Been to the appliance store trying to decide between inverter type and non-inverter type ACs. What exactly is the difference?
In: 10
Standard AC units are on or off – 100%or nothing.
An inverter AC can run at variable levels.
This means the inverter is more efficient and can maintain more steady temperatures (no frigid breezes from the AC vents or chillers).
I’m not an expert, but as I understand it an inverter style air conditioner has multiple levels of output. A normal AC is either on or off, while an inverter style can choose from multiple levels between 0 and 100 depending on how much cooling is needed.
I presume this increases efficiency and reduces noise pollution when you don’t need all of it’s capacity.
From: https://www.pickhvac.com/mini-split/advantages/inverter/
>Inverter-driven Compressors:
>Power is sent directly to the compressor in single-stage (100% power) and two-stage (65% or 100% power) models.
>When inverter technology is used, electricity is sent to an inverter first. The inverter regulates its frequency – how much of the electric power reaches the compressor. In turn, that regulates the speed of the refrigerant flow.
>In most units, it can be as low as 35% or 40%. When there is heavy demand for cooling, it can deliver as much as 120% of its rating. For example, an 18,000 BTU (1.5 ton) mini split outdoor unit is capable of running at about 6,500 BTUs indefinitely and at about 22,000 BTUs for a short time.
But if I want my AC on why would I want to run it at 35-40%? Long cycles are good for both your energy consumption and your indoor comfort. The least efficient part of an equipment cycle is the start or end, so the longer we run with fewer starts and stops the better. It improves our comfort by getting us to our desired temperature and keeping us right near it for longer, as opposed to the systems that are cycling on and off allowing the temperature to rise and fall to the on and off set points. Long cycles are also good at lowering/maintaining humidity which has a huge effect on your feeling of comfort.
Also, running in the lower end of its capacity is normally associated with lower noise levels for both the indoor and outdoor units.
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