Review of Air Conditioners: What are they Based on?
by :
rsbombard
As with anything, rating airconditioners would also mean that we need to fix up certain parameters to compare them against. Conventionally, air-conditioner/s have been judged on two counts (though there are other factors which also should be looked at) - the BTU and the EER.
BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. For a window air conditioner, the BTU can range from anything between 5,000 to 18,000 units. The capacity of an air conditioner is directly proportional to the BTU. So, higher the BTU in an airconditionerss, the higher will be its capacity. However, it also must be borne into mind that the higher the BTU ratings the costlier the air-conditioner is. Now, if you are buying an air-conditioner for your room, the general theory is to multiply the square foot area of your room by 35. This will give you an indication as to what capacity of an air conditioner you would need.
EER is the acronym for Energy Efficient Ratio. This gives us an indication as to how energy efficient the air conditioner is. The more efficient an air conditioner is, that is higher the higher its EER ratings are, the less power will the unit consume and consequently the electricity bills will be lesser.
There are other factors that also are considered in reviewing an air conditioner. There is always the factor of performance. Whatever may the literature of a certain model of air conditioner say about its BTU and EER ratings, it has to live up to its billing. And that we can judge only after having a look at its performance.
There is also the issue of the noise produced. While with some air conditioners you wouldn't even notice that it is working, some produce a constant humming sound which can be quite irritating for some people.
There is also the issue of the pollutants emitted. If an air conditioner comes with the tag of 'No-CFC', it definitely works to his own advantage. Again if it does let out pollutants, then it harms its ratings.
Finally there is the issue of style and looks. Though this is a very subjective thing, and would vary from reviewer to reviewer yet this is also crucial to the overall review of the air conditioner. As an air conditioner is visible wherever you put it up it should be stylish enough to blend in with the rest of the room decor.
As with anything, rating airconditioners would also mean that we need to fix up certain parameters to compare them against. Conventionally, air-conditioner/s have been judged on two counts (though there are other factors which also should be looked at) - the BTU and the EER.
BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. For a window air conditioner, the BTU can range from anything between 5,000 to 18,000 units. The capacity of an air conditioner is directly proportional to the BTU. So, higher the BTU in an airconditionerss, the higher will be its capacity. However, it also must be borne into mind that the higher the BTU ratings the costlier the air-conditioner is. Now, if you are buying an air-conditioner for your room, the general theory is to multiply the square foot area of your room by 35. This will give you an indication as to what capacity of an air conditioner you would need.
EER is the acronym for Energy Efficient Ratio. This gives us an indication as to how energy efficient the air conditioner is. The more efficient an air conditioner is, that is higher the higher its EER ratings are, the less power will the unit consume and consequently the electricity bills will be lesser.
There are other factors that also are considered in reviewing an air conditioner. There is always the factor of performance. Whatever may the literature of a certain model of air conditioner say about its BTU and EER ratings, it has to live up to its billing. And that we can judge only after having a look at its performance.
There is also the issue of the noise produced. While with some air conditioners you wouldn't even notice that it is working, some produce a constant humming sound which can be quite irritating for some people.
There is also the issue of the pollutants emitted. If an air conditioner comes with the tag of 'No-CFC', it definitely works to his own advantage. Again if it does let out pollutants, then it harms its ratings.
Finally there is the issue of style and looks. Though this is a very subjective thing, and would vary from reviewer to reviewer yet this is also crucial to the overall review of the air conditioner. As an air conditioner is visible wherever you put it up it should be stylish enough to blend in with the rest of the room decor.