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When purchasing an air conditioner, paying attention to the cooling capacity of the unit and selecting the appropriate capacity for the room size not only helps save on installation costs but also significantly reduces electricity bills, ensuring the air conditioner lasts longer.
1. Air Conditioner Buying Guide: Insider Tips for Saving Thousands on Electricity Bills Each Month
When buying an air conditioner, paying attention to the cooling capacity of the machine and selecting the appropriate capacity for the room size not only helps save on installation costs but also significantly reduces electricity bills, ensuring the air conditioner lasts longer.
Appliance experts acknowledge that there are many ways to save electricity when using an air conditioner, but the most effective way is to pay attention to the cooling capacity of the air conditioner when purchasing it. Just paying attention to this small detail and choosing the appropriate capacity for the room size can save families thousands every month when using it.
Specifically, the cooling capacity index of air conditioners in Vietnam is often referred to as Horse Power (HP). However, recently, the BTU (British Thermal Unit) index, widely used in the United States, describes the energy value of fuels and is also used to accurately describe the power of heating and cooling systems. Converting 1HP equals 9000 BTU.
In Vietnam, common air conditioner capacities typically range from 1HP (9000 BTU), 1.5HP (12000 BTU), 2HP (18000 BTU), to 2.5HP (24000 BTU). However, this index is still influenced by air conditioner manufacturers, albeit insignificantly.
According to Mr. Vu Xuan Truong, an installation and repair technician for air conditioners in Khuat Duy Tien (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi), selecting the appropriate capacity for the room area can reduce initial investment costs for purchasing air conditioners because the price of the machine is also based on its capacity, whether large or small. Thus, air conditioners with higher capacity command higher prices.
Aside from saving on initial investment costs, selecting the appropriate air conditioner capacity also helps save on electricity bills, potentially saving millions of dong each month. Choosing a smaller capacity air conditioner than the room area means the machine constantly operates at full capacity to cool the room, resulting in skyrocketing electricity bills. Conversely, choosing a larger capacity air conditioner than the room area is also ineffective, not to mention wasteful of energy.
Choosing the right air conditioner capacity for the room ensures a cool and comfortable environment, prolongs the lifespan of the air conditioner as it does not have to work at full capacity all the time.
So, how do you choose an air conditioner with the appropriate cooling capacity for the room? Typically, the calculation formula is based on the room area or volume. You can apply the formula: 1 square meter x 600 BTU. For example, a room with an area of 15 square meters would require approximately 9000 BTU.
However, Mr. Truong points out that this is just a general formula, applicable to standard rooms. The actual installation space for air conditioners is very diverse. For instance, two rooms may have the same area but one has a ceiling height of 2.4m while the other has a ceiling height of nearly 4m; one room may have a lot of sunlight shining in; one room may have many heat-generating devices; the number of people in the room, building materials,... These are factors that affect whether the cooling capacity needs to increase or decrease beyond just the area factor.
For example, in a west-facing room where sunlight directly shines in, the BTU will increase by 10%, whereas if the room is shaded by many trees, the BTU will decrease by 10%.
According to Mr. Truong, the best approach when purchasing an air conditioner is to seek advice from sales representatives. During the consultation, it is essential to describe the specific characteristics of the room intended for installation to select the air conditioner with the appropriate cooling capacity.
