An inverter is used to regulate the voltage, current, and frequency of a device; it’s an energy conversion circuit. While it may not seem significant, it can help you save a lot on your electricity bill.
In contrast, a traditional air conditioning system that aims to cool a room to a specific temperature (e.g., 24°C) will repeatedly cycle between on and off, while an inverter system will quickly bring the room to the desired temperature without needing those cycles.
The heart of an air conditioning system is the gas compressor, which also accounts for the majority of the equipment’s energy consumption. Typically, a system is considered inverter if its compressor is regulated with this technology.
How it works:
NON-INVERTER system: The compressor operates at maximum speed to cool the room. Once it reaches the set temperature (as determined by the thermostat), the compressor stops. If the temperature rises again, the compressor starts again at maximum speed, and so on.
INVERTER system: The compressor starts running, and as the room temperature decreases and approaches the set temperature, a frequency regulator gradually reduces the compressor’s speed. This ensures that the cooling power delivered by the system adjusts to our specific needs at any given time.
Advantages of the inverter system:
Comfort: With this system, you won’t experience temperature fluctuations as you would with a conventional system due to the compressor’s constant starting and stopping.
Energy savings: There are two factors that contribute to energy savings with this system. First, it avoids the frequent starts and stops of the traditional system, as each compressor start consumes a significant amount of energy. Second, by operating at a lower capacity than 100%, the system’s efficiency is higher, meaning it operates more efficiently and consumes less energy overall.
However, the inverter system loses its effectiveness and advantages if we don’t consider the desired temperature set on the thermostat.
What should we avoid doing?
If you arrive in a room and feel too hot, setting the air conditioning to the lowest temperature allowed by the thermostat (e.g., 18°C), and then stopping it when you feel cold, only to turn it on again when you feel hot again, you are effectively bypassing the inverter system and reverting to the conventional ON-OFF system. In doing so, you lose all the advantages we’ve discussed.
