Comparison Cooper&Hunter Vital CH-S18FTXF2-NG 50 m² vs Cooper&Hunter Veritas NG CH-S18FTXQ-NG 50 m²

Power consumption of the air conditioner in cooling and heating mode; for models without a heating mode, only one number is given. This parameter should not be confused with the effective capacity of the air conditioner. Effective capacity is the amount of heat that the unit can "pump" into the environment or the room. This item also indicates the amount of electricity consumed by the device from the network.

In all air conditioners, the power consumption is several times lower than the effective capacity. It is due to the peculiarities of the operation of such units. At the same time, devices with the same efficiency may differ in power consumption. In such cases, the more economical models usually cost more, but with continued use, the difference can quickly pay off with less electricity consumption.

Also, two points related to electrical engineering depend on this nuance. Firstly, power consumption affects power requirements: models up to 3 – 3.5 kW can be connected to a regular outlet, while higher power consumption requires a three-phase connection (see below). Secondly, the power consumption is needed to calculate the load on the mains and the necessary parameters of additional equipment: stabilizers, emergency generators, uninterruptible power supplies, etc.

The heat output of the air conditioner when operating in cooling mode, in other words, the amount of heat energy that the unit can transfer from the room to the external environment when operating in this mode.

In general, cooling capacityup to 2 kW for modern air conditioners is considered very modest, 2–3 kW is low, 3–4 kW is medium, 4–6 kW is above average, and in the heaviest and most productive models this figure can be 6–8 kW and even more. Also, the conventional unit BTU can be used to denote capacity; in our catalogue, 1 BTU corresponds approximately to 0.293 W, however, for the convenience of choice, some deviations are allowed: for example, the 7000 BTU category includes units with power from 1.8 to 2.3 kW. Also on sale you can find air conditioners for 9000, 12000, 18000, 24000 BTU and more.

As for the choice for this indicator, the simplest formula is as follows: at least 100 W or 1/3 BTU of thermal power should fall on 1 m2 of the area of the room. Thus, to estimate the maximum area served, the power in watts should be divided by 100, and the power in...BTU should be multiplied by three. However, all these calculations are relevant only for standard residential/office premises with a ceiling height of about 2.5-3 m. For other conditions, you need to use a more complex formula, which is the sum of three parameters: 1) Q1 - the heat gain of the room itself, calculated by multiplying the area of the room by the height of the ceilings and the heat transfer coefficient (it ranges from 30 to 40 W, depending on the conditions); 2) Q2 - heat gain from operating equipment (on average, a third of the total power of all electrical appliances); 3) Q3 - heat gain from each person (from 100 W for sedentary work to 300 W for heavy physical exertion). More detailed recommendations regarding such calculations can be found in special sources.

A special case is represented by separately sold outdoor units of air conditioners (see "In box"). In this case, the capacity in cooling mode is the highest heating capacity of the indoor unit (in the same mode, of course) that can be connected to this outdoor unit. For multi split systems, respectively, the total indicator of all indoor units is taken into account.

The power provided by the air conditioner in heating mode. It is indicated by the amount of thermal energy that the air conditioner can "pump" from the external environment into the room when operating in this mode. The most modest modern units have a heating capacity of 2 – 3 kW or even less, in the most performant it reaches 6 – 8 kW or more.

When evaluating this capacity, the same formulas are relevant that are used in calculating the power of traditional heating. So, for the full heating of an ordinary residential or office space (with ceilings of 2.5-3 m and normal thermal insulation), a thermal power of at least 100 W is required. There are more detailed calculation rules that allow you to calculate the necessary characteristics for other conditions. And if we are talking about a separately sold outdoor unit (see "In box"), then the meaning of this parameter is somewhat different. It indicates the maximum power of the indoor unit that can be connected to this outdoor unit to work in heating mode. For multi split systems, respectively, the total capacity of all indoor units is taken into account.

