Which is Best for You? A Personal Air Conditioner or a Split System Aircon

One of the best parts of living in modern times is residential air conditioning – being able to cool off indoors when you need to, especially in really hot summer heatwaves. Once considered a luxury, home-cooling systems have now become an essential feature in many households. However, with so many different types of air conditioners on the market, having to choose a new one for your home can be a confusing time, as the possibilities may seem overwhelming. If you are unsure of what type of air conditioning system to purchase for your home, it’s best to consider your options first.

You need to consider the local climate. Evaporative coolers (swamp coolers) work well in warm weather with dry air. Ceiling fans can work well in mild humid conditions, common in tropical coastal climates, with indoor temperatures up to about 75-80 °F. In oppressive heat, especially with high humidity, you will probably need refrigerated cooling to provide comfort.

To help you come to an educated decision of which is right for your home and your wallet, we have done a comparison of two popular, yet vastly different refrigerated cooling options: A personal air conditioner and a traditional wall mounted, mini-split system air conditioner.

Our mascot, Yuki: She loves to tell everyone about Coolzys.

Which is Best for You? A Personal Air Conditioner or a Split System Aircon

Most of us would readily recognise the almost ubiquitous mini-split air conditioner with the white plastic indoor unit high on a wall and the noisy compressor unit outside.

Here’s the main difference. A mini-split system aircon cools an entire room, using most of the electric energy to cool the walls, floor and furniture. A Coolzy focuses the cool air at you, not the walls, floor or furniture.

Large, power-hungry, wall-mounted air conditioners cool the entire room, wasting most of the energy on stuff that doesn’t mind the heat. Even commercial inverter models rated at a modest 400 Watts can consume up to 1,200 Watts during the first 30-60 minutes it takes to cool the room to a comfortable temperature. Nearly all the cooling power, typically more than 95%, is used to extract heat already in the structure, and more entering through the walls, floor, ceilings and air leaks around doors, light fittings and windows. That’s an hour of the highest energy consumption before you even enjoy the comfort!

Coolzy is more energy efficient. Coolzy is a localized air conditioner designed to provide cooling only for part of a much larger space, leading to a large energy saving.

A Personal Cooling Unit Allows Fresh Air to Enter Your Home

Another big difference between a split system aircon and a personal air conditioning unit is the air quality. Conventional indoor units cannot provide a stream of fresh air from the outside, since they rely on the room being sealed to work efficiently. Eventually, gases such as CO₂, methane, other human emissions, and volatile organic vapours seeping out from plastics or adhesives gradually accumulate. The more airtight the room (to conserve energy), the higher the CO₂ concentration which slows your thinking and makes you feel drowsy.

Coolzy personal air conditioners are designed to function efficiently with doors and windows open, which means a constant stream of fresh air enters your home. You can even use Coolzy outdoors in sheltered places where the wind is not blowing.

The Benefits of a Coolzy Personal Air Conditioner

• Extremely energy efficient – uses only 340 Watts and saves 70% electricity compared to standard air conditioning units, meaning no electricity bill nightmares in summer
• Small, light and easily portable – only 34 lbs, 22 inches high, with four wheels to move it around easily throughout the day to supply cooling anywhere where you need it
• No pipes needed – Coolzy is so energy efficient that the warm air simply rises to the ceiling just like a kitchen refrigerator
• Provides instant cooling – no waiting for the room to get to an ideal temperature
• Superior air quality and less household pollution – with Coolzy, windows are open to let fresh air circulate
• Can be used outdoors – the stream of cool air provides comfort anywhere, such as patios, verandas, caravan annexes or tents
• No installation required – simply plug it in and enjoy an instant cooling effect
• Blends in seamlessly with your sense of style – no unsightly pipes or drains that go out the window
• No costly servicing – cheap and easy to maintain
• Environmentally friendly – a sustainable, energy-efficient choice for a warming world with a natural refrigerant that has negligible climate impact
• Quiet operation – ideal to cool you while sleeping
• Offers the best of both – combines the portability of a pedestal fan with the cooling sensation of a fixed air conditioner
• Does not dry out the air – the unit collects water vapour condensed from the air and recirculates it in the room
• Can be operated on solar power – a modest solar panel provides enough daytime power, and rechargeable batteries help reduce power demand at night

The Benefits of a Wall Mounted Air Conditioner

• Provides cooling everywhere in room to cool a crowd
• Does not take away floor space
• Reverse cycle units can also heat and can therefore be used in all seasons
• People can be anywhere in the room and feel comfortable
• Can be extremely quiet on low fan speed settings

Disadvantages of a Wall Mounted Air Conditioner

• Only works in one room of your home where you installed it
• Needs landlord permission to install in a rental property
• Becomes a fixture once installed, it cannot be moved or taken with you if you move to another home
• Needs time to cool the room to a comfortable level in hot weather
• Power-hungry machines, large electric bills unless you can run your air conditioner on solar power
• Building should have high quality insulation and double glazed windows
• Has to be used with doors and windows closed – gases such as CO₂ build up
• Needs to be installed by a qualified licensed technician
• Needs regular, costly maintenance
• Slowly dries the air, which can cause itchy or sore eyes or skin rashes
• Have a large quantity of refrigerant which slowly leaks through the screwed joints – a major contributor to global warming
• Needs a large and very expensive battery to be able to use solar electricity in evening and at night

How To Know If A Personal Air Conditioner Is Right For You

A personal air conditioner is ideal to create a cool, comfortable micro-climate in a room for one or up to two people, in a bed or sitting together on a couch, for example.

A Personal Portable Air Conditioner is the Perfect Choice if you:

• Live alone or have a small family
• Prefer to avoid expensive electricity bills
• Need a convenient, portable solution you can take with you anywhere
• Live in a home which was not designed for energy-efficient air conditioning
• Can’t get permission to install a mini-split air conditioner
• Are renting, and need a cooling solution to take with you when moving on
• Prefer fresh air with open doors and windows
• Prefer controlling your own climate rather than accepting others’ temperature settings – including in an office environment where personal control is limited
• Work late in an office or building where air conditioning is turned off after hours
• Don’t want an expensive unit with high installation and maintenance costs
• Prefer personal cooling, rather than cooling an entire room
• Prefer a more cost-effective cooling solution
• Prefer an environmentally friendly cooling solution

A personal air conditioner is not much help for cooling a crowd. If you entertain in hot and humid weather, think of installing a split air conditioner in your entertainment room, and using your personal air conditioner at other times.

Whether you prefer a more heavy-duty home cooling system suited to a larger space or a small personal air conditioner, there is a unit that is right for your home and your wallet.

If energy consumption, sustainability, hygiene, affordability and convenience are important to you when it comes to keeping cool and comfortable, Coolzy-Pro and Coolzy-Go are a great choice as they the only personal air conditioners that provide refrigerated cooling.