10 Best AC in India (2024) From Top Brands

Best Air conditioner (AC) in India – Buying Guide

Which AC is the best? This question pops up every time you wish to buy the best AC for home. You might think you do not understand those technical terms and cannot do market research, then we have your back. We have noted down an easy buying guide for those who are not much on technicalities. Please read to the end to know which are there must consider features your AC should have.

Different air conditioners:

Portable AC:

A portable AC is a superb choice for those people who live on wheels. If you are a person who switches between cities every year or moves your house around the city, then a portable AC is a convenient choice for you. It is affordable and small.

You can easily carry it around your rooms. All you need is to plug it, and it is ready to operate. It works best for small places. It is not heavy. Some models of portable ACs have wheels. It makes your job easier to switch its place. Place the drainage tube out of a window or a bucket. A portable AC is a conservative choice of air conditioning. You can use it for a shorter amount of time.

Split AC:

Split AC has two units-indoor and outdoor units. They fix the compressor of the AC in the outdoor unit, but the evaporator is in the unit indoor unit. The air conditioners can cool down a large room. It does not need Windows for installation. If you buy a split AC, you have to pay for the installation charge separately. Also, split AC needs professionals to install it properly. Split AC is more capable of saving energy consumption. Also, split AC makes a little noise while operating. It is one of the best perks about split AC. These types of air conditioners need timely servicing to work best.

Window AC:

Maintaining a window AC is easy. It does not need professional help to install. Also, the installation charge is free for window AC. Even the maintenance cost is low.

Window AC is a single unit product. Window AC is a pocket-friendly choice. The design of the window AC is for a small room. The cooling down capacity of the window AC is lower than the split AC. As window AC operates against the window, it makes quiet noise. For a long time, window AC can be irritating for producing lots of noise. If you are tight on your budget but want to have a great air conditioner unit, then window AC e is your trusted performer.

Inverter AC Vs normal AC:

Normal AC

Normal AC systems are mainly inverter free units. When a Regular AC is operating, the compressor is off or on.

It depends on the temperature of the room.

The thermostat can sense the temperature of the ambient weather, and the compressor switches between on and off automatically. Normal AC does not save power consumption much. The design of this AC unit is to consume power at operating full capacity. When it cools down the room up to a certain level, the thermostat reads the temperature and stops the fan. But the unit continues to operate in silence. A non-inverter AC unit is slower in the cooling process, and it makes more noise. Even if it is cheaper than many AC units, it is also less durable. The difference between Inverter AC Vs non-inverter AC  is that non-inverter AC does not have any program for voltage fluctuation. As a result, several voltage fluctuations occur, and it causes harm to the unit.

Inverter AC

Japan first invented inverter technology for air conditioners.

The inverter mainly controls the power supply to the compressor according to the temperature level. The inverter compressor always remains on. But it draws more or less power according to the temperature of the room. Inverter AC is immune to voltage fluctuation. Inverter AC power consumption is less than regular ACs. The cooling capacity of the best inverter is significantly high. The inverter can adjust its cooling capacity according to the size of the room where it is operating. Also, it does not make a loud noise while working. It might be costly at the time of purchase, but the service of Inverter AC values every penny you spend.

What is a dual inverter AC?

If we say the best inverter AC, it means that the AC works on a single inverter. It has a single cylinder shaped rotary compressor. But when we say dual inverter AC, it indicates the unit to have a pair of twin rotary compressors. These compressors rotate with a 180° phase difference. Dual inverter AC is more stable while operating at full capacity.

Condenser coil:

Most of us might not be aware of the condenser coil and the evaporator coil. These two coils are different and placed at distinct parts of the AC unit. Condenser coils are located outdoors in split AC systems. The manufacturer designs condenser coils to release heat from the refrigerant. That is why condenser coils made of high heat transfer materials are an attractive feature. A good condenser coil is a very critical aspect of faster cooling methods.

Aluminum coil:

• A good deal of AC models have an aluminum coil as their condenser coil. Aluminum coils are very affordable. But it does not have impressive durability. Condenser coils need to remain clean to maintain steady performance. A dirty condenser coil harms the lifespan of the system. An aluminum condenser coil is difficult to clean and maintain. Moreover, when an aluminum coil joins the copper tube, it causes corrosion. As a result, you can experience frequent gas leaks.

Copper coil:

As all the previous issues occurred, the manufacturer used a copper coil to solve these problems.

• Copper coil ensures user safety and protects their health from harmful gas leakage.
• Copper is a thermally conducting metal.
• The copper coil has approximately 8-times more thermal conductivity than aluminum coins.
• All the latest air conditioner models use copper condenser coils. Copper is also highly corrosive resistant. Copper tubes used with copper condenser coils increase the surface area of copper tubes. That is why we get more efficient results from heat transfer. It significantly improves the performance of the operating unit.

