With the summer heat at its peak, most of us have already been looking for substantial cooling relief whether it’s an air conditioner or a water cooler. Amid the search for an air conditioner, there’s no doubt you’d have come up against two different options, i.e. inverter air conditioner and non-inverter air conditioner.
That’s where the decision-making comes in. Both with similar cooling nature but with varying properties and technologies. So how do you decide between an inverter air conditioner and a non-inverter air conditioner? We’ll help you around with it.
Inverter Air Conditioner
An inverter air conditioner is a type of air conditioner with a variable speed compressor motor that helps it to adjust the refrigerant flow inside the air conditioner unit. This helps in controlling the cooling and the heating as per the requirement of the user. Over here the speed of the compressor motor is proportional to the power supply and its frequency. It also uses a variable frequency-based sensor to control the speed of the motor allowing the elimination of the start-stop cycle inside the air conditioner.
Non-inverter Air Conditioner
A non-inverter air conditioner is a type of air conditioner which comes with a fixed-speed compressor motor. It works on a compressor motor which automatically goes on and off as per the set time. This means that it doesn’t work at full speed all the time and the compressor switches off when the right temperature is reached and starts back again when the temperature rises. This constant on-off of the compressor keeps it working all the time at high power and thus creates a lot of noise while also consuming higher electricity consumption.
Difference between Inverter AC and Non-Inverter AC
As we discussed above, both of these air conditioners have a substantial difference between them and we’ll look to discuss it in-depth down below.
Difference Between Inverter AC and Non-Inverter AC | |||
# | Basis | Inverter AC | Non-Inverter AC |
1 | Technology | Inverter AC uses a technology where it changes the current from AC to DC and vice-versa. The inverter in the air conditioner allows you to control the power supply frequency and adjust the cooling or heating of the air conditioner. | A non-inverter air conditioner has a fixed-speed compressor that functions on an automatic on-off system. Rather than adjusting the heating and cooling like inverter AC, it switches off once it reaches the desired temperature and switches on after the temperature rises. |
2 | Operation Model | An inverter-based air conditioner works on the adjustable speed maintenance of the compressor. This helps to control the flow of the refrigerant which in turn controls the temperature of the space. It works on a simple operating model whereupon the switching on of the unit, the compressor runs on the full speed without any stops in between. | A non-inverter air conditioner works on an operation model of a fixed power supply. The compressor within it switches on once the unit is on and runs till the desired temperature is reached. Once the temperature reaches requires levels it switches off and again starts when the temperature rises back. |
3 | Energy efficiency and consumption | An inverter air conditioner runs on an automated process where the sensor inside the unit adjusts the power supply as per the need and reduces the energy consumption making it energy efficient. | A non-inverter-based air conditioner switches off and on multiple times during operation and is non-energy efficient when compared to inverter-based air conditioners. |
4 | Noise levels | Since the sensor unit regulates the flow of the speed and coolant, it doesn’t need to go on and off time and again. This makes it capable of running at moderate speed levels throughout the time and keeps the noise levels at a minimum. | Since the non-inverter-based air conditioner sees multiple on/off during operation, that constant on/off of the compressor causes noise levels that are substantially higher than the inverter air conditioner. |
5 | Cost | Inverter air conditioners cost on an upward curve compared to the non-inverter ones due to the addition of inverter technology. | Non-inverter air conditioners cost less than inverter air conditioners due to the absence of inverter technology. |
Both the inverter and non-inverter air conditioners do a good job of cooling the area and are great options for summer. You could pick one based on your suitability and needs.
Manoj Kumar, is a Service Manager at Rakesh Electronics, New Delhi. Manoj has 8 years of experience in dealing with home electronics products. Manoj is a freelance writer and share his knowledge at IndiasStuffs.com