Question:
I'm considering buying a small air conditioner to cool one room in my
apartment. It's a small room.
I'm wondering if there are different levels of cooling ability from
one type of air conditioner to another. I'm not talking about
differences in quality among brands, but *indended* differences. Can
one buy a relatively low-powered one for a small room, or are they
all pretty much the same?
And speaking of power, what voltage is required from the electrical
socket? Does that also vary from one a/c to another? Is it fairly
easy to upgrade the power capacity of a socket if necessary? I'm a
renter so I'm hoping my landlord will go for that.
Answer:
If you buy a high-efficiency 5000 BTU unit (this is about the smallest
you're going to find, and it's a size consistent with your description
of a "small room") it will draw around 5A, which is well within the
range of normal outlets -- sort of like two 250 W lamps. Suggest you
look at Panasonic. I have one of these and am very pleased. Very
quiet with scroll compressor, and very high efficiency. I further
suggest that you do NOT buy simply on price. For example, you should
compare current draw between alternatives. You'll probably find a
large spread, and obviously you'll want to buy a unit that draws the
least (at a given BTU rating) to reduce the probability of having to
approach your landlord for wiring changes.
