With the increase in heat waves, you are probably telling yourself that it would be good to invest in air conditioning. But what are the different systems, technologies, models? Here are some keys to better understand these devices.
iStock / © LightFieldStudios
With an equipment rate of only 4% (according to the Environment Agency), the air conditioning market for individuals in Spain is still in its infancy. We are light years away from the figures reached by the two most equipped countries, namely the USA and Japan, which reach 90%. However, this market is growing and more and more people are considering equipping themselves. Here are some basics to familiarize you with this product category.
The Principe of fonctionment
An air conditioner works in the same way as a refrigerator: a refrigerant circulates in a closed circuit. It recovers the calories contained in the heat of the room to then reject them outside.
© Wikipedia.
In general, specialists advise not to exceed a difference of 7 ° C. A temperature change of 4 ° C already creates a noticeable and pleasant feeling of freshness.
In recent years, so-called reversible air conditioning systems have appeared. They therefore cool the indoor air in summer and heat it in winter. To do this, they simply reverse the cycle to inject hot air into the house. Air conditioning systems often offer additional functions. They make it possible to control the hydrometry of the air, in particular by a dehumidification action in winter. They also have filters that will purify the ambient air.
The different types of air conditioning
Mobile air conditioner
During heat waves, many people rush to supermarkets to buy a portable air conditioner. This block, generally on wheels, contains all of the components described above. The capacitor therefore does not have direct access to the exterior. As a result, the cooling air used by the condenser is drawn from the room itself. From an efficiency point of view, this is far from ideal, with a higher power consumption of 20 to 30% at the same cooling. Some models can connect to an outside air supply, but they are rare. In all cases, portable air conditioners reject hot air outside the room via a flexible duct. This is a loss of efficiency, because this sheath passes through a window or a door which must therefore be left open. Hot air will therefore enter through this gap. There are many more or less effective caulking solutions on the market that limit this phenomenon.
@Whirlpool
The ideal is to use an air vent when possible. Mobile air conditioners are designed to cool the air in a single room and are primarily intended for occasional use. Because of their lower efficiency, portable air conditioners are best suited for small rooms such as bedrooms. They will barely be in a living room of more than 25 m².
Electrolux EXP26U758CW Introductory price 650 €
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Fnac.com marketplace
738,99
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Fnac.com marketplace
381,99
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Darty Marketplace 402,00
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ManoMano 460,72
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The Redoubt 561,20
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But
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Pushed to their limits, they will consume a lot of energy to grab two or three degrees. These systems are rather noisy despite the presence of a night mode on some models. If you are a very light sleeper, this may bother you. On the other hand, they have several advantages: their price is more rather affordable (between 200 and 700 € approximately) and their use does not require any work; an important advantage, especially if you are a tenant.
TCL TAC07CPBRV Introductory price € 279
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The Redoubt 275,60
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Boulanger.com 277,00
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Darty.com 306,00
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316,86
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ManoMano 366,10
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Samsung AR35 3,5 KW 12000BTU A ++ / A R32 Best price: 481.96 €
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Their mobile nature allows them to be easily moved from one room to another for significant flexibility of use. They can also be easily stored in a garage or closet.
Delonghi Pinguino PACEX130ECOREALFEEL Introductory price € 830
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Ubaldi 726,00
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The Redoubt 738,80
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Castorama 749,00
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ManoMano 799,61
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Cdiscount Marketplace 819,00
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Monobloc fixed air conditioner
This type of air conditioner is rather on the decline, because it is inefficient in terms of energy. Indeed, it takes the architecture of a mobile air conditioner with a single unit which integrates the condenser, the compressor and the evaporator. The hot air is exhausted to the outside through a flexible duct which passes through a ventilation hole in a wall or, like mobile products, through a door or a half-open window. One-piece stationary air conditioners are affordable to buy, but their lower efficiency will of course have an impact on your electricity bill. They are often reserved for small rooms and are generally quite noisy.
Fixed split air conditioner
Here the system consists of two blocks. The first is inside the house and the second outside. In the first module, we find the evaporator and in the second the two noisiest components, namely the compressor and the condenser. As you will have understood, this type of air conditioner is quieter and can therefore be placed in a bedroom. It is also more efficient because the condenser uses the outside air. In addition, there is no large sheath that requires leaving a window ajar. The two blocks are simply joined by an electric cable and two small diameter tubes in which the refrigerant circulates. Stationary split air conditioners are arguably the best solution today if you want to cool a few rooms in the house. The installation of a split air conditioner - at least its commissioning - must be carried out by a professional who holds an authorization to handle refrigerants. Most systems are delivered uncharged with fluid and the professional must perform the operation with all the usual precautions. Some air conditioners are pre-charged with fluid and can therefore be installed quite simply. However, the legislation requires the intervention of a professional for commissioning: the sites only initiate delivery once an installation contract has been signed.