Recall that most air conditioners are not designed for use as full-fledged heating systems. However, such a unit can be a good addition to the main heating system. At the same time, air conditioners are less expensive than el...ectric heaters: the heater has an effective power equal to energy consumption, and the air conditioner consumes much less energy than it supplies to the heated room.

Also note that the unit BTU (more precisely, BTU/hour) can also be used to indicate the effective capacity (including in heating mode). 1 BTU (BTU/h) initially corresponds to 0.293 W, and the numbers in the characteristics of air conditioners correspond to thousands of BTU/h. For example, a 7 BTU air conditioner will produce an effective capacity of 7000 BTU/h, or about 2 kW. Such marking is convenient because BTU can easily determine the recommended area of a standard room (in m2): just multiply the figure indicated in the characteristics by 3. So, in our example, the power of 7 BTU will correspond to an area of 7*3=21 m2.

The rate at which moisture is removed from the air when the air conditioner is operating for dehumidification.

The amount of excess moisture that accumulates in the air depends on several parameters. There are special formulas and even calculator programmes that allow you to calculate this amount for a particular situation. These calculation methods can be found in special sources. It should also be said here that air conditioners are not full-fledged dehumidifiers, so their performance in this mode is generally low.

Cooling factor EER provided by the air conditioner. It is calculated as the ratio of the useful operating power of the air conditioner in cooling mode to the electricity consumption. For example, a device that delivers 6 kW of operating power in cooling mode and consumes 2 kW will have an EER 6/2 = 3.

The higher this indicator, the more economical the air conditioner is and the higher its cooling energy efficiency class (see below). Each class has its clear requirements for EER.

It is worth noting that this indicator is considered not very reliable, and in the European Union another coefficient has been introduced that is closer to practice — SEER. See Energy efficiency SEER (cooling) for more details.

The heating coefficient COP provided by the air conditioner. It is calculated as the ratio of the heat output of the air conditioner in heating mode to the electricity consumption. For example, if a device consumes 2 kW and produces 5 kW of thermal power, then the COP will be 5/2 = 2.5.

The higher this indicator, the more economical the air conditioner is and the higher its energy efficiency class when heating (see below). Each class has its own clear COP requirements.

Note that COP values are usually higher than the values of another important coefficient — EER (see above). It is due to the technical features of the air conditioners.

It is also worth mentioning that since 2013, a more advanced and closer-to-practice coefficient, SCOP, has been put into use in Europe. See "Energy efficiency SCOP (heating)" for more details.

Seasonal heating coefficient SCOP provided by the air conditioner.

Like the COP (see above), this parameter describes the overall efficiency of the air conditioner in heating operation and is calculated by the formula: thermal (useful) power divided by electricity consumption. The higher the coefficient, the more efficient the device, respectively. And the difference between COP and SCOP is that COP is measured under strictly standard conditions (outside temperature +7 °C, full workload), and SCOP takes into account seasonal temperature fluctuations (for Europe), changes in air conditioner operating modes, the presence of an inverter and some other options. Thanks to this, SCOP is closer to real indicators, and since 2013 this coefficient has been taken as the main one in the territory of the European Union. However, this parameter is also used for air conditioners supplied to other countries with a similar climate.

The general energy efficiency class that the air conditioner complies with in cooling mode.

This parameter is indicated by letters from A (highest efficiency) and beyond. It is directly related to the value of the EER factor (see "Cooling EER"): each energy efficiency class corresponds to a certain range of factors (for example, B — from 3.0 to 3.2). Specific coefficient values for each class can be found in special tables; here we note that more efficient air conditioners are more expensive, but this difference can pay off due to less electricity consumption.

The general energy efficiency class that the air conditioner corresponds to when operating in heating.

This parameter is indicated by letters from A (highest efficiency) and beyond. It is directly related to the value of the COP coefficient (see "Heating COP"): each energy efficiency class corresponds to a certain range of coefficients (for example, C — from 3.2 to 3.4). Specific coefficient values for each class can be found in special tables; here we note that more efficient air conditioners are more expensive, but this difference can pay off due to less electricity consumption.