Inverter vs non-inverter AC: power consumption

Work it out for your home

Units a month, 1.5 ton, 8 hours a day

BEE uses the same ISEER bands for fixed-speed and inverter ACs. An inverter AC saves by slowing down on mild days, which is already counted in its ISEER, so compare star ratings.

What it adds to your bill, state by state

For 1.5 ton 3-star split, 8 hours a day (294 units a month), on each state’s current tariff with the government schemes that apply to every home. Per month; two-monthly and quarterly bills are shown as a monthly average. Duty and fuel surcharge are not included.

Why the cost differs so much

Your electricity is charged in slabs. An appliance adds its units at the top of what you already use, where each unit costs the most, and in some states it can push the whole bill into a dearer table or past the limit of a free-units scheme. That is why the same appliance costs very different amounts in different states, and in different homes in the same state.

Method and sources

• BEE room AC star bands from 1 January 2026: split Table 3.2(g), window Table 3.1(g) (S.O. 2794(E), 16 July 2024; S.O. 3984(E), 28 August 2025)
• BEE AC notification S.O. 2528(E): “the operating hours shall be 1600 cooling hours per annum”

Related guides

• 1 ton AC
• 1.5 ton AC
• 2 ton AC
• AC units per hour
• 3 star vs 5 star AC
• Window AC
• All appliance guides