What to pay attention to when choosing an air conditioner for apartment and house

Air conditioners refer to climatic household appliances that allow you to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room. In order for the device to last long and meet all the parameters of the apartment, it is important to approach the choice responsibly. Otherwise the buyer risks not only not to achieve the necessary "weather in the house", but also to waste money. Izvestia tells about how to choose a conditioner correctly in 2025.

What types of conditioners are there

The very first household air conditioners were window air conditioners, or the so called forward monoblock models. Even now they do not give up their positions, attracting relatively inexpensive price and ease of installation. The air conditioner consists of one unit. One of its parts is installed in the window aperture, and the other part, discharging hot air, is outside, for which the models are often equipped with a wide corrugated pipe.

Other varieties of air conditioners include cassette ceiling constructions. Their main advantage is that the flow of cool air is evenly dispersed over the entire area of the room, having a soft effect on a person. However, such devices require a suspended ceiling, where cables and all the necessary mechanisms are hidden. This takes away from the height of the room about 20-30 cm. Besides, they have a higher cost and are difficult for independent installation.

The most widespread today air conditioners are wall split-systems consisting of two blocks. One is installed inside the room, the second one is fixed on the street side. Thus hot components do not interfere with cooling, which allows to achieve maximum efficiency. As a rule, split-systems have more aesthetic appearance and do not clutter useful space. Often such air conditioners are put in offices, but they are also suitable for home.

Floor (mobile) air conditioners are also worth mentioning. Their advantage is their small size and possibility to install them in any part of the room without preliminary installation. It is enough just to plug the device into the socket. The disadvantage is rather strong noise. Air conditioners are usually produced in the form of separate units on wheels or columns of different length.

Main criteria when choosing an air conditioner

When choosing an air conditioner, first of all it is necessary to determine for which room it is designed. The height of ceilings, the type of windows to account for cold losses and the total area of the living space are of great importance. Accordingly, the larger it is, the more powerful the device should be. Power is needed to produce cold faster and distribute it throughout the room.

If the power is not enough, it will not be possible to create comfortable coolness. The conditioner itself will work on wear and tear, which will lead to its quick breakdown. To determine what equipment to choose, you should follow this calculation: 1 kW of produced power for every 10 square meters. meters.

Another important indicator is the type of compressor. It is of two kinds: inverter or classic. Inverter air conditioners are almost silent and have a large temperature range, allowing to maintain the optimal temperature without sudden changes. Ordinary ones are cheaper, but they use more electricity and are less durable.

Energy consumption is also important. Modern climate devices have several energy efficiency classes, which are designated by Latin letters: from A (A+, A++, A+++) - high efficiency, to G - the most energy-consuming. The latter, if used regularly, can significantly increase utility bills.

For those who care about their health, one of the key conditions is the presence of air purification function. First of all, this parameter is important for people who are prone to allergies and have respiratory diseases. Built-in filters trap dust particles, wool and pollen, preventing them from being inhaled. More sophisticated units are also equipped with mechanisms that provide humidification, ionization and enrichment of the air with oxygen.

For more comfort it is also necessary to take into account the noise level of the air conditioner and the type of control - mechanical or remote with the help of a remote control.

What kind of air conditioner to install in an apartment

Split-systems are well suited for residential premises. They have heating and air filtration functions. Besides, they work with minimum noise. However, as Pavel Grinko, an expert of the hypermarket "VseInstrumenty.ru" explained to "Izvestia", the disadvantage of such systems is limited space for use.

According to him, such air conditioners are not suitable for spacious rooms. If it is planned, for example, to equip a room with the area of 20 square meters, it is worth to give preference to devices "with reserve", designed for 25-30 square meters. meters. Also in case of a large number of electric devices in the room the expert recommends to choose a split-system of higher capacity.

For a small room, floor, as well as window designs are suitable. But such a unit is more suitable for sliding windows. For large spaces from 50 square meters it is better to use several split-systems or cassette air conditioners built into the ceiling.

Which air conditioner to choose for the house

Meanwhile, cassette devices are rarely installed in apartments. But for a country house, especially with high ceilings, it is a good decision. It is possible to hide all communications behind the ceiling, not to hide them inside the walls.

One of the functional solutions can be and channel blocks. They are ideal for spacious rooms. Their main difference from other air conditioners of this type is that the internal unit is hidden in the subceiling space or in a niche in the wall, so that the device is externally invisible.

For a small house, where you need to cool only one room, for example, a bedroom, window or mobile air conditioners are suitable. But in this case it is necessary to choose the most silent analogs.

Earlier "Izvestia" told about the danger of frequent or incorrect use of air conditioner.