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Voltas AC Technologies in India - Review 2024

By on October 17, 2022

Are you looking for the best Indian brand of AC? Well, Voltas should be your obvious choice then. Forget only the best Indian brand, if sales are the deciding criteria Voltas is the best AC brand in India. It sold more than one million ACs last year which is more than 20% of the total AC sales in India. Voltas also happens to be one of the oldest AC companies which were set up just a few years after India’s independence, in 1954. With 14,000+ retail outlets clearly outnumbering its competitors, Voltas has a much deeper presence in the Indian market with outlets in tier 2, tier 3 cities and even distant town and villages. Thus, Voltas is the renowned AC brand with a desi value. You would be surprised to know that Voltas is the main supplier of air conditioning systems in the world’s tallest building—Burj Khalifa.

Voltas provides the complete spectrum of ACs to serve the needs of both residential and commercial users, that too at a reasonable price point. For the residential users, it provides windows AC and split AC. While for the commercial users it offers cassette and slimline ACs. Our article here would be focused on the residential ACs and its contemporary technologies.

Key AC Technologies

Turbo Cool Mode with Cross Air Flow Vent for Faster Cooling

There are times when you spend an arduous day out in the parching sun and back home tired and sweaty. When back home, you yearn for an instant cool ambience. But then the old AC takes up a while to deliver comfort cooling, leaving you enervated. But with the new Voltas AC armed with Turbo Cool technology, this won’t be an issue. With the cross flow air vent, supported by a powerful fan, Voltas AC disperses the air evenly at a high speed to ensure the room is pleasantly cooled within few minutes.

Cross-flow is when an air passes through the vent having been through the condenser and then flows through the room until it gets out again through an opening on the opposite side of the room. Achieving good cross-flow is critical because nobody wants stale air to linger on the far-flung corners as the people expect their AC to cool the room in complete totality. Cross-flow is achieved by the correct combination of power, shape, and size of the vent.

Dehumidification mode to Avert Overcooling

Summer season makes the AC overwork and with the monsoon to follow, ordinary ACs could fail to control the humidity or even result in water leakage. During the rainy season, conventional air conditioners not only consume more energy but also make the room uncomfortably cold which may lead to health ailment like sneezing, common cold or even headache. Voltas being an experienced brand have noted this problem specific to our country’s climate. So, the new models from Voltas come with a Dehumidification mode to tussle high humidity during the rainy season. When enabled, the dehumidifier in the AC soaks up extra moisture from the air and make people feel comfortable in the room. It also prevents the overcooling which usually occurs in ordinary air conditioners due to malfunctioning of the condenser in extremely humid weather. Thus, the dehumidification function prevents the room from damping during the rainy days.

Catechin Filter with Nano Silver Technology

High end split ACs from Voltas are fortified with various protection filters and technologies. They ensure protection from variegated harmful particles listed below:

  • Hair
  • Dust mites
  • Pollen
  • Fungi spores
  • Bacteria
  • Exhaust fumes

Catechin filters are remarkably effective at freeing the indoor air of ugly odours. Catechin filters get their name from a naturally occurring antioxidant found in a green tea. They strip the passage of odour-causing pollutants such as tobacco smoke and pet smells owing to their anti-dust and anti-bacterial properties. An equally important utility is that they trap and exterminate microscopic bacteria and viruses which could otherwise lead to cold, cough and other respiratory disorders.

Additionally, Nano Silver is attached to the filter which incessantly releases the silver ions to sterilize bacteria effectively. The silver ion filter not only kills bacteria in the air but also inhibits the growth of microbes, such as bacteria, virus, fungi, and spores, by destroying their inner configuration and absorbing the cells elements.

Filters used in Voltas air conditioners are easy to remove, easy to clean, and they can last up to a full decade.

Eco-friendly R-410 Refrigerant

A refrigerant is a fluid that soaks the heat from the room and transfers it to the outer atmosphere. A refrigerant undergoes phase changes from a liquid to gas (on absorbing heat) and back to liquid (when a compressor compresses it).

The Luxury series of Voltas comes with R-410A refrigerant. R-410A is a hydro-fluorocarbon (HFC) which does not contribute to ozone depletion. R-410A can absorb and release more heat than conventional refrigerant. This means your air conditioning compressor can run cooler, reducing the risk of compressor burnout due to prolonged usage. R-410A has a wider operating pressure range as opposed to archaic refrigerant like R-22, so the compressors from newer Voltas models are built to withstand greater stresses, minimizing the chance of compressor leakage or breakdown. All ACs need oiling to keep the compressor lubricated. ACs using ozone-depleting R-22 refrigerant usually use mineral oil. But R-410A systems use synthetic oil. The synthetic oil is generally more soluble in R-410A than mineral oil is with R-22. This means the R-410A system operates more efficiently which again helps in reducing the wear and tear on the compressor.

