Anyone had first-hand experience with cheap air conditioners? We need a 6.5-7kW unit (inverter split) for our house and wondering whether we should get a brand name or save a fair bit and get a cheap Chinese unit (eg http://www.esold.com.au/catalog/default.php?cPath=23)
One on our friends is qualified and can do the installation for cash.
bear in mind, cheap ac most of them only got 1 year warranty. most of the issue is the compressor, same with your fridge. if u buy the cheap one and this compressor fail after the warranty, then you need buy another one and uninstall and install the new one. so better buy the good one and have longer warranty, such as fujitsu, mitsubishi, panasonic etc
The installation cost is "fixed", so your main criteria should be running cost.
With electrity now costing over 20c per kWh and edging higher, there is a significant difference in running costs. You need to compare that.
For example, if the cheapie has an EER of 3.05, then for 6.1kW output it uses 2000W of power. A more efficient unit might have an EER of 4, and only consume 1500W, saving 500W.
If it runs an average of 5hrs per day (at flat out, or 10 hrs at 50% power) for 6 months per year (that assumes you use it for heating and cooling)… then that's (say) 900hrs per annum. At 25c/kWh, a 500W input saving would save you 900hrs x 0.5kW x 25c = $112 per year.
You need to do your own calcs, that is just an example.
The other consideration is how loud they are. I'd say that the cheapies will be noisier than a big brand name. A noisy A/C is a pain in the butt.