Air Conditioner

Would like to share my experience in purchasing an AC.

Two years back, I thought of purchasing an AC. As always, I started researching for good brand and service factors etc. Then I stumbled upon the BEE rating.

This is the energy efficiency rating of the machine. The agency(BEE, in India) compares similar objects in a category and rates them based on their energy efficiency. The categories include AC, Refrigerator etc. The rating is in the form of stars from 1 to 5. The higher star rating the better, meaning it will be able to do the same work with less energy. Of course, the higher the star rating, costlier will be the object.

I started comparing various brands on the BEE scale and price. There were many suitable ACs which came up in the analysis. I was tempted to go for the one with highest rating, though the price is more. This is with a view that I will be able to save energy and money on a monthly bill.

Then I looked at the BEE efficiency calculation and their saving numbers. They take 8 hour of operation per day and 365 days a year. This may not be the case for many. With the current auto switch off models, one can program the machine to switch off in 3-4 hours in the night and can comfortably sleep the whole night. Also many may not use it for 365 days a year.

After this analysis and understanding, I settled for a 3 star AC of a brand. Now after two years, I am happy that my understanding is correct. We use the machine for about 6-7 months in a year and about 4 hours in the night.

This input on usage was not available anywhere, while I was researching for factors to be considered.  Hence I wanted to write so that this is known to all.