AC manufacturing technology has come a long way since the time Carrier designed the first modern AC systems, way back in 1902.
Thus, in proper perspective, Carrier has introduced Flexicool Hybrid Jet technology in India’s first 4-in-1 inverter AC.
Other manufacturers like LG, Samsung, Voltas, Whirlpool, etc., have jumped into the bandwagon and developed their versions of flexible-cooling air conditioners. This unique product is now known better as Convertible AC.
Let us see what a convertible AC is and how it functions.
You must have seen and used the convertible refrigerator to interchangeably use the freezer and fridge compartments to optimize your storage space and cater to your specific requirements. Besides, it leads to saving power. The convertible AC is similar in its functioning.
This example can help explain things better.
Imagine you have a 1.5-ton AC in your drawing-room. Under normal circumstances, the AC is ideal, considering the room size and your cooling requirements. When everyone from your family sits together to watch a movie, the AC seems perfect to provide the ideal cooling effect.
If you were to sit alone in the room in the same AC settings, you would start feeling cold within a short period. It entails that the cooling is high compared to your requirements. Thus, it ends up consuming more power while making it a bit uncomfortable for you.
Would it not be a fantastic idea to control the settings so that you can maintain the ambient temperature and save power simultaneously, irrespective of the number of people in the room?
The convertible AC technology allows you to do that precisely. You can alter the settings in a manner to suit your requirements. In simple words, this technology makes the AC work at a variable capacity, depending on its workload.
The Car Analogy
It is similar to the functioning of your car accelerator. When you experience heavy traffic on the road, you keep your foot off the pedal to maintain slow speeds. At the same time, you press on the gas when you see the highway clear of all traffic. Thus, your car starts to gallop away. Depending on the circumstances, you change your driving modes accordingly. It has a direct bearing on the car’s fuel efficiency.
The Convertible/Adjustable AC technology
The convertible air conditioner works on a similar principle. Instead of the car accelerator, you can adjust the required modes on your AC remote control unit. Depending on the cooling you need, you can operate the dedicated button on the remote to adjust the AC working capacity.
The Carrier Flexicool Hybridjet 4-in-1 inverter AC model offers four options – Free Running mode or the standard mode, Hot mode (100% capacity), Moderate Warm mode (75% capacity), and the Comfortable mode (50%) capacity. As a result, using the moderate warm mode or the comfortable mode consume less power.
This technology is possible because of the Inverter technology that enables the motor to run at variable speeds depending on your requirement. However, the convertible AC technology is slightly different.
Let us see how both the technologies differ
Regular Inverter Technology vs Convertible AC technology
In a regular inverter AC, the working is such that the air conditioner automatically slows down its power consumption when the AC reaches the set temperature. Subsequently, it gains speed when the room temperature rises. However, the AC does not work at reduced cooling capacity at any stage. In other words, a 1.5-ton AC works as a 1.5-ton device at all times.
Convertible AC technology is different as you can manually adjust the remote control and select the mode you want the AC to work in. The air conditioner works at variable tonnage capacities. Thus, a 1.5-ton AC can function as a 1.2-ton AC or 1-ton, or even a 0.8-ton AC depending on your requirements.
As a result, this technology saves more power than the standard inverter technology. However, one should note that the convertible ACs compulsorily work on inverter compressors and not the conventional ones.
Examples of Convertible ACs
The top AC manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, and Voltas offer convertible air conditioners. Though the technology is the same, they have different names for their products.
- LG offers two products, 4-in-1 (MS-Q18TNZA) and 5-in-1 (MS-Q18DNZA) convertible ACs. The operating procedure in both these products is the same. Generally, the AC works on the default mode. When you click the 5-in-1 or the 4-in-1 option on the remote, it works at full capacity. Depending on your requirements, you can repeatedly click on the remote control option to reduce the AC working capacity to 80%, 60%, and 40%. The 5-in-1 model has an additional mode where the AC works at 110% capacity. Accordingly, the appliance consumes power.
- Samsung offers similar 5-in-1 convertible cooling technology (AR18AY5ZAPG), where the AC’s working capacity ranges from 40% to 120%. Thus, the same machine works as a 1.5-ton AC and a 0.8-ton appliance, consuming power accordingly. You end up saving considerable energy while ensuring optimum cooling, depending on the temperature outside and your requirements.
- Whirlpool has a similar product (FLEXICHILL 3S COPR INV), where you can choose your cooling capacities between four options.
- Voltas refers to its convertible air conditioners as Adjustable ACs where you can alternate between the 1.5-ton and 1-ton capacity on the same appliance, depending on your cooling requirements.
As technology keeps improving, we should brace ourselves for such innovative products that enhance our comfort and convenience levels. The convertible AC works at varying capacities and consumes less power than the regular inverter split ACs. Technology is still at a developing stage today. Convertible AC technology is the latest trend.
Good information