Sometimes! With over 80 different brands of air conditioners out there, no wonder many have a hard time choosing which one is better suited to their air conditioning and heating needs. The truth is though, that at present, there are only a few compressor and parts manufacturers in the market. What does this mean? Well, if you get the chance to look inside an air conditioner, you will notice it might have a circuit board, capacitors, contactors and other little intricate parts along with some wires connecting the parts. If you would compare two of the major brands, generally any two, you will find that in those air conditioners, some parts are the same. But what does this mean for you as the consumer? That most of the major air conditioning companies all use the same parts but put them together differently.
So why the difference?
Just like the auto industry and many others, air conditioner manufacturers offer more than just a standalone product. They offer upgrades and brand name products. For example, why is it that a GMC Sierra pickup costs more than a Chevrolet Silverado pickup with the same engine and parts? Why does a Ford cost more than a Mercury with the same engine and parts? Not because you are necessarily getting a completely different product, but because you are mostly paying for a name brand. Not that owning a name brand isn’t important but for the consumer who wants a little more for their buck, it matters greatly (i.e. $500 to $1000 or more). So some of the major reasons for this difference in Air Conditioner Brands are warranty, how its built and installed, how quiet the unit is and how easy it will be to make repairs.
July 24th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Thanks for posting about this, I would love to read more about this topic.