Air-Conditioning Unit Question

[Old55]

What air-conditioner do you use in Cebu and how do you like it? If you were in the market for a new unit what would you chose?I assume it would be better to buy in Cebu as apposed to sending one via Balikbyan box even if the later were less expensive? We have a large bedroom in Talisay that’s cooled using an older window type electric air-conditioner. We need to replace it soon.I know very little about new units and even less about what’s available in Cebu. We want a quiet efficient unit with an effective air filter that can be easily cleaned. Purchase price and aesthetics are not so important, reliability and operating costs are. What types are best at dehumidification? I realize an air-conditioner is not a dehumidifier per say but they do remove some moisture from the cooled air. Thanks!

[Mr Lee]

What air-conditioner do you use in Cebu and how do you like it? If you were in the market for a new unit what would you chose?I assume it would be better to buy in Cebu as apposed to sending one via Balikbyan box even if the later were less expensive? We have a large bedroom in Talisay that’s cooled using an older window type electric air-conditioner. We need to replace it soon.I know very little about new units and even less about what’s available in Cebu. We want a quiet efficient unit with an effective air filter that can be easily cleaned. Purchase price and aesthetics are not so important, reliability and operating costs are. What types are best at dehumidification? I realize an air-conditioner is not a dehumidifier per say but they do remove some moisture from the cooled air. Thanks!

We bought two split 2.5 HP Carrier units in our two units that we turned into one 2/2 (80 plus square meter condo) and we only have to run one of them with some fans to move the air around in the whole unit when we have no company and have the accordion door open between them. I have been extremely happy with them as far as them being quiet, their filtering ability, the ease of cleaning the filters and the humidity they remove from our condo, but I believe a noisier window unit might have cost less to buy and to run since we pay about p7500 for the electric in that unit alone with the air running 24/7, but we do use a hot plate, toaster oven and microwave to cook in that side, have a frost free refrigerator as well as have a water heater for showers and the CR sink, so there are other things which add to the bill, yet I would still recommend one of the same because it is high up on the wall and the other things mentioned but as far as noise, a noisier unit might be a plus many times in the Philippines when not living high up in a condo, so as to block out the sound of the dogs, roosters and loud music around us so we can sleep.   :541:  

[No name]

Most of us just try to cool a bedroom or two and don't go with "central air." There is another kind... Not really central, I forgot what it is called. Expensive and used for large areas mostly.I have a sharp. It is a 20,000 btu, it does fine. I paid about P20,000 for it two years ago. It works fine. It is very moldy here, you need to have it cleaned very three months at most. We sometimes forget till the water starts flowing inside.Filipino can be quite resourceful. Jessie, my gf, tied string along the front of it, then led each string into an empty coke bottle. That collected the water nicely until we got the repair man out to clean it. We should get it cleaned again, while I'm thinking about it. LOLFilter is on the front, pop it out, wash it, put it back in.I wish I had sold more of my things. Craig's list is a great way to do it.I think shipping most things here is a huge waste. Nice electronics and computer would be an exception. Hard to get high quality gear here.

[No name]

PS, air con is always a dehumidifier They work by sucking moisture out of the air and evaporating the moisture.You wont notice the rooster's after a year, maybe six months.I never notice them any more.

[URGIRL]

hi old55, if u like there are lots a good quality of air condition opposite of bread and butter bakeshop in escario street side of kukuksnest have a look u might like it,my friend bought from that shop last year and its very good and less price too.... :) take care have a nice day be safe...regards,Che che

[Dave Hounddriver]

A couple of weeks ago I decided to replace my air conditioner so I did some homework. My first concern was that I rent and therefore move from time to time. That meant a window type air conditioner would be the most practical for me.If you stay in one place I found the 'Inverter type' split aircon to be the most efficient over all. I found I could have one installed for under 40K pesos and it would cut 1/3 off the power used by a standard window air con.This did not work for me due to the expense of relocating the unit when I move. I found a similar window unit made by Hitachi that is also an Inverter type but the cost is close to that of the split aircon and seemed unreasonable to me.I settled on a Panasonic 3/4 HP with remote control, thermometer setting and other bells and whistles for 15K Pesos from SM Appliances. My research suggests it will cut 20% or more off my power bill but it will take a couple months to know for sure. (My old aircon was a 1HP generic model which had seen 3 years of hard use and my power bill has been running at 7K per month until now).

[Old55]

Thanks for your comments everyone. I think a split aircon would best meet our needs.

[Mr Lee]

Whatever aircon anyone decides to use, it is best to have it cleaned at least yearly because of all the pollution in the PHL. As most of you know we only live in our unit about 4 months a year so I had our outside unit cleaned earlier this year after only about 10 months of use and the muddy dirt that came out of it was amazing to me. I will have the other one cleaned next year to play it safe but we rarely use that one and since we are high up and the units are in our patio, I suspect they do not get as much dirt in them as a unit at ground level might get, so be sure to keep your units clean and I am sure the electric bill will be lower that way. I used Abdel which is a construction company right in Cebu City and they charged me p600 to come up and clean it, their number is 233 5515 if anyone wants to call for an estimate.

[Dave Hounddriver]

Just to update this post. I got my first full month electric bill from using the new air conditioner. It is 4,300 Pesos. Thats a WAY down from the 7,000 I was paying. Conclusion: spend the money for a more efficient aircon as it will pay for itself in less than a year.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to replace my air conditioner so I did some homework. My first concern was that I rent and therefore move from time to time. That meant a window type air conditioner would be the most practical for me.If you stay in one place I found the 'Inverter type' split aircon to be the most efficient over all. I found I could have one installed for under 40K pesos and it would cut 1/3 off the power used by a standard window air con.This did not work for me due to the expense of relocating the unit when I move. I found a similar window unit made by Hitachi that is also an Inverter type but the cost is close to that of the split aircon and seemed unreasonable to me.I settled on a Panasonic 3/4 HP with remote control, thermometer setting and other bells and whistles for 15K Pesos from SM Appliances. My research suggests it will cut 20% or more off my power bill but it will take a couple months to know for sure. (My old aircon was a 1HP generic model which had seen 3 years of hard use and my power bill has been running at 7K per month until now).

[Art2ro]

We have a UNIAIR multi-split A/C unit, an outdoor unit with 1 fan and 2 compressors (1 & 2 HP) The indoor units, 1 in our master bed room (1HP) and the 2nd unit (2HP) downstairs in the dining area and living room. Consumption and cost is all about usage and everyone is different! Our 1HP unit in our master bed room is on 24/7 for the past 8 yrs we had our A/C system and set at a constant 29 deg C, average cost per month P5,000 to P7,000 depending on the heat of the day or week. We hardly ever use our 2HP unit downstairs, but when we do with our 1HP, it's about P8,000 to P9,000 a month! I know a neighbor of ours with a home twice the size of ours and their Meralco bill each month on the average is around P4,500! They're a frugal old couple and don't use their A/C much! So, each to their own! Like I said before, everyone is different, because it's all about choice or one's desire to stay cool!