In India, especially in summers, there is no escape from it without having an air conditioner. Earlier, most people used to have desert coolers in northern India which face dry summers. In southern and coastal areas where the cooler was not an option, people used to rely on the fans only as air conditioners remain out of reach for many Indians. But with time and increasing income of the Indian middle class, now most of the middle-income families in India own an Air conditioner.
They serve in all kinds of summer. Whether it’s the dry and scorching heat of Northern India or humid, sweaty summer in southern India, AC can cater to both the weather. Nowadays, we have so many different models and capacities of air conditioners, both available for household uses as well as commercial uses. They vary in cost, installation, performance, and efficiency. Let’s discuss all these aspects.
Which Air Conditioner To Purchase
If you are up for buying an air conditioner for your home or office, there are several things which you should keep notice while making the decision. One of the most foremost decisions is regarding space. This means how much area and which part of your home or office you want to have an AC installed; why AC installation is important because based on the space available for installation, you can decide which model of AC you need to purchase.
Like in an enclosed room with no windows, you cannot have a window AC. Similarly, if the room has no connection to the balcony or room, then installing a two-unit split AC might be tricky. Do we have enough space on the floor or walls, or should we install the AC on the ceiling with a false ceiling? All these need to be answered before you decide which type of AC to purchase.
AC Installation Methods And Charges
When you purchase an AC at the same time, you also need to take the service engineer appointment from the brand’s service center so that they can come over to your place and install the same. However, you can also arrange your own technician and get it installed that not advisable. Reasons mainly for that is your warranty becomes null n void if someone else opens the box and installs it.
If in case there is some issue with the AC, then the brand will not take ownership of the same as a third-party engineer has opened the box. While if brands own service engineers see the issue and ask for a replacement, then that will be done without any questions. Your warranty will also stay as-is.
Once the service engineer visits your place based on the model and type of AC that needs to be installed, they will let you know the AC installation charges. For a small household, AC’s charges are mostly less, or there is no charge, but for a centralized AC setup, there can be a considerable amount of installation charges based on the area that needs to be covered.
Window AC’s are the easiest to install, and there are almost no charges for installing them. The engineer simply installs the metal casing of the air conditioner into the window frame post removing the iron grills. Then they fix the casing into the frame using nails. Once that is done, the AC simply slides into the casing, and the wiring is done. AC is now up and is ready for use. But not all rooms may have windows; in that case, households are also purchasing split air conditioners.
Split AC’s are costlier than window AC and difficult to install. But their cooling performance and power efficiency are much better than window ACs. There are two components with the Split AC. One is the filter and colling vent part, which is installed in the room, and the second is the exhaust unit which has the fan. Both these units are linked together using a copper pipe which works as heat sync in this case. The longer the copper pipe is between two units, the lesser the cooling becomes. Some of the copper pipe for installation is provided by the brand rest additional pipe, if needed, should be purchased from the engineer.
Since engineer has to drill through walls and affix pipes between two units, the overall cost of installation is higher in comparison to window ACs. The other type of AC that is available is tower AC. Tower AC’s are good for spaces where we have more area to cover, and window AC’s are not an option. They are mostly installed in the corners of the rooms or halls, and their second unit is mostly outside with the heat sync and exhaust. Installation of these AC’s is also very easy. Another type of AC in this category is cassette AC which is installed on the roof when we have no space for split AC too. But for them, you need to have a false ceiling. Thus, installation is the costliest for these ACs.
