Dissected – Inverter AC Systems in India
When you are considering purchasing a new air conditioning unit for your house or a commercial area and so on, the latest and the most efficient modes of air conditioning units available today are the ones with the inverter technology. These technology-driven air conditioning systems are now available in the market.
India faces one of the most scorching climates of summer each year, and the demand for more eco-friendly and efficient air conditioning systems is visible across the different states of the country. The market for AC units is evolving, and the number of technologies introduced to drive the air conditioning systems can be ambiguous as there are several options to choose from. A regular air conditioning system that was first developed in Japan utilizes an air compressor. When the compressor is turned on, the cooling of the room is in full effect. However, if the compressor is turned off, the room’s cooling stops, and thus the temperature slowly begins to rise.
Efficiency problem and the latest solutions
The main problem that began to shed light on the industry is that the air conditioner works at full effect and cools it as much as possible without any moderation and the temperature inside the room becomes unbearably cold. It became evident that the moderation or regulation of temperature control was essential for the air conditioning market. It was also seen that constant usage of compressors causes a significant amount of power drainage. Therefore, the first regulation was made such that when the room reaches a pre-set level measured using a thermometer or a thermostat, the compressor turns off when it reaches the pre-set temperature. The compressor turns on when it goes beyond the set temperature. Although this method regulates the temperature to an extent and provides significant energy efficiency, it might break the compressor as it might not be robust from constantly turning on and off. This, in turn, causes the lifespan of the AC to reduce and therefore has a very cost-inefficient maintenance charge. Thus, the inverter technology was launched in the cooling systems. This gives the compressors varying speeds that result in varying cooling capacity as per the requirement.
The regular air conditioning unit or system works on a fixed cooling mode for rooms and refrigeration mode. In comparison with regular air conditioning units, the inverter-based air conditioning units change the flow rate of the refrigerant cooling based on the heat present in the room. When the heat is less, the flow rate reduces in magnitude, and when the heat is high, the flow rate is high in magnitude. The most important breakthrough with this technology is that the control of flowrate does not involve turning on and off the compressor unit, and therefore the compressor is on throughout the operation.
Tonnage is Important
Although the air conditioning system with Inverter technology varies its cooling capacity based on the temperature requirement, it is essential to install an air conditioner with an appropriate load rating which is measured in a metric called tons. A ton is defined as the heat removed from a room when a ton of ice melts in 24 hours. The use of ton is now established as a metric for determining the capacity of air conditioning systems.
Air conditioning units in India were once considered a luxury good to acquire. However, due to the high supply and demand, the air conditioning units in India has become an affordable commodity. Efficiency is key when it comes to the operation mode of the air conditioning units, as they are now a root cause and a catalyst for overall global warming. Today, a consumer can purchase a completely new air conditioning system at a very affordable and reasonable price point. The price of 1-ton air conditioning systems starts from Rs. 25,000 up to Rs. 35,000. The range of 1.5-ton inverter ac starts between Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 45,000 and a 2-ton air-conditioning system can be bought with Rs. 40,000 up to Rs. 52,000 with a lot of options among the air conditioners in India.
Due to the operational methodology of the inverter-based air conditioning system, the compressor does not work at its full power, and therefore it reduces the current draw from the compressor and therefore is highly cost-efficient when it comes to its use case.