What are the best air conditioners for home you can buy in 2023? How to choose the best way to stay cool in summer – and maybe even have the right temperature between spring and autumn? In this guide, we help you understand how to choose the best products to have the right temperature all year round.
What are the best air conditioners for home?
Choosing the right system to cool and heat your home is not easy, even after finding out what are the best air conditioners 2023. So we always recommend contacting a expert: professionals will be able to give you honest opinions based on your housing situation.
Our guide to the best air conditioners of 2023 is above all to give you some extra knowledge to understand what the professionals are talking about who will come to inspect the site, in order to understand what they are talking about, which brands have more value on the market, which technologies are more performing. But we still recommend finding a trusted professional to deal with: the investment, especially if you also have to do the masonry work to position the air conditionercould also be economically and time-sensitive.
How does an air conditioner work – and why is the heat pump important?
An air conditioner is a device that serves to regulate temperature, humidity and air quality in an environment. The heat pump is the principle that allows the air conditioner to operate in both cooling and heating modes, exploiting the thermal energy present in the air, in the water or in the ground. The operation of a heat pump is based on a closed circuit in cui circulates a refrigerant fluid which changes state from liquid to gaseous and vice versa, absorbing or transferring heat to the environment.
The circuit is made up of four main elements: the compressor, the condenser, the expansion device and the evaporator. The compressor compresses the gaseous refrigerant fluid by increasing its pressure and temperature. The condenser is a heat exchanger where the refrigerant fluid releases heat to the external environment and turns into liquid. The expansion device reduces the pressure and temperature of the liquid refrigerant. The evaporator is a heat exchanger where the refrigerant fluid absorbs heat from the internal environment and turns into gas.
A reversible valve allows you to reverse the direction of circulation of the coolant according to the desired mode: in cooling mode the condenser is outside and the evaporator inside, while in heating mode the condenser is inside and the evaporator outside.
Choosing an air conditioner with heat pump allows you to use it all year round – or almost. If in winter the underfloor heating or radiators have a better performance, during autumn or spring you can take advantage of the air conditioners to heat the house just long enough to have breakfast, or in the evening before returning from the office. Something that would cost much more to do with “classic” heating. So even if the price is higher, investing in a heat pump often proves to be a winning choice.
What is the difference between an air conditioner and an air conditioner?
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but in reality they have different meanings. An air conditioner is a device that regulates the temperature, humidity and air quality of an environment. An air conditioner is a type of air conditioner that cools the air through a compression and expansion cycle of a refrigerant fluid. So, all air conditioners are air conditioners, but not all air conditioners are air conditioners. In fact, there are other air conditioning systems, such as fans, dehumidifiers or radiant panels.
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What criteria to follow to choose the best air conditioners for 2023?
Choosing the right air conditioner for your home is not a simple task, as several factors must be taken into account. Some of the most important criteria are:
- surface area and volume of the environments to be cooled, which determine the required power of the air conditioner.
- Sun exposure and thermal insulation of the walls, windows and roof, which influence the thermal load of the rooms and the need to dehumidify the air.
- the type of plant, which can be monosplit, multisplit or ducted, depending on the number and arrangement of the indoor and outdoor units.
- Energy consumption and efficiency classwhich affect the running cost and the environmental impact of the air conditioner.
- Additional functions and featuressuch as remote control, timer, dust filter, presence sensor, smartphone control, etc., which increase the comfort and convenience of use.
To choose the air conditioner that best suits your needs, it is advisable consult a qualified professional, who can carry out an inspection and propose the most suitable solution. Very often, electricity companies (Enel, e.ON, etc.) offer free, no-obligation estimates, and the same goes for companies that sell air conditioners. Take advantage of the advice of professionals, if only to get an idea of what’s different
How to understand the power in btu for your air conditioner
To understand how many btu an air conditioner must have to cool the house, based on the square footage, you need to consider some factors that influence the power required. Among these are:
- the size of the room;
- the sun exposure of the house and room;
- thermal dispersion;
- the quality of the fixtures;
- the amount of hours we spend in that environment;
- the number of family members;
- the outside temperatures.
There are several formulas for calculating btu based on the square meters or cubic meters of the room. A simplified formula is as follows:
Calculation Power Watt = K x Width x Length x Height
Where K is a constant that is 25 for cooling and 36 for heating. To convert from Watt to BTU/hour, multiply the result by 3.4. For example, for a room of 20 square meters and 2.7 meters in height, we will have: Calculation Power Watt = 25 x 20 x 2.7 = 1350 Watt. And then Calculate Power BTU/hour = 1350 x 3.4 = 4590 BTU/hour. So this room would need an air conditioner with a power of about 5000 BTU/hour.
This formula is approximate and does not take into account all of the factors listed above. For a more precise calculation it is advisable to contact a professional. But in general, for medium-sized rooms 9000 btu could be enough if well thermally insulated, for larger spaces (open space between living room and kitchen, sleeping area, etc.) it is better to go to 12000.
Inverter yes or inverter no
The inverter technology of air conditioners is a system that allows you to adjust the speed of the compressor according to the desired temperature. In this way, the continuous switching on and off of the compressor is avoided, which consume a lot of electricity and cause sudden changes in temperature. The inverter technology of air conditioners therefore allows you to save on your bill and to have a more stable and uniform thermal comfort. Furthermore, inverter air conditioners are quieter and more durable than traditional models.
Differences between monosplit and multisplit air conditioners: how to choose
If you are thinking of installing an air conditioner in your home or office, you will be faced with the choice between two types of systems: monosplit e multisplit. But what are the differences between these two models and how to choose the one that best suits your needs?
And monosplit air conditioner consists of a single outdoor unit and a single indoor unit, connected to each other. This type of system is suitable to cool or heat a single room, such as a bedroom or living room. The advantages of a monosplit air conditioner are simplicity of installation, lower cost and lower energy consumption.
A multisplit air conditioner, on the other hand, is composed from a single outdoor unit and from multiple indoor units, which can be installed in different rooms of the home or office. This type of system is suitable for cooling or heating several rooms at the same time, with the possibility of adjust the temperature independently for each room. The advantages of a multi-split air conditioner are greater flexibility, greater comfort and less aesthetic impact.
Depending on the cost of the outdoor unit and the branches, it may be cheaper in some cases to use two mono-split units instead of one multi-split, also from an energy point of view. But It really depends on the structure of your house: also in this case, it is advisable to consult a professional.
What are the best air conditioner brands in 2023?
What is the best brand for air conditioners in 2023? The answer is not simple, because it depends on several factorssuch as the size of the room to be cooled, energy consumption, features and price. However, we can take a look at the most popular brands and the most innovative models that will be available on the market in 2023.
Among the most famous and reliable brands, we find Daikin: there’s a reason why it’s the first brand many think of when talking about the best air conditioners (for several years now, not just in 2023). Mitsubishi is also one of the best known and most appreciated brands, especially in…