5 Jul, 2011
Energy Efficient Air Conditioners For Housing Society Residents – How To Purchase One
Apartment Management, Articles, Eco Living, Housing Society, Smart Living Tips , ,
With global warming increasing temperatures significantly, every resident in your housing society must be feeling the heat. The sale of air-conditioners has been on an increase the world over, but air conditioners are power hungry monsters. They use up a lot of energy to keep the room cool and use more power than the other appliances in each house in a housing society.

Choosing the right air conditioner

How can you and the other members of your housing society plan to cut your costs (to the pocket and to the environment) while buying air-conditioners?

You can do this by opting for energy efficient models. More importantly, your housing society should ask all residents to look for energy star ratings on the ACs that they buy. The higher the energy efficiency, the more stars will the air conditioner have. Air-conditioners work by removing the humidity from the air, and then cooling the drier air.

You should know what you’re looking for when you buy an energy efficient air conditioner.

What You Should Look For

  • Cooling Capacity – For this, you need to understand about British Transfer Units. The cooling capacity should be something that you perfectly need as having a huge AC for a small room can be a waste.
  • Energy Efficiency – Look for the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) when you buy an air conditioner. This is the ratio between the cooling capacity of the AC and its power consumption (Watts).
  • Coefficient Performance Rating (COP) – This is very similar to the EER. It is generally expressed as the ratio of cooling produced to the amount of energy used – energy output to energy input.
  • BEE Energy Star Rating – The Energy Star Rating rates the efficiency of the air conditioner in relation to the power usage. The more stars, the more efficient the given unit is.

A little bit about BEE Energy Star Ratings

BEE has made affixing Energy Ratings Labels mandatory for all room ACs from 2010. You might have to spend a bit more when you buy these energy efficient units. But then, air conditioners are the most expensive equipments in a home in terms of power consumption. So this additional investment should be well worth it, and help you save on energy bills through the life of the machine.

General Tips for Housing Society Residents

Here are some general tips that housing society residents can follow when buying air-conditioners. Take into account the size of the room, the heat, and the humidity levels in your region. Consider too, the number of people who can fit into the room and keep cool.

  • Size of Room

If you buy an AC that is too small for the room, it will be overworked trying to pump out all the humidity and cool the air in that big space. If you buy an AC that is too big, the room may cool too quickly, before all the moisture is removed, leaving the humidity hanging in the air.

  • Number of People

If just one or two people occupy the room, a small AC in relation to the size of the room might suffice. If more people need to be accommodated into the room, consider a higher capacity AC. The more people there are in a room, the more body heat they generate and the more the AC needs to work to keep the room cool.

  • Programmable Units

Look for programmable models. These can be programmed to provide optimal cooling during the early part of the night, then they can be automatically be switched off in the cooler hours of the early morning. They can also detect the area that needs cooling and adjust the settings automatically.

Do some research and ask around before shopping for your AC. With the range of models now available, you can choose the best fit for your needs and save on the energy front if you just keep the basic things in mind. If every resident in the housing society has an energy efficient air conditioner, a lot of energy can be effectively saved, with minimal wastage.

Get your Society on ApnaComplex – Today!
ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trial as well so that you can try before you buy!