01.Introduction
Test results for seven large air conditioners priced $1649 to $2919
Our testing reveals which air conditioners:
- Have the best cooling and heating performance
- Have the best airflow performance
- Are the easiest to use.
On this page you'll find:
As energy costs rise along with concern about climate change, it’s more important than ever that air conditioners are efficient at cooling (or heating) our homes.
Inverter models, such as those in this test can be very efficient, as they vary their cooling or heating output to adapt to conditions in the room.
But they shouldn’t just be efficient when they’re running; they should also use as little power as possible when in standby mode. Air conditioners – particularly larger models – are among the biggest consumers of standby power in the home. You might want to consider a small air conditioner instead. For ducted (whole house) systems, see our buying guide.
We tested large split-system, reverse-cycle inverter air conditioners with claimed capacities about 6kW to 7kW for cooling, and about 7kW to 9kW for heating, suitable for large, open-plan living areas.
For more information on Home cooling, see Heating and cooling.
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Fujitsu ASTG24LVCA
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Hitachi RAS60YHA2 #
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LG E22AWN NC11 / R22AWN UC11
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Midea MSX24M3
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Mitsubishi Electric MSZ / MUZ-GE71VA
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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries DXK21Z4-S / DXC21Z4-S
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Panasonic CS / CU-E21LKR
# Discontinued – replaced by RAS60YHA3.
This report also includes our results from 2010, though these are largely discontinued.
Brands not included
Models manufactured or imported after October 2011 have to meet tougher energy-efficiency conditions (Minimum Energy Performance Standards, or MEPS) and most manufacturers are discontinuing their current line-up and introducing new models that meet the new requirements. As a result, we couldn’t test several brands – including Daikin, Delonghi, Haier, Kelvinator, Samsung, Sharp, Teco and Toshiba – as these brands didn’t have new models in time for us to test them.
We did test a Lennox LNC07110 but haven't included it in our result table, as it turned out to be a non-inverter model (delivered by mistake) therefore its performance isn't directly comparable. It scored 66% overall, with 54% for cooling efficiency, 76% for heating efficiency, 55% for airflow, 93% for standby power and 65% for ease of use. The low cooling efficiency score was due to poor part load performance, which can be expected from a fixed-speed model like this; at full load it performed much better and if you're after a non-inverter model, this model would be worth considering.
Our test is carried out at a NATA-accredited external lab to our test program and quality requirements.
The Australian standard for air conditioners allows manufacturers to fix the compressor speed for inverter models at a certain “rated” capacity; however, CHOICE believes this is unrealistic, as it doesn’t reflect the way an inverter air conditioner is used in real life – it will rarely, if ever, operate in such a fixed mode.
Our test method differs from the one manufacturers use for energy label testing (see below), which is why the energy efficiency on the label and our results don’t always match. A model that doesn’t meet its label claims isn’t necessarily inefficient or a poor performer, but you should be able to rely on the energy label for both cooling and heating capacity as well as energy efficiency. In our view, the current tests used by manufacturers don’t always show the whole picture. However, conversely some manufacturers disagree with our test method.
- Efficiency To determine their cooling and heating efficiency, our testers operate the airconditioners continuously at their maximum thermostat and fan settings – the results are a worst-case efficiency scenario for inverter models, as most of the time they’ll run at lower than their maximum capacity where they are more efficient. They use the test room and climate conditions in the Australian standard, measuring and rating the cooling/heating output per kW of power used. In addition, they measure each air conditioner’s cooling efficiency at 50% of the measured capacity.
There are two types of energy efficiency label for reverse-cycle airconditioners. The star rating always refers to heating at 7˚C (outdoor temperature). The “all options” label also lists the product’s heating capacity at 2˚C. The higher the number of stars, the more efficient it is (efficiency is calculated by dividing the output capacity by the input power). We measure the air conditioner’s heating efficiency at 2˚C to see how it copes in colder conditions when defrost cycles are required, which reduce the efficency of the unit.
- Airflow The testers measure the indoor airflow (in litres per second) on each fan setting.
- Standby power They measure the power consumption when the airconditioner is in standby mode; that is, switched on but not actually running.
- Noise The testers measure the noise levels of the indoor unit with the fan on the lowest possible setting, and the outdoor unit while it is installed in the test room.
- Ease of use CHOICE tester Scott O'Keefe assesses ease of use of the remote controls, instruction manuals and timers, as well as the ease of removing and refitting the air filters for cleaning.
Get more tips on keeping your house cool at our comfortable home blog.
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