Air Conditioning Installation & Purchases - Tips & Prices

We recently purchased a new air-condition and also had all the old Aircons removed and reinstalled in our new place. After lots of googling and dealing with some "bluffs" from our very own contractor (for the renovation of our house), I figured out a few things which would probably be useful if there has been any websites or blogs on them. Sheesh.

1) Check for a (aircon) contractor who does installation or servicing for the areas in your old house and new one. Therefore, you would not need to pay for the transportation fees since the areas are all under their usual spots. Also, getting two separate contractors would mean  less discounts and possible transportation fee charges. Ours was a little complicated as Shah Alam and Nilai were actually not too far apart but apparently simply by being in another state changes a lot of things for certain unscrupulous people.

Lesson: Get MULTIPLE quotes!!!!

2) Installation and Removal should cost you around less than RM200 (as of March 2016). We got those done per unit of 1HP for RM180. So let this be a guide and bargain as much as possible. Our contractor from the house renovation initially wanted to charge us RM150 or more for only the installation and do not cover the removal and transportation from our old house. Sheesh!

Lesson: Don't be shy about asking and bargaining.

3) BTU matters! This depends on your room and I have below a summary based on EnergyStars.gov's website.

Simply put, a usual 1HP air conditioner is about 7000-10000 BTU. A 1.5HP one would be about 10000-13000 BTU. If you are planning to keep a large area COOL (please not the usage of COOL and not COLD), a 1.5HP could only do so much, especially in a large living space. To be properly cold and comfortable, you would easily need a 2-2.5HP air conditioner. The prices of 1-1.5HP air conditioner of the same brand usually has a difference of only RM200-400 whereas from 1.5HP to 2HP would be a leap of anywhere between RM800-1000. This could be due to the size and the hose (if I am not mistaken) of the unit itself.

The cheapest and best so far, according to the Hubby would be Daikin. We got our 1.5HP inverter inclusive of installation for about RM1.6K and I found out from the same guy they have a 2HP one for about 2.5+K. 

4) Brand MATTERS! You can get different BTU for the same prices from various brands. The highest BTU would be best but you have to consider your BUDGET as well.

5) Energy saving units would mean saving up to 65% of the electrical usage (and your bill, of course) but what if their BTU is excessively low? Get your priority clear so you would not regret your purchases. Check for inverter units~