Buying guide — home and kitchen

How to choose a split air conditioner

The BTU number on the box is not enough. What decides your comfort and your bill is the room and its sun, what the Saudi energy label says, and the quality of the installation above all.

Published 2026-10-02

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Start from the room, not from the BTU number

The first question in the showroom is usually "how many units?". The right answer does not come from the number on the box but from the room itself: its area, its ceiling height, whether it sits on the top floor under a roof that takes the midday sun, how many windows it has and which way they face, how many people usually sit in it, and whether it holds a heat source such as a kitchen or equipment that runs all day.

The ENERGY STAR sizing chart is a useful starting point: it links room area to cooling capacity in BTU per hour, asks for about ten percent more if the room is very sunny, and about four thousand BTU more for a kitchen. It was written for milder climates than a Riyadh, Al-Ahsa or Jeddah summer, so treat it as a floor for the discussion, not the answer. For sunny rooms or rooms right under the roof, ask the agent or technician for a heat-load calculation instead of an estimate by eye.

Bigger is not always better. An oversized unit cools the air quickly, then switches the compressor off and on repeatedly, uses more electricity and removes humidity poorly, which is noticeable in coastal cities.

Read the Saudi energy label as it is

Every air conditioner sold in the Kingdom must carry the energy efficiency label issued by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization under the Saudi Energy Efficiency Program. The old label used stars; since 2019 it has been replaced by the "levels" label, so if you see a star label on a new unit, ask why.

The current standard for small air conditioners, SASO 2663, uses the seasonal energy efficiency ratio, SEER, instead of the older EER. The difference matters: SEER reflects performance at several loads across a season, not at one operating point, so it gives fair credit to variable-speed (inverter) units that spend most of their time below full output.

• The level and the SEER value. Compare two units of the same capacity; the higher SEER uses less for the same cooling over the season.
• Capacity at T1. The capacity on the label is the declared cooling at 35 °C outdoors. The standard also asks makers for reports at T3, 46 °C, and cooling capacity usually drops as the outdoor temperature rises. Ask whether the T3 capacity is published for that model.
• Annual consumption in kWh. Useful for comparing two models, but it assumes set operating hours; your bill depends on your real use.
• The model number. Check that the label, the indoor unit, the outdoor unit and the invoice carry the same model number.

Power and installation: half the quality is the installer's

Household power in Saudi Arabia is 230 V at 60 Hz, and the common socket is type G with three rectangular pins. A unit built for 50 Hz markets may not run as designed, so make sure the model is meant for the Saudi market or states 60 Hz on its rating plate. Some larger units need their own circuit and breaker; ask before the installation date.

A poor installation wastes the efficiency of the best unit: the length and insulation of the copper pipes, tight joints, evacuating the circuit before start-up, the slope of the drain line, and where the outdoor unit sits. Give the outdoor unit airflow around it, keep it away from a wall that reflects heat onto it where possible, and leave room to reach and clean it.

Dust, salt and upkeep

Dust and sandstorms clog filters and coat the outdoor unit's fins, which cuts cooling and raises consumption. Choose a model whose filters come out easily, and ask whether the agent stocks filters and spare parts. In coastal cities, ask whether the condenser fins are coated against corrosion. Make sure the drain line does not run down a wall or onto a walkway.

The practical classes

Common mistakes

• Choosing capacity from floor area alone, ignoring sun, roof and windows.
• Comparing one unit's SEER with another's EER as if they were the same number.
• Accepting a "free" installation without knowing what it covers: pipe length, the bracket, extra runs.
• Buying a unit from another market without checking 60 Hz and the agent's warranty in the Kingdom.
• Skipping filter cleaning after the dust season, then deciding the unit is "weak".

Before you pay

• Photograph the energy label and the model number on the unit on display.
• Get the warranty on the compressor and on other parts in writing, with the name of the responsible agent.
• Know what the installation includes and what will be charged extra.
• Confirm the delivery and installation date, and who fixes any leak in the first weeks.
• Compare current listings on the Products page and look for a store code on the Codes page before paying.

If you are equipping the whole home, the washing machine guide explains reading the efficiency label and the installation in the same way.

Limits of this guide

• This is a criteria guide, not a laboratory test. WESH has not tested any product itself and reports no measurements.
• No price appears here. Price, availability, shipping and tax are set by the merchant at checkout.
• Specifications change between revisions and markets. Check the merchant product page and the manufacturer spec sheet before buying.
• WESH gives no medical or engineering recommendation and does not warrant that a product suits your case.

Brand names are the property of their owners and are used to identify a category, not to imply endorsement or partnership.

More guides in the WESH guide; current products on the Products page and codes on the Coupons page.