Compressor:

The role of the compressor in an AC unit is to pressurize the refrigerant gas by reducing its volume. It’s the compressor performance that enhances the overall performance of the AC. That is why before buying any AC, you need to check its compressor and the function of it.

You will find mainly two types of compressors in today’s AC units. One is a reciprocating compressor, and the other one is a Rotary compressor.

Reciprocating compressor:

• In a reciprocating compressor, you will see multiple Piston and cylinders. Their arrangement creates high pressure on the liquid present in it. Maintaining this compressor is easy. But this compressor also vibrates too much while operating. As it keeps vibrating, the compressor unit makes a loud noise. It is ideal for low scale air conditioning appliances.

Rotary compressor:

• The rotary compressor comprises specially designed rotors. Those rotors come in pairs and rotate in opposite directions at the same time. Because there is not much clearance between these rotors, the liquid present there attends high pressure. These compressors have rotating coils to push the liquid to the center of the fixed coil.
• It improves the pressure level.
• A rotary compressor is an ideal choice for large-capacity air conditioner units. It does not vibrate and makes no noise.

That is why an air conditioner with a Rotary compressor is a better choice for professional places. A rotary compressor needs to run continuously for a fixed period to maintain its performance scale.

Power consumption:

Already know that air conditioners consume power. So we mainly expect high electricity bills while installing AC in our home.

• Air conditioners consume power way more than it shows while advertising for the product. Few factors impact AC’s power consumption.
• The density of people in the room where the unit is operating can increase AC power consumption. The number of electrical devices present in that room and also the room size make a clear difference in AC power consumption.

That is why you need to bring those products with higher power saving ratings.

• Using an energy-efficient system, you can reduce your carbon footprint on the Earth. It saves money. Also, it does not waste natural resources without compromising your comfort.

Refrigerant type:

• The coolant used in the AC is another critical point for faster and efficient cooling. The refrigerant absorbs room heat and releases it outside to keep the room cool. The units always suggest repressing the coolant when the efficiency of cooling reduces. There are few refrigerant gases used to manufacture these air conditioners.

It directly links this refrigerant with global warming and ozone depletion.

So choose those refrigerants with less global warming potential.

• R32 is one of the famous refrigerant gases used in AC. That is a very eco-friendly coolant with zero ozone depletion potential.

Features:

Cooling capacity range: 

• We denote the AC’s cooling capacity by ‘a ton’. 1-ton cooling capacity shows 12000 BTU per hour. When an AC is operating at a full capacity, it will absorb the same quantity of heat from the room.

 Self-clean mode:

• The self-clean model is one of the must-have features on the latest air conditioner. People nowadays are very busy. They might not get enough time to clean the product by themselves. But dirt and pollution sticking at the unit can hamper the product performance. Self-clean mode allows the AC to diagnose and clean itself over a certain period. As a result, we will get long-lasting durability and reliable performance.

 Air Filters:

• The air of Indian origin fills with dust & industrial pollutants. These are very harmful to your health. At Least you would like to have pure air at home. That is why your air conditioner needs to have multi-stage air filters. These air filters will filter out bacteria, mites, pollutants, pollen, etc. You will get pure & fresh air to breathe.

Sleep timer:

• Smart ACs need to know when to sleep. The sleep timer will allow you to set the air conditioner at sleep at a perfect point. You will get undisturbed sleep with this intelligent feature.

Dehumidification:

• People who are living in a high humid area need to take extra caution before buying an air conditioner. Some AC has a brilliant feature of absorbing excess water droplets from the air or the room while it’s operating. It makes the air less humid and easy to breathe.

Warranty:

Checking the warranty period of the product is vital.

Most ACs have different warranties for different parts.

• Most companies give a one-year warranty on the whole product and the condenser.
• But some companies provide a 10-years warranty on the compressor. A long time warranty period helps to maintain the unit at a lower cost.

Remote control operation: 

• Controlling the unit with a remote controller gives a hassle-free working experience. You can’t get up to switch off the AC every time you feel cold. Remote control operation allows us to live comfortably.

Rating chart:

Half of the people only check the ratings on the AC before buying it. A few ratings are critical to examine carefully.

• EER is the ratio of the total amount of heat removed from the room per hour to the total power consumption.
• Higher EER shows excellent performance. If the air conditioner takes less power to remove more heat, only then the EER gets high. That is why higher EER ratings will help you save electricity without deducting the unit’s performance.
• ISEER denotes the ratio of total heat removed by the AC in active mode to the total power consumption by the unit.

Stabilizer:

If your locality experiences frequent voltage fluctuation, then you need an external stabilizer to operate your AC safely. Most S-UTR compressors built ACs do not need any external stabilizer. But if you want the best stabilizer for AC, then copper stabilizer for 1.5 ton capacity AC is a good choice.

The temperature difference between outdoor and indoor becomes a variable for these ratings.

Every Indian AC manufacturer put the ISEER rating according to the BEE circulation notice.

These few things are vital to know before making any purchase. With our guidance, we hope you bring a great AC home. All the best.