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If you want to control your air conditioner properly with solar, it helps to understand how the thing actually works. As an ex-control systems engineer, this is right up my alley. Let\u2019s break it down.<\/p>\nIf you want to control your air conditioner properly with solar, it helps to understand how the thing actually works. As an ex-control systems engineer, this is right up my alley. Let\u2019s break it down.<\/p>\n
Early air conditioners used to work on a crude method called bang-bang control. You set a temperature (called the set point) on the remote.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s literally all-or-nothing.<\/p>\n
These days, air conditioners use inverter control. Instead of being 100% on or off, the compressor can run anywhere between 0\u2013100% power. That means:<\/p>\n
So how does the aircon know how much power to pull at any given moment?<\/p>\n
It uses a bit of maths called a PID algorithm. I won\u2019t bore you with the equations (I\u2019ve literally written three books on it<\/a>), but here\u2019s what you need to know:<\/p>\n Example: your room is 12\u00b0C and you want 22\u00b0C. The system starts at full power, then gently ramps down around 20\u00b0C so it doesn\u2019t overshoot, eventually holding the room steady at 22\u00b0C. It might settle at, say, 63% power.1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Here\u2019s where confusion often creeps in.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n So when you size your solar, always work from the electrical rating, not the flashy marketing number.<\/p>\n\n
Electrical vs Thermal Power<\/h2>\n
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