February 28, 2022 / RefrigeratorPro Team
Daikin is of the largest and most renowned AC brands in the world. It is present in more than 150 countries and is a leader in the space in many countries.
Daikin is almost 100 years old brand and it was the first AC manufacturer to offer ACs in Japan. Daikin also introduced now common R32 refrigerant, which reduced the size of ACs by 30% as it allowed for smaller compressor, coil and other components, thus reducing overall cost of AC unit.
Daikin entered India in the year 2000 and has not looked back ever since. Daikin India has come a long way from importing ACs and catering only to very premium segment. Today, it almost fully manufactures its ACs in India, which has allowed it to offer ACs at competitive prices. Most of Daikin’s ACs are manufactured in its dedicated factories in Rajasthan, where its R&D center is also situated.
Dakin India has now planned to open another manufacturing plant in India to cater to Africa. Apart from India, it also serves East Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Table of Contents
Daikin AC Review 2021
In this review, we will discuss key technologies in Daikin ACs along with their pros & cons.
Daikin Inverter Technology for Energy Efficiency and Long Life
Almost all AC manufacturers now offer inverter ACs, which are considered better than regular (fixed speed) ACs in power efficiency, noise and comfort.
Inverter technology is primarily a combination of inverter and motor-compressor. Inverter controls the motor-compressor to effectively regulate the temperature of AC. Daikin has invested heavily in its compressors. One of the best compressor technologies out there is the Swing compressor technology.
Swing compressor is a rotary compressor that uses spring bush instead of a spring which is commonly used on regular rotary compressors. This reduces vibrations and prevents refrigerant leakage. Hence, it increases the lifespan of the compressor.
Newer models of Daikin AC come with Neo Swing (inverter) compressors, which are better but slightly more costly.
R32 Refrigerant for Better Efficiency and Sustainability
Daikin is one of the very few AC brands that manufacture AC as well as refrigerant. In fact, Daikin was the first AC brand to successfully use R32 refrigerant in its AC and now almost all major manufacturers globally are using this refrigerant. This is because it has higher efficiency and climate regulations has led gradual phasing out of earlier common R410A refrigerant.
US government has also recognized Daikin as a company that is contributing to the protection of the environment.
Some of the benefits of R32 refrigerant are:
- Low Global Warming Potential means that it is good for the environment
- Zero Ozone Depletion Potential ensures protection of Ozone and life on earth
- It provides better efficiency as compared to other refrigerants
- It is affordable and easily available
- R32 is not a mixture of gases, which makes it easy to recycle
- It is Ideal for new-generation ACs because of global regulations
Related: Types of Refrigerant & Differences between them
Streamer Discharge technology has been used by Daikin for past several years to reduce air pollution inside the rooms. However, Daikin conducted a study to find out its effect on coronaviruses. This study showed decay of coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) and mouse hepatitis virus by up to 99.9% after they were irradiated with Streamer discharge.
Streamer discharge is a type of plasma discharge featuring ‘high-speed electrons’. These high-speed electrons perform oxidative decomposition that remove odour, bacteria, viruses, air pollutants such as formaldehyde.
Here is a short explanation of how it works on viruses.
As soon as the Streamer discharge hits viruses, it oxidizes their surface protein. This oxidation decomposes the protein into fragments and the streamer discharge reverts to atoms of nitrogen and oxygen, and water molecules. Hence it deactivates viruses in completely safe way.
Air Purification & Filtration Technologies
Daikin ACs come with different types of air purification technologies depending upon the AC model. Here are main purification technologies present in Indian models.
PM 2.5 & 0.1 Filter: PM stand for particulate matter and 2.5 and 0.1 is the size in microns (micrometers). As the name suggests PM filters are responsible for removing air pollutants. Common source of particulate matter is pollution causes by burning of wood or petroleum. PM 2.5 filters are quite common in split ACs in India. Hence many Daikin ACs come with this filter.
Silver Particle Anti-Bacterial Filter: It consists of a filter embedded with silver particles. Silver ions are widely used in antimicrobial filtration tech. This filter acts against allergens such as pollens and bacteria. It is present in select Daikin ACs.
Anti-Microbial Filter: This filter comes with a unique micro-structure with electrostatic charge. This inhibits the growth of mold and mildew inside the filter. This ensures hygienic air flow throughout.
Key Operational Modes
Coanda Airflow
Coanda airflow is not a technology, but an effect. In air conditioning, coanda airflow means when the air flow, instead of falling directly on the head, falls on the walls of the room to create cooling effect through reflection of this airflow. In Daikin ACs, this is achieved by adding feature for sideways movement of air rather than typical up and down movement. Daikin FTKP series models come with this technology.
The louvres of Daikin FTKP ACs are specially designed for Coanda airflow. This ensures pleasant experience.
