so that if anything goes wrong there is a single point of contact rather than a dispute between a shop and a service centre.
Inverter versus standard models
For home use, Zhabin recommended inverter models. He said they operate more smoothly and quietly and use less electricity than standard units. Once a set temperature is reached, an inverter model does not switch off entirely but reduces its output to maintain a stable indoor climate.
A standard compressor, by contrast, cycles fully on and off, which can cause room temperature to fluctuate by several degrees and produces more noise on startup. Zhabin noted, however, that non-inverter units do have one advantage: they are cheaper to repair.
He also said the simplest inverter model without extra functions is usually the best choice, describing many add-on features as largely a marketing tool to justify a higher price.
Matching power to room size
Zhabin said a precise capacity calculation requires proper engineering assessment, but offered these rough guidelines: a model rated at 7 suits rooms up to 20 square metres; a 9 covers up to 30; a 12 covers up to 40; and an 18 covers up to 60 square metres.
He explained that electricity consumption depends mainly on how much heat enters the home. He said the same unit could use ten times less power when a south-facing window is covered by a heavy curtain rather than a sheer one, because an uncovered window can let in up to 3 kilowatts of heat per hour.
