Advantages:
1- More than 60% power saving
2- No voltage fluctuations caused by compressor
3- Maintains constant room temperature
4- Efficient cooling and heating
5- Can be run on solar panels
6- Huge savings in monthly electricity bill
7- Huge savings on fuel if run on backup generator
8- Air conditioner price gets recovered in electricity bills within few months
9- Environment friendly due to the use of better refrigerant
10- Safe for household wiring due to low power consumption
11- Does not require any special maintenance
12- Suitable for large and small rooms.
Disadvantages:
1- If room is not insulated, power consumption increases which also increases bill
2- Efficiency decreases at noon if weather is extremely hot (over 45°C or 113°F)
3- Repair and Maintenance are a bit expensive due to the expensive components used in them.
Detailed Discussion:
A good inverter air conditioner should save you a good deal of money each month due to the efficient cooling system it has. What it does, its compressor starts at low speed consuming very little power then it slowly speeds up to its full potential in case room is very hot. When room temperature starts going down, compressor also starts slowing down. Once desired room temperature is achieved, compressor runs at slowest speed to maintain that temperature. At this point, inverter air conditioner should be consuming least current.
For a good power saving with inverter air conditioner, it is recommended to set temperature at 25°C (77°F) and not lower than that. If you set lowest temperature, air conditioner will have to work hard to attain that temperature which ultimately increases power consumption and electric bill. The maximum savings with comfortable room temperature can be achieved if AC thermostat is set at 25°C or 26°C.
Make sure to insulate your room properly to let inverter air conditioner maintain the room temperature. If doors and windows are left open, they will let the heat enter from outside and decrease the efficiency of AC and increase power consumption. Non-insulated rooms that are exposed to intense sunlight all the time will see decreased efficiency at noon. In such rooms, any AC will have to work hard to decrease the room temperature. So usually at peak hours of sunlight, you won’t get any power saving with inverter air conditioner. But once sun sets, the room temperature can be well maintained at lower temperature and save power and money.
Most inverter air conditioners are powered with cooling and heating features. In winters, you can use these air conditioners to heat your room as well. For best power saving in winters, set room temperature not higher than 25°C. If it is extremely cold outside, usually these air conditioners fail to heat properly because ice forms on outdoor unit coils. In that case, best is to use traditional electric or oil heaters or use fire woods to heat the room. You may also install heat pumps in your home that are designed for very low temperatures. These got auxiliary heat strips that heats up like your toaster or electric heater and heat the passing air. These are best suited for sub zero temperatures.
Usually inverter air conditioners do not require any special maintenance. Just clean the dirty air filters and fins to improve the blow and cooling. If you observe that cooling has decreased a lot or you are seeing ice formation on cooling coils, that’s the indication of low refrigerant in system. Refill the gas to increase cooling. Refrigerant only leaks if there is any hole in lines, rubber seals have worn out or joints are loose.