Econo Mode
Air conditioners consume lot of power in households. According to one study, AC s can contribute to 5 -10% of your house electricity bill. Hence most of the ACs come with an Econo mode that reduces power consumption. You can use this mode when you are not witnessing peak summer temperatures. This can significantly lower your power bills
Power Chill Mode
Power Chill mode is opposite of Econo mode. During very hot conditions, you might want quick cooling as soon as you switch on the AC. This mode will cool the room in less time, as the AC works in full capacity. Needless to say, this mode consumes decent amount of power.
Power Chill mode assisted with dual flap flattening tech can cool the room in 20 minutes straight. It is able to achieve this by flattening the dual flaps and dispersing the air at a high speed.
Stabilizer Free Operation, Copper Condenser & Self Diagnosis Feature for Long Life
Almost all Daikin split ACs come with inbuilt stabilizer, which ensure not only regulate voltage, but also come with a cut off feature. This feature will switch off the power supply to the AC when it detects power surge. This becomes critical as it prevents the PCB of the AC, which is quite sensitive to voltage fluctuations.
Best thing about Daikin ACs is that there is no compromise in the quality. We see many top AC brands coming up with aluminum-based condensers to offer cheaper ACs, but such ACs are not the best if you are looking for long lasting ACs since aluminum coil’s biggest disadvantage is its smaller lifespan and difficult repairability. However, all Daikin ACs come with copper coil. This ensures long life and lower cost of maintenance in the long run. Only downside is that copper coil is more costly as compared to aluminum coil.
Many Daikin ACs come with anti-corrosion fins in the outdoor unit. This is recommended for you if you are living in area with higher humidity such as coastal areas. This is because humidity in the air can result in faster corrosion of coils, which can damage them within few years.
Many Daikin ACs also come with self-diagnosis feature. This feature auto detects the error and displays the error code on the remote screen. It ensures easy issue resolution when you connect with Daikin customer care.
Hot & Cold Daikin ACs
Not many brands offer reliable hot & cold ACs in India. Daikin is one of the few AC brands that have good hot & cold ACs.
Daikin Dual-Comfort series have hot & cold functionality. You can use these ACs almost all round the year and they are better than heaters as they do not burn oxygen while heating up. Daikin hot & cold ACs can heat the room even when the outside temperature is as low as 4 degrees Celsius.
The heating process is somewhat similar to coanda airflow as the flaps direct warm air to the floor by with the help of the blades to heat the room more quickly. This also reduces energy consumption of the AC.
Please keep in mind that these ACs need more maintenance as compared to regular ACs.
Related: Best Hot & Cold ACs
Pros and Cons of Daikin Air Conditioners
Main parts of an AC are compressor, coil and PCB. Daikin has taken due care in enhancing and protecting each of the aspect. Not only inverter compressors are one of the best single rotary compressors, but they have also been customized for tropical conditions like that of India. The compressor used in Daikin inverter ACs optimizes peak performance even in the extreme temperatures. As far as coil is concerned, almost all the Daikin ACs come with copper coil, which ensures long life, better efficiency and peace of mind. The PCB in Daikin ACs are ‘shock-proof’, this is because of the auto cutoff mode present in the AC to prevent against voltage fluctuations. Also, earlier, Daikin did not offer window ACs, but from 2020, Daikin has come up with decent range of window ACs in India.
As of 2021, Daikin has become one of the most loved AC brands in India and is a leader in the AC space along with LG and Voltas. In fact, Daikin is a top AC brand in North America as well.
Talking about its cons, its window ACs are not as widely available as one would like. Another thing to note is that some of the Daikin ACs are costlier as compared to other brands’ ACs. Finally, Daikin compressors are single rotary compressors, which are slightly less efficient than dual rotary compressors like that of LG and Blue Star.
Best Daikin AC
Daikin 1.5 Ton 5 Star Inverter Split AC
- The Neo Swing Compressor for energy efficient and noise-free operation.
- Decent 4-star energy rating.
- Coanda Airflow for all-round cooling.
- Durable and sturdy insulation kit.
- Copper condenser coil for high cooling performance and durability.
- 10-year compressor warranty.
- Environment-friendly R32 refrigerant for better efficiency.
- Inbuilt stabilizer.
Conclusion
Daikin India has one of the smartest brains in the business. Few years back Daikin was able to achieve 300% growth rate in one year with imported ACs. This is a feat in itself considering higher cost price of such units. From 2018, Daikin started manufacturing ACs in India, which has led to reduction in prices of its ACs in the country, which has ensured more competitive advantage for the brand. Also, Daikin has a strong dealer network of more than 2,000 dealers and the commission rate of the dealers is also quite decent.
Daikin is present in both commercial as well as residential AC business. Even though residential AC (split and window AC) business account for majority of revenue, its commercial arm is one of the leaders in air conditioning of airports in India. As far as commercial air conditioning is concerned, it has a whopping >50% market share in India (for VRV ACs).
No wonder Daikin has remained one of the fastest growing AC brands in the country for several years.
Reading Suggestions: