The Split type air-conditioner is gaining popularity over window type mainly because this type of air conditioner can be mounted easily anywhere with no requirement for a window and it has a beautiful sleek appearance. They have low cost of installation though the capital cost is slightly high.

Though there may be a little increase in power consumption in split type compared to a window type, the running cost is almost same for both the air-conditioner and there is practically no difference in efficiency.

Unlike window type, a split system has condensing unit outside. This leads to a major advantage in a split type as the noise level remains low since the noisy part, the compressor, is kept outside. The evaporation panel remains within the house. The sleek model placed on the wall and the interconnecting pipes kept outside increases the aesthetic sense of the room to a large extent. There is no need to make a provision of window in your room or to remodel your existing window to mount a split type air conditioner, unlike window type.

In a split air-conditioner, the indoor unit sucks air from the room and throws it back to the room after cooling and removing moisture from it, while the outdoor unit removes the heat to the atmosphere. Before you select a split type air conditioner, it is important that you have certain basic ideas briefed in the following paragraphs.

We know that our body temperature is 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius). In order to have a comfortable room, it is needed to have a temperature between 70 to 79 degrees F (21 to 26 Celsius) with a relative humidity range of 20 to 50%.

It is important to calculate the heat load of a room which needs to be removed as a low capacity ac will not be able to cool the room and a higher capacity ac will make the room humid.

An air-conditioner`s heating or cooling capacities are rated by watts or kilowatts. Normally a room having two occupants carries away 50 British thermal units (BTUs) of heat per hour, per square foot of the room area. One Kilowatt is equivalent to 3400 BTUs per hour. This means for a 15 feet x 15 feet room size, an air-conditioner having a capacity of 11250 BTU (15 feet x 15 feet x 50 BTU/houtr) will be required. With this, 600 BTU/hr for every person and 1000 BTU/hr for each appliance need to be added.

Also try to avoid three phase connection which is difficult to maintain and expensive to install and go for single phase connection. Normally the efficiency of the air-conditioner is measured by energy efficiency rating (EER) which is the ratio of cooling capacity to the power consumption and the thumb rule is the higher the EER the better is the cooling.

The insulation of the room should be proper to have a good air-conditioning. Also the faster the airflow rate the better is the cooling however be sure to buy a system having higher moisture removal rate. Check for a low noise level of less than 50 decibels for your air-conditioner.

Rotary vane type compressors are normally recommended over the other type of compressors. These compressors have less number of moving parts than reciprocating compressors.

In split type of air-conditioner auto control facilities are available which are auto timers, auto sleep mode, auto restart, remote control, auto diagnosis self test, filter cleaning warning alarm/LED, automatic changeover to dehumidification, etc to name a few.

Make sure to consider the above features before you buy a sleek and elegant split-ac for your living room or dining room or the conference room in your office. Some of the popular models in the market are Toshiba, Daikin, Hitachi, LG and Ogeneral.

This article can also be accessed in portuguese from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/casa-jardim.php
Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br