Summer is approaching - you may need an air conditioner to keep your home cool and comfortable. Do bear in mind energy efficiency when choosing an air conditioner.
The Consumer Council recently conducted a test on 15 models of cooling-only split-type room air conditioners with claimed cooling capacities of 2.5 kW to 2.8 kW (or "1 horsepower" unit) and prices ranging from HK$3,080 (excluding basic installation service) to $5,890 (including basic installation service).
Among the tested models, 3 scored the highest in energy efficiency. There was about 18% difference between the models with the highest and the lowest energy efficiency.
In terms of cooling capacity, 5 models were found to fall below their claimed values with the largest discrepancy of about 4.8%, while one model turned out to be about 4.7% higher than its claim.
According to the energy efficiencies found in the test, the annual running costs of electricity for the models tested were estimated to vary from HK$1,078 to $1,314, at a 18% difference. So the savings for using the model with the highest energy efficiency can be as high as HK$236 annually.
As far as safety was concerned, most of the models passed a series of basic safety tests. Only 2 models failed to meet the requirements of the international standard (IEC 60335-2-40) for accessible basic insulated parts after opening the front panel of the indoor unit, which could pose potential hazards of electric shock. Test results have been forwarded to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department for follow up.
5 models scored an overall of 4.5 points in a 5-point scale rating, which was based on: energy efficiency (40%), noise level (20%), safety (20%), ease of use (10%), cooling capacity (and accuracy in its claimed value) (5%), enclosure sweat and condensate disposal (5%).
Air conditioners are high energy-consuming electrical appliances. Using inverter technology, cooling-only air conditioners or reverse cycle air conditioners can quickly adjust the room temperature to the pre-set temperature, and then the compressor can run stably at a lower speed that consumes less energy to achieve greater energy efficiency.
The Council also surveyed 16 models of inverter split-type air conditioners of "1 horsepower" for consumers' reference.
The 16 surveyed models included 13 heat pump models and 3 cooling-only models with claimed cooling capacities of 2.5 kW to 2.8 kW, and prices ranging from HK$4,490 to $25,255 (including basic installation service).
Consumers are advised to take note of the energy efficiency ratio (EER) and the coefficient of performance (COP) when purchasing an inverter split-type air conditioner. EER reflects the net cooling capacity generated from every kW of electricity, while COP indicates the efficiency in generating heat. Generally speaking, the higher the value, the better will be the performance in energy efficiency.
According to the information provided by the agents, the EER values of the surveyed models range from 3.29 to 5.00 and the COP vary from 3.50 to 5.14.
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- 2012.05.15