Window AC vs Split AC: Make a Right Choice!!!

Author: Mr. Shailendra Vyas, MEP Consultant Everyone likes to come home to a refreshingly comfortabl ambiance, particularly during the scorching summer and sweating monsoon season specifically in hot, dry and humid zones of the world.
Are you looking to purchase a new air conditioning system for your house? Well, this is one of the most expensive purchases you will ever make for your home which also happens to be the highest energy consumer, to widen the hole of your pocket! So, buying a right type and size of the air conditioner is always helpful depends on your needs, budget and choice. In the market, there are many types of air conditioners available with ever evolving technologies to economize energy consumption and the call has to be taken considering all the aspects.
Most of the people have to go through a dilemma to choose between Split type or Window type while planning to buy an air conditioner and therefore you need to know the suitability of air conditioning system with their pros and cons.

When we compare Window AC vs Split AC, the capacities, design, cost, aesthetics, operational feasibility, etc. plays a major role while making the selection. However, both work on the same principles, but due to their different characteristics, they are used at different places.
In order to help and ease out your decision making, we have prepared comparative analysis between Window AC and Split AC here under:

Window Air Conditioner
Split Air Conditioner

01. Design

  • Window air conditioner is a single piece compact portable box housing all the components: condenser, compressor, expansion valve or coil, evaporator, cooling coil, etc.
  • A Split AC consists of two parts: Outdoor unit and Indoor Unit. Outdoor unit consists of compressor, condenser and expansion valve while indoor unit consists of the capillary tube (expansion element), evaporator and cooling fan.

Window AC Unit

02. Application

  • Window air conditioner is good for transferable applications due to its portable construction.
  • Split AC is used in large areas, like offices and bigger sizes rooms and aesthetical/low noise needs as compared to Window AC.

03. Space

  • It requires more space as compared to split ac. It is installed in the window. And thus at most of the installations, blocks day light and becomes a security threat too.
  • It requires less space as compared to window ac. The Indoor unit is mounted on the wall of your room while outdoor unit is mounted at a suitable place outside the building; it is suggested to maintain maximum 6 meter distance between Indoor and Outdoor unit.

04. Capacity Range

  • The capacity of window air conditioner depends on the size of the room. The window air conditioner is available in the range of 0.75 to 2.5 ton.
  • The capacity of Split AC depends on the size of the room. The Split AC is available in the range of 0.8 ton to 3 ton.
Also ReadImportance of Fresh Air in Your Home & Life!

05. Advantages

  • An open vent on a window air conditioner allows fresh air from outside to come into the home and circulate along with the cool air generated produced by the unit to maintain carbon dioxide levels below 700ppm.
  • Window AC is easy to install. It doesn’t require skilled worker except for frame work in the window by carpenter/fabricator. It is easy to make its provision during construction itself, as later it becomes headache and extra cost both.
  • The servicing and maintenance of window air conditioner is easy.
  • Window air conditioner is designed to fit inside a window. This type of air conditioner doesn’t take any extra space in your home.  This is a huge benefit if you live in a small house or want to cool a small room.
  • The water from these units will drain to the exterior with no other intervention needed.
  • The main advantage of split ac is that it can be installed almost anywhere without blocking window/daylight.
  • As its condenser unit is placed outside, the indoor unit generates pretty low noise (<50db) inside the conditioned space.
  • It can be set up to cool different parts of your home
  • Floor and ceiling mounted options are also available known as vertical or tower and Cassette type split AC
  • It gives air pattern and hence uniform cooling across the room.Cassette Type Split AC

06. Disadvantages

  • Window air conditioner is the noisy as compared to Split AC, as the compressor is also built into the cooling unit.
  • It obstructs a part of the home window, reduces the daylight.
  • The window units are also not very aesthetically pleasing.
  • Since your window is open, someone can remove the air conditioner from outside and gain access to your home.
  • Window air conditioner cools only cool one room and usually don’t work well with larger rooms.
  • The water from these units could be dripping somewhere you do not want them to such as onto pedestrians or a metal roof that rusts.
  • Rusting may happen with this type of air conditioner
  • The installation of split ac required skilled worker.
  • Usually, split ac is quiet on the inside. The exterior compressor of a split system air conditioner can be quite noisy.
  • It is marginally expensive than Window AC. Around 10 to 20% depending upon capacity and companies.
  • Installing the split ac units may require some renovation work like drilling holes in walls for the condenser, etc. which is costly, and involves different agency.
  • It required some space for outside unit.
  • The drain of Indoor unit has to be planned properly, or else it becomes a pain in the neck. In split unit, you don’t fresh air, hence CO2 level may go up.

07. Maintenance or  Servicing

  • Easy to service as all components are compactly designed.
  • Its maintenance or service requires technical person.

08. Installation

  • The Window AC installation is easy. It doesn’t require skilled worker.
  • The Split AC installation is quite difficult. It requires skilled worker.

09. Cost

  • A Window AC cost is less as compared to Split AC. The price of window air conditioner approximately ranges from Rs. 16,000 to 40,000.
  • A Split AC cost is more compared to Window AC of the same capacity. You need to install two units-one indoor and one outdoor. The price of split AC approximately ranges from Rs. 20,000 to 60,000.

10. Electricity Cost

The running cost of Window and Split AC for same energy rating is similar.

The running cost of Window and Split AC for same energy rating is similar. The split AC might use a little bit extra electricity, but the difference is not enough to affect buying decision.

Special Comments

From the above comparison of Window AC vs Split AC, we can conclude that both AC are quite similar, but they are different in their aesthetic, design and cost. The choice mainly depends on the size of the room and how and where you want to install an air conditioner. Of course, the budget is also the consideration.  However, window air conditioners are becoming little obsolete due to heavy noise, blocking of daylight, aesthetics, non-uniform cooling etc.
We hope that our efforts will be useful to you for selecting appropriate air conditioner for your application. We welcome your comments, suggestions for improving your GHARPEDIA to better and better!

Check out this video for more information,

The popular manufacturers of Window and Split AC in India are:

Voltas
Whirlpool
Hitachi
Panasonic
Samsung

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