The energy efficiency class shows how economically the technology works. While air conditioners in classes A++ or A+++ have a low power consumption, appliances in classes E, F or G require significantly more electrical energy. There is usually a 50 percent difference in power consumption between Carrier air conditioners in classes A+++ or A++ and class B appliances.
Air conditioning: Understand power consumption and save energy
Air conditioning solutions from Carrier ensure cosy temperatures within your own four walls all year round. They provide your home with climate-friendly warmth in winter and help efficiently combat extreme heat in summer. This is possible with air conditioning units, which can be easily retrofitted in many cases. But how much electricity does the technology actually consume? What factors determine the power consumption of an air conditioning system and how can it be reduced? We provide answers to the most important questions and simple tips to help you save on cooling costs immediately.
Factors influencing the power consumption of a split air conditioning system
Whether an air conditioning system has a high or low power consumption depends on numerous factors. Efficiency is the decisive factor. For example, modern solutions from Carrier work with inverters. This adapts the power of the technology to the current demand so that it never consumes more than necessary. Compared to a conventional system that runs continuously at the same output, the power consumption of an air conditioning system with an inverter is over 40 per cent lower.
The following overview shows which factors also affect the power consumption of a split air conditioning system:
The way the technology works has a major influence on the achievable efficiency class. Devices such as Carrier's split air conditioning systems work with an inverter, which adapts the output to the demand. As a result, consumption is generally over 40 percent lower than with conventional systems that operate continuously at the same output.
The electricity consumption of an air conditioning system for heating differs from the consumption of electrical energy for cooling. The reason for this is the different temperature conditions - even if the technical process is actually identical.
The power consumption of an air conditioner also depends largely on the output in watts. This indicates how much heat a system can dissipate in a certain time. The higher the numerical value of an air conditioner, the higher the power consumption per hour. But beware: a system that is too small may consume less, but may not reach the desired temperatures.
The building itself also influences the power consumption of an air conditioning system.Are the rooms small, the walls insulated and the windows shaded? Then the technology usually consumes very little. Large rooms with open windows and uninsulated façades, on the other hand, let in more heat, which means that cooling consumes more energy.
Another important factor is the difference between the room temperature and the outside temperature. The smaller this is, the less electricity an air conditioning unit consumes.
Your usage habits also influence the power consumption of a Carrier air conditioning system. The more frequently you use the technology, the more energy it consumes.
Air conditioning: Calculating power consumption step by step
If you want to calculate the power consumption of an air conditioner, it depends on the electrical output of the appliance. While mobile air conditioners have an output of around 500 to 900 watts, split systems from Carrier usually operate in a range of 190 to 1,720 watts. Multi-split systems, which air-condition several rooms simultaneously, can achieve up to 4,000 watts or more, depending on the number of indoor units.
Important to know: The specified power values are the power consumption from the mains. The cooling capacity, i.e. the capacity with which heat can actually be dissipated from the house, is usually three to four times higher.
Average consumption of the various air conditioners per hour
Unlike the output, the power consumption of an air conditioner can be expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh). A mobile air conditioner usually consumes 0.5 to 0.9 kilowatt hours per hour. Conventional split systems consume 0.2 to 1.7 kilowatt hours per hour and large systems 4 kilowatt hours or more. If you want to calculate the electricity consumption per year for an air conditioning system, you must multiply this value by the number of operating hours. If we assume an average output of 0.8 kilowatts and 500 operating hours, the system will consume 400 kilowatt hours.
Determine costs with electricity consumption of the air conditioning system and electricity price
If you want to know how high the electricity costs of the air conditioning technology are per year, all you have to do is multiply the electricity consumption by the electricity price. If the latter is around 35 cents per kilowatt hour, as is currently the case, this results in a value of 140 euros per year for 400 kilowatt hours.
Costs and consumption can only be determined individually in practice
There is no generalised way of determining how much electricity an air conditioner consumes. This is because it very much depends on how you use the system. For example, the same appliance in a non-insulated attic flat with lots of glass can consume significantly more electricity per year than in a well-insulated room with optimum shading. The reason for this is that the heat input in the roof space is higher and the system therefore has to run at a higher output for longer in order to maintain the same room temperatures.
Energy efficiency label enables direct comparison of appliances
In order to do justice to this fact, the energy efficiency labels of the air conditioning units show the power consumption on the basis of standard values. This makes it possible to compare different air conditioning systems regardless of where they are used. The system that has a low power consumption on the label will generally also work more economically in your home.
Tips: How to reduce the power consumption of your air conditioner
Would you like to reduce the power consumption of your air conditioning system or are you planning to purchase an air conditioning unit? These five tips will help you save energy immediately - whether you have a split air conditioner or a mobile appliance.
- Buy energy-efficient air conditioning units from Carrier: If you have not yet installed air conditioning technology or would like to retrofit and air conditioner, you should opt for an energy-efficient system. This can be recognised by the A+++ class on the energy efficiency label. This is usually an inverter air conditioning system. The power consumption of a class A++, A+ or B appliance is often 20 to 40 per cent higher.
- Maintain and clean air conditioning systems regularly: In order to maintain the efficiency of the systems for a long time, it is important to look after them properly. Therefore, maintain the technology regularly and avoid operating it with dirty filters. Specialist tradespeople can help you with this.
- Adapt user behaviour and save: Cool primarily at night when the temperatures outside are lower. This is because the air conditioning unit then works with lower power consumption. During the day, you can darken the windows to reduce solar input and delay heating up.
- Select favourable temperatures: Set the room temperatures as required and avoid cooling rooms too much below the outside temperature during the day. This leads to higher consumption and systems without sufficient capacity may no longer work.
- Close doors to non-air-conditioned rooms: Only cool the rooms that you actually use. If the doors remain open, warm air will flow in from other areas and the air conditioning system will have to work harder. This increases electricity consumption.
Air conditioning: This is why air conditioning technology consumes electricity
Air conditioning systems, regardless of their design, are generally compression refrigeration machines. These transfer heat from a room to a refrigerant, which changes from a liquid to a gaseous state. The refrigerant gas then flows through a compressor, which raises the temperature of the medium along with the pressure. This is necessary in order to release the initially absorbed heat into the environment. While this happens, the refrigerant cools down. It changes to a liquid state, expands and flows back to the starting point of the circuit. The systems therefore require electricity for the compressor. Without this, it would not be possible to release the heat absorbed in the room into the environment.
