Promoting the Use of Inverter Products

Inverter Technology

Can Reduce Power Consumption by 50% or more

Inverters are frequency conversion devices that control electrical voltage, current, and frequency. Inverters precisely control the compressor motor, the heart of an air conditioner. Furthermore, in addition to having modified conventional motors and heat exchangers, inverter air conditioners reduce by 50% or more less energy than non-inverter models.

Comparison of energy consumption (Non-inverter air conditioner 100%)

Promoting the Use of Inverter Products

Spreading the Use of Inverter Products Worldwide

The Daikin Group aims to spread the use of highly energy-efficient inverter products so that consumers use less energy during air conditioner operation and thus emit less CO₂.

Inverter products are an effective means to reducing electricity consumption, but they have been slow to achieve market penetration among general consumers due to their high prices. In 2008, Daikin partnered with China’s largest air conditioning manufacturer. This partnership led to joint production, which has made it possible to manufacture inverter products with lower prices and a more highly efficient manner.

In fiscal 2014, we developed an inverter air conditioner at a relatively low price especially for the Asian cooling-only air conditioner market. Such products are achieving greater market penetration due to factors including stricter energy efficiency standards and rising energy awareness among the general public stemming from rising electricity prices in Southeast Asia.

We have also worked on creating mechanisms to evaluate their energy-efficiency performance. In the past, the most common index for evaluating an air conditioner's energy-efficiency performance was Coefficient of Performance (COP), under which the amount of energy consumed was calculated at a fixed efficiency without adjusting for air temperature changes. However, COP cannot be used to properly evaluate the performance of inverter products, which operate at an optimal level depending on the changes in ambient temperature. Therefore, Japan's air conditioner industry has led calls for a switch to using Annual Performance Factor (APF), and since 2013 APF has been used in ISO standards.

In emerging countries, where APF is starting to come into use, Daikin is working with governments and industry groups to get APF adopted in Latin America, the Middle East and other areas as the industry standard and to introduce indicators and standards as well as create energy labelling systems as part of support for creating evaluation standards.

Inverter Products as Percentage of All Residential Air Conditioners Worldwide (FY2021)

Source:

BSRIA World Air Conditioning Overview 2022