Which uses less electricity?

Question

i am looking at window air conditioners and it's a little confusing.

Does a 115 volt unit use less energy than a 230 volt?

I know i might seem obvious, but when I look at Amps and Watts, sometimes the 230 volt is less. Then they have the EER(energy efficiency rating), these numbers are confusing too. Some items are Energy Star but have higher maximum watts and amps than others that use less. Do different units use that wattage more efficiently? How can I tell which unit will use the least amount of electricity? Should I be looking at voltage, amps, watts? I am looking for a 12,000-18000 unit. Some are 115v, while others are 230v. Some say 12 amps, some say 8. Maximum watts on one is 1308, while 1780 on another. Some have lower watts with a higher amp number, but a higher watt will have a lower amp than the other. This is all so confusing, please help. Thanks.

Answer 1

For sure 230Vac ACs consume less electricity, due heating and losses in the wiring, only that.

But the most important is not overdue, do not purchase a bigger AC than needed for your space.

Also, pay attention to the BTUs versus Watts (not Volts, not Amps),  Normaly when the manufacturer tells about Amps, they are not telling how many Amps the unit will consume, because THEY DON'T KNOW the exact number, they can't tell, it depends on several factors.  Well, they know how much the motor will consume in Amps, but it depends even on how many Volts correctly are being delivered by your electricity supplier. They MAY tell the AMPs as an attempt to tell you the wiring size the electrician should use to install such contraption.  What they know is the power (Watts or VA) it will consume, that makes sense, since it MAY be constant no matter if your power distribution supplies 110 or 117V,  220 or 230V.

BTU is the measurement of heat, more BTUs means the Air Conditioned will remove more heat from the environment, and refrigerate better.

More BTUs with less Watts the better, of course.

Answer 2

HVAC Tech.: Amps are what do the work, so it is amps that you pay for. The higher the BTU rating the higher the amp draw. 230 volts provides half the amp load because there are two 120 volt lines to SPLIT it onto.You should be looking for enough BTUs to do your job with the highest SEER rating you can find. Seer is what determines the efficiency of the unit.

Answer 3

230 volts uses less electricity!

Higher voltage= lower amps

lower amps = lower current

lower current = less heat

less heat = less Resistance

less Resistance= lower cost or electricity