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In recent years, there has been a growing interest in air conditioners not only because of the possibility of cooling the space, but also because of the low monthly heating costs. Modern (inverter) air conditioners are of high energy classes (A +, A ++ and A +++) and consume significantly less electricity. Also, inverter technology in air conditioners enables efficient heating even at extremely low outdoor temperatures down to -15 ° C or lower. Classic electric heaters (heaters, infrared heaters, convectors, oil radiators) consume exactly as much electricity as they are declared. An electric heater with a power of 1000 W will consume 1 kWh per hour and deliver 1 kW of heat energy to the space. Air conditioners for the consumed 1 kW of power can provide 3, 4 or even over 5 kW of thermal energy, which makes them an extremely economical method of heating and many times more efficient than any other method of electric heating.
Air conditioners for the consumed 1 kW of power can provide 3, 4 or even over 5 kW of thermal energy.
Inverter technology
By inverting the speed control, the inverter compressor constantly adjusts the power depending on the room air temperature. If the room air temperature is significantly lower than the set temperature, the air conditioner will operate at maximum power until it reaches the set temperature, and then only with the power required to maintain the desired temperature. By regulating the operation of the compressor, the air conditioner actually achieves lower electricity consumption.
Low temperatures
With low outdoor temperatures, the gas pressure in the air conditioning system also decreases, which reduces the energy efficiency coefficient. This means that the air conditioner will transfer 2 kW or less of heat energy to the space for the consumed 1 kW of electricity. In other words, lower temperatures reduce the efficiency of the air conditioner. It is recommended to keep the AC constantly on on colder days in order to maintain the air temperature and to reduce the final electricity consumption. Low outdoor tempreratures are not a cause for concern. Air conditioners at lower temperatures (even above zero) go into so-called defrost and defrost the outdoor unit system. The defrosting process usually takes a few minutes and is repeated once an hour depending on the quality of the air conditioner, the outside temperature and humidity.
Air conditioning power, EER and COP
Each air conditioner has a declared EER and COP coefficient that determines the ratio of heating or cooling provided by your air-conditioning unit relative to the amount of electrical input it requires to generate it. The Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is the label for the cooling ratio and the Coefficient of Performance (COP) is the label for the heating mode ratio. The higher the EER and COP coefficients, the lower the electricity consumption.
Prerequisites for air conditioning heating
For a warm and dry home, insulation is the most important condition that actually puts the way and intensity of heating in the background. Poor thermal insulation of the space (non-existent or dilapidated thermal facade), poor, dilapidated windows and doors and poor or non-existent roof insulation of houses or blankets of upper floors of buildings are the main culprits for high monthly heating costs.
By investing in quality insulation of the building, you reduce heat losses by 40% - 60% or more. An uninsulated or poorly insulated building loses large amounts of energy, so it is necessary to invest large amounts of energy in order to heat the space, and by turning off the heating, the temperature in the room drops very quickly. With large losses, each method of heating is expensive. No space is the same, so heating costs are not the same per square meter. Some apartments are bounded by walls that separate them from neighboring apartments that are also heated. In contrast - some houses have all the exterior walls that are directly affected by the outside temperature.
Disadvantages of air conditioning heating
Like any heating system, heating with air conditioners has certain disadvantages. The air conditioner blows out warm air. If the indoor unit is not located in an ideal place, warm air will blow on the table or sofa which is not always comfortable. Someone can be sensitive to air flow and this way of heating will not be comfortable.
Classic radiators heat by radiating energy, they are completely noiseless and provide a more comfortable feeling of warmth. Although in some cases it is possible to cover the square footage of the entire apartment, for areas larger than 40 square meters it will usually be necessary to install more AC units.
If the indoor unit is installed in the living room, the flow of warm air may not penetrate through the hallway into the bedroom. The installation of two units requires a double initial investment, but also a return on investment through reduced monthly heating costs.
We should also mention that the indoor unit of the air conditioner contains air filters that are recommended to be cleaned every two weeks. The filters are easily maintained with hot water, and clean filters maintain air quality and ensure optimal operation of the air conditioner. Each method of heating requires a certain minimum maintenance, so in fact cleaning the filter cannot be called a drawback.
Advantages of air conditioning heating
To achieve smaller oscillations of the temperature in a household, and finally the lower heating costs, it is ideal to keep the air conditioner constantly on, especially at lower outdoor temperatures. This way we achieve greated comfort throughout the year, the ideal temperature at all times.
Room temperature is regulated simply by pressing the button on the remote control. Heating with air conditioning is far more economical than any other heating. It is cheaper than heating with wood or heating with gas, contrary to the common opinion that gas is the cheapest energy source. Heating with air conditioning is a clean way of heating. The indoor unit filters the air through electrostatic precipitators that destroy bacteria, which should also be considered as a plus. High heating temperatures of classic radiators cause dust ignition and are one of the causes of allergies. Thermal storage furnaces can contain asbestos dust. Wood heating requires high costs before each heating season, good preparation and then daily lighting, ash and unpleasant smoke.
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