Im thinking about buying a AC. Room Size :- 17 Ft X 12 Ft (Room has very large window). I don't know much about AC so tell me........
Budget :- 40K max
It has been over three months since I installed two 1.5 Ton Sharp Eco-Inverter air conditioners with built in Plusmacluster ion air purifiers. Model no: AH-XP18MV. I have done a lot of analysis and market study and to tell you the truth nothing can come close to inverter air conditioners in terms of efficiency and low electricity bills.
Since I plan for extended use on a daily basis, I went for inverter ones. You will be astounded to know in Japan almost all air conditioners are inverter ones. The same Japanese companies in India sell normal non-inverter 5 star rated ones at same price of inverter air conditioners since very few people know about the real benefits they offer in terms of efficiency and low power consumption under part load conditions. Thus they garner fat profits by selling 2~5 star rated age old technology.
While inverter air conditioners have a full-output operation mode like normal air conditioners, they drastically reduce energy consumption when used in energy-saving operation mode. This is thanks to inverter micro-controller circuitry, which modifies and maintains room temperature by switching the compressor between high and low operation modes, instead of switching it on and off completely as non-inverter models do. The inverter model keeps the compressor running and simply reduces output when the room reaches the target temperature, enabling comfortable, even temperature control. Inverter air conditioners switch into energy-saving operation mode immediately once the set temperature is achieved.
There is
NO ‘number one ’ or ‘number two ’ between air conditioner manufacturers. Some companies sale only premium quality ones while other manufacturers like LG & Samsung have their range from the very bottom to the top. Hitachi have an unprecedented reputation in India. To a certain extent Daikin too. But at their extra-high quoted price they better provide extra-excellent products with range topping cooling performance or else no body will buy them. Unfortunately this is always not the case as some people go by hype and buy blindly.
There is LG inverter air conditioners which I have seen in action, which will be on par and I feel much better than the similar Hitachi/Daikin ones in terms of performance and reliability. LG uses the most advanced technology of all inverter air conditioners currently available in India and you will be a lucky to get their 1.5Ton version at less than INR 54k.
But the real deal is how much you get at a certain price point, and from this perspective Sharp inverter's are truly hard to beat.
My 1.5 Ton Sharp AH-XP18MV inverter air conditioners comes fully imported from Thailand with an MRP of INR 50K. Th indoor unit looks gorgeous, have amazing cooling performance capability and just oozes quality. They also have their own patented Plasmacluster air purifier built inside it. If you can bargain really well you will get them for 43K. And if you can really really bargain like me, you will get them at 41K, below which the dealer will simply refuse to sale since their profit margin falls below 1K. Also after sales service of Sharp is excellent in Kolkata.
I was able to get two of these at 82K along with complete free installation kits. Sharp provides the best and safest installation kits out here, the hot and cold copper tubing are of 0.8mm thickness which is super thick along with superior XPE(white) insulation, 4-core wire, drain pipe et-al. Our installer (he is a very experienced professional being in this AC installation business for over 30 years) said the pipes will last a lifetime and no company even Daikin & Hitachi provides the copper pipes of similar quality to connect the indoor unit to the outdoor unit as provided by Sharp.
Secondly, LG & Sharp uses complete all-aluminum, lighter, much more efficient & durable condensers having canalicular tubing resulting in superior refrigerant flow velocity, improved heat exchange efficiency and decreased heat transfer loss from tube to fin as fitted in their outdoor units. Other manufacturers uses bulky, less costly, age old, less efficient copper-aluminum condensers with circular tubing to save cost. Being all aluminum the outdoor units of Sharp 1.5 Ton inverter's weighs just 35 kilos having a much smaller footprint with reduced weight. In contrast the similar 1.5 Ton inverter outdoor units from Daikin are much bigger and weigh 47 kilos!!!
Due to use of all aluminium, highly energy efficient and more corrosion resistant condensers, Sharp 1.5 Ton inverter uses just 700 grams of R410A refrigerant gas to cool while the same 1.5 Ton inverter air conditioners from Hitachi, Daikin & Panasonic using copper-aluminum condensers uses 1.5 kg of R410A gas to cool the same area!!!
Amazingly with even less than half the refrigerant gas available, the Sharp 1.5 Ton inverter air conditioners still comes out on top with class leading cooling performance, scientifically measured as COP of 3.66 (W/W) and EER of 12.49 (BTU/Hr). Performance & efficiency speaks.
In contrast the Daikin could manage a COP of just 3.23 and EER of 11 max while Hitachi does a little better of COP of 3.51 and EER of 12. Mind you both of them cost a minimum of 15K more than Sharp!!!
Long live Sharp Inverter ACs. I advice everyone to go for inverter air conditioners eyes closed, it is the future.
