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What Is An Inverter Air Conditioner And Why Choose One

What Is An Inverter Air Conditioner And Why Choose One

Why Choose An Inverter Air Conditioner?


When it comes to cooling and heating the air in your home, you want to choose the most energy efficient, eco-friendly and cost-effective air conditioner, while maintaining a comfortable home environment with clean, quality air.

Inverter technology is the go-to choice for homeowners because of its superior energy efficiency, consistent cooling and heating capabilities and reduced noise. But how do inverter systems work, and why are they better than non-inverter units?

What is an Inverter Air Conditioner?

The key difference between an inverter and non-inverter air conditioner lies in the design of its compressor motor. That’s the box that sits outside your house or apartment with the big round fan in it. An inverter air conditioner uses microprocessors to control the speed of its compressor motor to match the required output. Once the room is cool or warm, an inverter air conditioner lowers the speed of the motor to save energy and maintain the desired temperature.

What is an Inverter Air Conditioner?

How Does an Inverter Air Conditioner Work?

How Does an Inverter Air Conditioner Work?

Inverter Air Conditioner

Think of inverter technology like cruise control in a car. When you are driving on the freeway you set your cruise control to maintain a steady speed. The cruise control system electronically controls your throttle, gently accelerating or decelerating based on the incline or decline of the road to ensure you never go above or below the speed you set. Cruise control is great for fuel economy, and its convenience cannot be argued. The same goes for inverter technology.

How Does a Non-Inverter Air Conditioner Work?

Non-Inverter Air Conditioner

In contrast, non-inverter designs use older style motors that can only run at full speed or stop. To cool the room, a non-inverter air conditioner motor runs at full speed, then turns off once the room temperature reaches the desired level. When the temperature in the room begins to rise, the motor kicks in at full throttle again to begin cooling the room back to the desired temperature.

Disadvantages of a Non-Inverter Air Conditioner

This repeated on-off process is less efficient, generates more noise, is tougher on the moving parts of the unit and allows the temperature in the room to fluctuate uncomfortably. Apply the cruise control analogy to a non-inverter design and you can understand why inverter air conditioners are the right choice for better comfort and energy efficiency.

Disadvantages of a Non-Inverter Air Conditioner

What is the Cost-Effectiveness of Inverter vs Non-Inverter Air Conditioning?

So why even consider a non-inverter air conditioner? The only argument supporters of non-inverter units have is that they are less expensive to purchase up-front. This may be true in some cases, but the overall cost of powering a non-inverter system over the course of its 10+ year expected lifespan will far exceed any savings made during the initial purchase.

What is the Cost-Effectiveness of Inverter vs Non-Inverter Air Conditioning?

The Benefits of a Panasonic Inverter Air Conditioner

In addition to operational efficiency and cooling consistency, a Panasonic Inverter air conditioner offers many other benefits. Our entire range of split, multi-split, ducted and VRF air conditioners can also improve the indoor air quality of your home with either our bacteria-eliminating nanoeX technology or built-in air filters for selected models. They can further reduce your operating costs with sensors that are designed to detect activity in the room and adjust the output of the unit accordingly, and they can be integrated with our smartphone app that allows you to control the unit from anywhere while also keeping track of energy consumption and costs.

View the Panasonic Air Conditioning Residential Range >

The Benefits of a Panasonic Inverter Air Conditioner