Which split system brands are the best value for money?

Value for money is the biggest factor for consumers when they purchase a new split air conditioner. We investigated the big brands in split system air conditioners; Daikin, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric and Samsung in regards to their value for money.

Some of the information for this article was taken from the GEMS Registration Database(https://reg.energyrating.gov.au/comparator/product_types/), which is an Australian government website for the Greenhouse and Energy minimum Standards regulator. Please note this information in this article is correct as of October 2018, for more update energy rating, please use the GEMS registration database to search.

When choosing a split air conditioner, first you need to know the size you need for the space you want to cool. If you require heating and cooling, reverse cycle air conditioners are general double the price of a standard cooling unit.

Best value for money comparison

Below are tables showing the best value sized unit currently based on their output size, energy efficiency and purchase price. Generally, air conditioning units that have a higher energy efficiency rating often have a higher purchase price. However, purchasers can expect to receive lower electricity costs due to a better energy efficient model.

2kW split system air conditioner units

For the very small split system air conditioning units, the top two energy efficient Mitsubishi Electric models are also the lowest in price. They are affordable and great value for money. The Daikin and Panasonic model are less energy efficient, but much higher in price. Fujitsu offers a great value cooling only model for around half the price of the top Mitsubishi Electric models.

2 to 2.5 kW split system air conditioners

For small split systems, the Daikin model comes out on top. It has an amazing 7 star energy efficiency rating and a lower purchase price than all the other brands. The other brands offer their top models with less energy efficiency and a higher purchase price.

3.5 kW split system air conditioners

With the small/medium split system air conditioning units, Daikin again comes out on top for the best value for money. Its model holds an energy efficiency of 5.5 stars and a purchase price, similar to the other brands. The other brands however offer a lower energy efficiency rating score. Interestingly, the Samsung model was the least energy efficient with 3 stars and had the highest purchase price.

5 kW split system air conditioners

In the medium split system unit range, Panasonic, Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric all had models with the same energy efficiency rating of 4 stars and a similar purchase price. Samsung again reflected the worst value for money, with two of its models having extremely low energy star ratings and high purchase prices.

7kW+ split system air conditioners

In the large air conditioner group, all of the five brands had a model with a 3 star energy efficiency rating. All also had a similar purchase price except for Samsung, which again had a much higher purchase price. Samsung also has another model with a 2 star rating, with the highest purchase price than all of the other models listed.

9kW+ split system air conditioners

For extra large units, Panasonic has the highest energy efficiency rating with 3.5 stars and the lowest purchase price, offering value for money. Samsung again had one of the highest purchase prices, alongside Fujitsu.

From this comparison of the five brands, we can see that Daikin, Panasonic and Mitsubishi Electric generally offer great value for money with energy efficiency and a lower or comparable purchase price. Fujitsu and Samsung performed the worst on value for money, offering low energy ratings, with often very high purchase prices in comparison to similar other brand models.