Daikin Sensira 12000BTU 3,5 KW R32 SB.FTXF35A / RXFA Introductory price 900 €
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710,00
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Amazon Marketplace
839,00
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899,00
- Elettronew of Webmarket srl 481,96
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536,34
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Fnac.com marketplace
539,99
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552,10
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eBay
562,27
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Darty Marketplace 636,63
The offer starts at around € 500 to exceed € 2 for the most powerful solutions.
Daikin Triple-Split Perfera 12000 + 12000 + 12000BTU R32 Inverter Introductory price 3500 €
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ManoMano 4 622,10
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ManoMano 2 481,25
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There are so-called bi-split and tri-split solutions. The idea is to combine two or three indoor units to cool two or three rooms with a single outdoor module.
Centralized air conditioning
Here we are dealing with a solution to be provided during the construction of a house or at least during a very large renovation. The system consists of an outdoor unit designed as that of a split air conditioner and an indoor unit which is placed in an attic or in a false ceiling. The cooled air is then distributed to the rooms of the house through ducts and vents that look like vents.
How to choose your air conditioning system?
The choice of the type of air conditioner depends first of all on your budget and the extent of the work you can do in your home.
©Chet_W
The power
The power of your air conditioner is a very important calculation to make before equipping, because an undersized system will run at maximum all day and therefore consume a lot of electricity without being very efficient. If the system is oversized, you will have spent a lot of money for nothing. The calculation of the power required is complex, because a lot of criteria come into play. The most obvious is the surface of the part to be cooled. In fact, it is rather necessary to rely on the volume of the said room by integrating in addition the height of the ceiling. Generally, specialists recommend a cooling power of 45 W per m³. For a room of 12 m² with a ceiling height of 2,40 meters, you will therefore need an air conditioning system with a power of approximately 1 W. This is an estimate based on minimum criteria. Indeed, this figure increases with the number of people occupying the room. Not all experts agree on the number of watts to add per additional person. This goes from 300 to 100 W. To return to our example, if the room is occupied by two people, we arrive at 200 W max.
This remains an estimate, because it would also be necessary to take into account the quality of the insulation of the room, its orientation, its geographical position ...
If, in our previous example, a portable air conditioner may be perfectly suitable, a large 50 m² living room with a ceiling of 2 m and 80 people would require more than 5 W, which is too much for this type of device. As you will have understood, the choice is therefore also oriented by cooling needs.
@Whirlpool
The noise
Another criterion is the noise generated by the air conditioning system. The split models are the quietest (30 dB (A) on average) and do not prevent sleep. In contrast, monobloc systems generate around 50 to 55 dB (A) as a minimum and some models go up to 65 dB (A), or the equivalent of a washing machine. You couldn't imagine sleeping with such a noisy device.
For the example, we looked at the characteristics of a high-end split model from Panasonic, the Heatcharge VZ. Particularly silent, the interior module offers three speeds which emit 44, 27 and 18 dB (A) respectively. On the other hand, the sound level generated by the outdoor unit seems fixed (49 dB (A)).
Panasonic Heatcharge VZ12SKE
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Samsung AR35 3,5 KW 12000BTU A ++ / A R32 Best price: 481.96 €
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The Samsung AR35 3,5 kWh system that can be found for less than 500 € - against almost 2 € for the Panasonic - is given for a sound pressure of 000 dB (A) and a sound power of 50 dB ( AT).
Samsung AR35 3,5 KW 12000BTU A ++ / A R32 Introductory price 550 €
- Elettronew of Webmarket srl 481,96
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Amazon Marketplace
536,34
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Fnac.com marketplace
539,99
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Amazon Marketplace
552,10
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eBay
562,27
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Darty Marketplace 636,63
Finally, we took a look at Daikin with the FTXP71M / RXP71M system, a high-powered reversible product capable of achieving a cooling power of 7,3 kWh to see if the power had an impact on the noise generated. The manufacturer indicates a figure of 52 dB (A). First observation, the values indicated by the manufacturers and by the merchant sites are varied and vague, which does not always facilitate the comparison. Second observation, the exterior blocks are logically rather noisy. They must therefore be placed judiciously so as not to disturb the neighbors. And in the case of an apartment, you must first request authorization from the property manager.
Power consumption
Logically, we can only direct you to the least energy-consuming devices for obvious environmental and budgetary reasons. They are classified into 7 categories, from D to A +++. Mobile air conditioners are almost all in class A today. The split models are more efficient and are classified between the A + and the A +++. It is also necessary to favor the devices which offer a good performance of cooling efficiency. There too, we find our 7 classes, from D to A +++.
With equal "technical" performance, you may be more attracted by a particular design or by ergonomic details (remote control, screen, etc.). As for colors, white is often de rigueur, but some portable air conditioners are also available in black or gray.
