I upgraded from an Air Cooler to an AC: Here’s what changed

Summers in India have not exactly been beginner-friendly for years. However, if you already have the luxury of an air conditioner at home, you probably haven’t realised that the hot months in the country, have only been getting hotter.

I had a taste of what 2024 summers would feel like all the way back in October 2023, when the rains came to an end and briefly turned my top-floor apartment into a life-size barbecue grill. So, heading into the harsher months of April and May, I thought it was time to step up from my trusty old air cooler to an air conditioner.

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Spoiler alert – going from a cooler to an AC is not like upgrading from your 32-inch LCD to a new 55-inch OLED TV. More than a switch in appliances, upgrading to an air cooler is switching your lifestyle. Naturally, this changed a lot for me and my pet, who also happens to despise summers. Here’s a look at how upgrading to an AC has been so far – including the good, the bad and the ugly!

Why I stuck with an air cooler until now

As someone who frequently moved homes until a couple of years back (15+ apartments over 20 years), an air conditioner never made sense, due to the complex installation processes which would take up time, effort and money every time we had to switch.

Secondly, we also live far away from the bustling, hot-and-humid realm that is Mumbai. Our neighbourhood has had much more greenery, and proximity to hills and ghats than the city. As a result, hotter months had been a lot more forgiving until recently, and that still didn’t warrant a switch to an AC – until recently.

What changed after switching to an AC?

Upgrading to an air conditioner changed a number of aspects of my life, like the costing, maintenance, and even my general lifestyle. Read on to find out how that happened.

Cost of buying and using an AC

The first aspect that changes is the cost. Upgrading to an AC is an expensive affair and there’s no two ways about it. Most 1-ton air conditioners will still cost at least twice or thrice the price of an entry-level air cooler. But it doesn’t end there. ACs are also more expensive to run.

Our electricity bills were usually in the three-digit ballpark, given none of us spend a lot of time at home due to work and travel. Power-hungry appliances in our tiny flat include a double-door refrigerator and a fairly high-end gaming desktop. Yet, these never pushed the bill into four digits.

ALSO READ: Here’s why regular air conditioner servicing is important

Less than a month into owning a 3-star AC, though, our bill had crossed the Rs 1,000 mark. Now while that may not sound like a lot to those who have been using ACs for a while, it is a big shift compared to what our trusty 35L air cooler consumed.

Of course, your mileage may vary, depending upon many factors like ambient temperature, the specific make, model and star rating of your AC, among others. But the key takeaway is to expect both a higher initial cost, and recurring cost. This includes being prepared for even larger maintenance costs down the line, when you may need repairs.

Cooling experience

But here’s where an AC trumps an air cooler – the cooling experience. The room could now be much cooler, and I had more control over the temperature, an aspect that was completely missing from the air cooler.

At the time of writing this story, the afternoon temperature outside is a staggering 40-degrees Celsius, and yet I am comfortably using my laptop indoors at a pleasant 24-degrees. This kind of cooling is just something an air cooler will not be able to replicate.

Then there’s the convenience bit. I no longer need to regularly fill water in the cooler or drop the occasional ice cubes in it for cooling. Although I do miss using cooler perfume with my air cooler to also keep my room smelling of fresh lavender, it is a trade-off I wholeheartedly welcome.

While my AC is a standard inverter AC, you could also consider a smart AC for more control via your smartphone. This will allow you to do things like start cooling your room in advance before you reach home.

Lifestyle changes

Upgrading to an AC has made it easier to be at home, whether I am working or watching a movie. While I continue to use the AC only at night, I believe I will slowly be subconsciously conditioned into using it more and more. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does change a few other aspects.

Leaving my house, especially in the afternoon, feels like stepping into a different country altogether – one situated much closer to the equator. While I didn’t feel the heat as badly when I was using an air cooler, the shift now is much more drastic. I also feel like the more I use the AC, the more uncomfortable being under the Sun is going to feel. Time will tell!

Takeaway

Upgrading to an air conditioner has been life-changing for me, and I guess it will continue to be so. However, I still wouldn’t recommend everyone to make the switch just yet.

If you reside in an area that tends to get too hot and humid, an AC can offer a much better and controlled cooling experience, at a price of course. Not only is an AC better at cooling, it is also better at dealing with humidity, especially if you have one with a dehumidifier feature.

Coolers, which primarily function on the principle of evaporation, can sometimes cool down your room, but make it a little more humid in the process.

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However, if you live in an area where it doesn’t get as hot, you may not need an air conditioner just yet, and may be better off with a newer, more powerful air cooler. Yes, you can get an AC anyway, but you’d be spending a lot more money for a level of cooling that you may not need yet.

For parts of the country that are prone to both heatwaves and extreme cold, depending on what time of the year it is, upgrading to a Hot and Cold AC makes even more sense, as this will offer both better cooling, and warmth during the winter months.

What’s your take on upgrading from an air cooler to an AC? Has it changed your life? Let us know in the comments below!