My condo had a built-in air-con unit (living room) like the one mentioned by the poster.  I also thought that it looked nicer than a unit bolted to the side of the wall.  A few years ago I started looking into converting to inverters (living and bedroom).  The air-con mechanic explained to me that these “built-in” air-con units are difficult if not impossible to do a through cleaning/servicing.  I made the decision to completely rip out the built-in system.  When I saw the filth of the parts that weren’t accessible with servicing, I knew I made the right decision. 

After dropping a section of the ceiling to allow for adequate overhead, he installed a cassette air-con unit in the center of the living room.  Also replaced the bedroom wall unit.  Both units were Daiken inverters. 

The first thing I noticed when I started using the new units was the noise.  It is unbelievable how much quieter the inverter units are.  The second thing I noticed was that my electric bill dropped by half. 

It was a big mess tearing out the old units and an even bigger mess dropping the ceiling to fit the cassette but in the long run it was well worth it.

On 5/8/2024 at 3:56 AM, HappyExpat57 said:

Those "built into the wall" aircon systems are deal breakers for me. I'll no longer rent a place that uses them.

Total pain to repair,clean,etc.

On 5/8/2024 at 3:04 AM, shdmn said:

Are you sure nobody is stealing electricity from you?  Sounds like it happens a lot in Thailand.

 

The thing about the fans always running sounds like you are talking about inverter aircons, which are considered more efficient.

 

 

https://www.panasonic.com/au/hvac/air-conditioning/learn-more/what-is-inverter-air-conditioner.html

 

It's like someone's stealing my electricity. Only the refrigerator and the air conditioner are running all the time. I used to pay around 3000 baths. For the last 3 months I have been paying almost 7000 baths! The landlord says it's because of the hot weather.  How can I recognise if someone is stealing electricity from me?

3 hours ago, CashMoon said:

 

It's like someone's stealing my electricity. Only the refrigerator and the air conditioner are running all the time. I used to pay around 3000 baths. For the last 3 months I have been paying almost 7000 baths! The landlord says it's because of the hot weather.  How can I recognise if someone is stealing electricity from me?

baht

13 hours ago, CashMoon said:

How can I recognise if someone is stealing electricity from me?

 

Switch everything off and see if the meter is still turning.

4 hours ago, treetops said:

 

Switch everything off and see if the meter is still turning.

 

You then have to hope whoever is stealing your electric is in his property and has appliances on. 

On 5/8/2024 at 11:32 AM, DonniePeverley said:

We've had it cleaned twice in 6 months ! It's a new condo too. 

 

I've lived in the same rented home in Thailand ever since I moved here many year ago...

 

Originally, it came with a large and very old floor standing air con in the main kitchen-living room area that literally gulped electric, and didn't do a great job of keeping the living area very cool.

 

Eventually, after many years, persuaded my landlord to go half-half with us on a large new inverter aircon that does a much better job of cooling.

 

And, with the change, it's probably shaving a couple thousand baht off our electrical bill most months. Ends up paying for itself in about one year's time.