Beat the heat: Your guide to picking the right AC

As temperatures soar in Bangladesh, breaking all previous records, air conditioning systems play a vital role in maintaining comfort and enhancing the quality of indoor environments. 

Apart from their functionality, the design of these systems can significantly impact how efficiently they cool or heat a space, as well as their aesthetic appeal. 

From central air conditioners to portable units and smart systems, each design offers unique benefits and is tailored to diverse space needs. Understanding these variations is crucial for selecting the most suitable option for your space, and we are here to help.

Split Air Conditioner: 

Split ACs are the most popular type of AC, especially for residential cooling. They are renowned for their efficiency and quiet operation. These units consist of separate indoor and outdoor components connected by cables and copper pipes, offering flexibility in installation and minimal disruption to existing structures.

Split air conditioners offer several advantages that make them attractive for residential cooling needs. 

First, they are known for their energy efficiency, ensuring cost-effective operation and helping users save on electricity bills. Additionally, split ACs boast quiet performance, making them suitable for light sleepers sensitive to noise disturbances at night. Moreover, with discreet indoor units, their space-saving design allows for seamless integration into various interior settings without compromising aesthetic appeal or taking up valuable space.

While split ACs offer numerous benefits, the initial investment may be higher compared to other cooling options, which could deter some potential buyers. 

Furthermore, these units may have limited cooling capability in extremely large spaces, necessitating additional units or alternative solutions for adequate cooling. 

Cassette air conditioners:

Cassette Air Conditioners provide excellent climate control for commercial spaces like hotels and offices.

Cassette air conditioners are air conditioning units designed to be mounted flush in a drop ceiling. Unlike wall-mounted units, cassette ACs distribute conditioned air in all four directions, ensuring even cooling throughout the room. 

This makes them ideal for commercial spaces where consistent temperature control is important. They also boast a sleek, discreet design that blends seamlessly into the ceiling, preserving the space's overall aesthetics. 

Additionally, cassette units are often quieter than wall-mounted options, creating a more comfortable work environment. While not as common in homes, cassette air conditioners offer efficient climate control for larger spaces in commercial settings.

Central Air Conditioning:

These ACs are ideal for large homes or spaces requiring multi-room cooling. Such ACs consist of two main units: an outdoor unit consisting of the condenser and compressor and an indoor unit containing the evaporator coils and air handler. 

While central air conditioners may entail a higher initial cost, they are renowned for their effectiveness and longevity. They are commonly found in office spaces, providing comfort and cooling to many people at a time.

Central air conditioners offer several advantages, making them popular for cooling large spaces. They efficiently cool multiple rooms simultaneously, ensuring a comfortable indoor environment. 

Additionally, central AC systems help reduce humidity levels, especially in humid climates and are known for their long-term durability and reliability, which is much to homeowners' satisfaction.

Unfortunately, central air conditioners consume more energy, increasing utility bills over time. Furthermore, some individuals may have aesthetic concerns regarding the placement of the outdoor unit, although creative solutions can address this issue.

Portable Air Conditioner:

Offering versatility and convenience, portable air conditioners are standalone units that can be easily moved from room to room. These units are suitable for temporary cooling solutions or areas where traditional installations are impractical. Despite their compact size, portable air conditioners provide effective spot cooling, though they may struggle in larger spaces.

Portable air conditioners offer several advantages, making them a convenient option for cooling spaces. They require a quick and simple setup, and their mobility enables usage in various rooms, providing flexibility and convenience for users who may want to move the unit to different home areas.

However, portable air conditioners can produce noise during operation, which may be bothersome to some individuals. While they are effective for spot cooling, portable units may struggle to cool larger areas efficiently.

Smart Air Conditioner:

Combining technology with climate control, smart air conditioners offer connectivity and advanced features through Wi-Fi-enabled platforms. These systems can be integrated with smartphones to enable remote control and scheduling, maximising comfort and energy efficiency.

Smart air conditioners provide enhanced comfort and convenience with remote control capabilities, allowing users to adjust settings from anywhere within their home. Additionally, these units optimise energy usage and reduce energy consumption through intelligent scheduling, potentially lowering utility bills.

However, it's important to consider that smart air conditioners typically entail a higher initial cost than conventional units, which may require a larger upfront investment. 

Also, these units rely on Wi-Fi connectivity for full functionality, which may pose challenges in areas with unreliable internet connections or disruptions, potentially affecting the user experience.

VRF Air Conditioner:

The term VRF stands for variable refrigerant flow, and it accurately describes the primary function of this system, which is to use refrigerant for both heating and cooling.

VRF is a highly efficient ductless HVAC system technology that operates on a massive scale. Unlike split ACs, VRF systems can support multiple indoor units that operate on a single system that can be tailored to your specific requirements.

These systems are categorised as either heat recovery or heat pump systems. They are unique in that they can provide heating and cooling at the same time.

These systems are outfitted with multiple air handlers that can be controlled independently. This means that VRF systems run quietly even at full capacity.

Furthermore, VRF is intended for both industrial and residential applications. It can function as a heat pump or a cooling system, giving users the benefit of both heating and cooling at the same time.

VRF AC systems can save up to 30% on energy compared to traditional HVAC systems by adjusting compressor speed and delivering only the required temperature. They can accomplish this while also preventing energy loss through ductwork.

If energy savings are important to you, replacing your old HVAC system with a VRF system is a wise decision.

VRF systems operate on demand, as opposed to traditional heating and cooling systems, which run at full capacity all the time. These systems only provide refrigerant when needed. As a result, they run less often and use less energy.

Window Air Conditioner:

Before the rise of split ACs, Window ACs were the most popular type of ACs for residential cooling.

Window AC units are small air conditioners that can be installed in the frame of a window. The unit works by sucking hot air out of a room and blowing cold air in. The part of the unit that blows hot air is located outside your home, while the fan is located inside.

They include a compressor, condenser, evaporator, and fan, all housed in a single compact unit. Window air conditioners are simple to install and provide effective cooling in areas where central air conditioning may be impractical or prohibitively costly. They come in a variety of sizes and cooling capacities to accommodate different room sizes and cooling requirements.

They typically come in a variety of BTU capacities to accommodate the size of the room, and some models may also include features such as fan-only mode and temperature control.  However, window air conditioners can be noisy and increase your electric bill, and they may also block some of your windows or worse tear down a wall to make room.

Evaporative coolers

Evaporative coolers are sometimes referred to as air conditioning alternatives despite the fact that they are not air conditioners and have a different mechanism and structures.

This inclusion in the list is based on their ability to effectively cool indoor spaces. Evaporative coolers, as opposed to traditional air conditioning systems with ducts and refrigeration cycles, work by drawing warm air through water-saturated pads or media.

They require less electricity than other air conditioners. On the downside, they use a lot of water and must be refilled on a regular basis. They also increase the humidity in the room. When using an evaporative cooler, keep the windows partially open to ensure that the humidity levels in your room do not exceed the recommended levels.

Unlike traditional air conditioning systems that use ducts and refrigeration cycles, evaporative coolers work by drawing in warm, dry air, which is then passed through water-saturated pads, allowing cool, humid air to enter the room. They are better suited to arid climates like Arizona than humid areas.