Both make a hot room bearable, but they work in completely different ways, and that decides where each one shines. Choose well and you stay cool without an electricity bill that makes you sweat.
How each one cools
- An air cooler blows air through pads soaked with water. As the water evaporates it draws heat out of the air, so what comes out is cooler, and a little more humid. There is no compressor: a fan and a small pump do all the work.
- An air conditioner carries heat out of the room with a refrigerant and releases it through the outdoor unit. It dries the air as it cools, and works in a closed room whatever the weather.
Side by side
| Air cooler | Air conditioner | |
|---|---|---|
| Works best in | Dry heat | Any weather, humid monsoon days included |
| The room | Needs a window or door open for fresh air | Kept closed |
| Setting up | Plug in, fill with water, roll it where you need it | An indoor and an outdoor unit, fitted by a technician |
| Electricity | About one to three ceiling fans’ worth: the coolers in this article use 105–180 W | Many times more; inverter models use noticeably less |
| Upkeep | Refill the tank, clean the pads | Wash the filters, service before each season |
| Heating | No | Yes, on hot & cold models |
Choose a cooler if…
- your summers are hot and dry rather than sticky;
- the space is open or airy: a living room, a shop floor, a verandah;
- you want to move it from room to room. Coolers like the Baltra Booze 60L roll on wheels and come with a remote;
- power cuts are a worry. The Baltra Nexon 60L, Zencool Pro 50L and Climate 40L all run on a home inverter.
Choose an AC if…
- the heat comes with humidity. A cooler adds moisture to the air; an AC takes it out;
- you want a bedroom or an office at a set temperature with the windows shut;
- you want one unit for summer and winter. Hot & cold models such as the Daikin FTHT35 heat as well as cool.
Match the size to the room. As a guide, the Voltas 1 ton suits rooms up to about 120 sq ft and the Voltas 1.5 ton up to about 180 sq ft. An inverter AC costs more to buy, but it slows its compressor down instead of switching it on and off, so it uses less electricity over a whole summer.
Getting the most from a cooler
- Keep a window or door open. A cooler needs fresh, drier air coming in; in a sealed room it only makes the air muggy.
- Put it by the window, facing into the room, so it draws in outside air.
- Use the ice chamber on the hottest afternoons. The Orient Optimo 95L and the three Baltra coolers above all have one.
- Clean the pads and change the water regularly, so the air stays fresh.
- Size the tank to the space: a big 60–95 litre desert cooler for a hall or a shop, a slim tower cooler for a bedroom.