Copper Condenser for Low Maintenance Cost

Condenser used in the premium Voltas AC series like Zenith is made 100% of copper. One of the important advantages of copper condenser over the conventional aluminium one is that heat transfer in copper is better. The copper condenser is more durable and much easier to clean and maintain compared to the aluminium condenser. It is very difficult to repair an aluminium condenser which often needs a complete replacement. The only downside is the material cost of copper much more than aluminium, so the models coming with copper condenser are expensive.

Rotary Compressors

Certain series like Classic from Voltas come with a rotary compressor. For those who don’t know, the compressor plays the role of compressing the refrigerant to a high pressure and converting it to a high pressure, high-temperature liquid inside the AC. There are two common types of the compressor in residential ACs: reciprocating and rotary. The rotary compressor compresses the air by the centrifugal action of the high-speed impeller in a designated confined space. As compared to the reciprocating compressors, rotary compressors are much more efficient as they are designed in a way to reduce the loss in pressure of refrigerator gas and produce lesser noise. On the downside, they are more expensive than the reciprocating ones. Rotary compressor is generally more suitable for the places where frequent air conditioning is need i.e offices or industrial spaces.

Hydrophilic Fins

Most of the new models from Voltas AC comes with a hydrophilic fins which increases the wettability of the heat exchanger and provides better protection from corrosion. This arrangement ensures rapid removal of condensate from the indoor unit. This, in turn, deters the breeding/formation of mold and bacteria which can impact the performance of the AC and purity of the transuded air.

Inverter Compressor for Precise Cooling with Silent Operation

For decades, ACs had single-speed compressors that were always either on or off. A compressor is an engine that powers the air-conditioning cycle, moving refrigerant through the arrangement of condenser, compressor, and evaporator. With a single-speed compressor, when the temperature inside the room reaches above a certain temperature, the compressor suddenly switches on – a familiar noise for those who own an AC from the 20th century. But the concept of the inverter has completely changed the dynamics of AC (and refrigeration) industry. Inverter compressor is arguably the biggest innovation in ACs.

Thankfully, mid and high-end split ACs from Voltas comes with an inverter compressor. So, what is an inverter technology? Well, to be really simple, inverter technology is analogous to the car accelerator. When compressor needs more power, it gives it more power. When it needs less power, it gives less power. With this technology, the compressor is always on but draws less power or more power depending on the temperature of the incoming air and the level set in the thermostat. The speed and power of the compressor are adjusted appropriately. The compressor used in Voltas inverter ACs optimizes peak performance to give perfect cooling even at the extreme temperatures.

Pros and Cons of Voltas Air Conditioners

Voltas has been the market leader when it comes to market share in recent times. This clearly advocates for brand’s acceptability and popularity. Also, Voltas has the strongest network of retail outlets and service centres in India. Though there would be some discrepancy in the quality of service from region to region. Versatility is another plus for Voltas. When the Korean brands are ceasing from the release of non-inverter and windows AC but there still exists a big market for the price-sensitive Indian consumers especially with those having low disposable income. Voltas offers all types of ACs, from residential to commercial, from the inverter to non-inverter, from windows to split, from 3 stars to 5 stars. So as a consumer, you have all the options to select your preferred type of AC with Voltas. Voltas has been one of the most awarded brands, recognized for its energy efficiency, customer service, and brand value. Some of the notable accolades received by Voltas:

  • National Energy Conservation award by Power Ministry, 2015
  • Best Corporate Brand by Economic Times, 2016
  • Best Supplier Brand by Wallmart, 2017.

With the big awards going to Voltas it might appear like an impeccable brand. But there are pointers where Voltas falters. We think that as a brand, Voltas does not try to push for energy efficiency. They just barely clear the standards to meet the requirements. So for e.g. if any AC with ISEER above 4.5 will get a BEE 5 star rating, then models from Voltas will have ISEER of just 4.55 to get the BEE 5 star rating. In comparison, there are so many brands that push limits by going up to ISEER values of 6. So within a star rating range, models from Voltas are mostly at bottom.

Conclusion

Voltas is one of the most trusted and oldest Indian AC brand offering ACs considering the needs of Indian consumers and Indian climate. The turbo cool mode is suitable for scorching summers to run the AC to its full potential for faster cooling. Dehumidification mode provides comfort during the rainy season by preventing overcooling and soaking in the ambient room moisture. Usage of the copper condenser and rotary compressor in the high-end models ensure smooth functioning of AC for years to come. Usage of eco-friendly refrigerant is the need of the hour for those who are concerned about global warming; R-410A refrigerant in newer models would please environment-sensitive users and would besides making the AC more efficient

Some Good Voltas Models:

About the Author:
Hussain Kanchwala is an Electronics Engineer from University of Mumbai. As an Analyst at BijliBachao he keeps a tab on latest technologies in gadgets and appliances, tracks businesses of white goods companies and monitors the consumer behavior. With a background in engineering, penchant for detail, and flair for writing he regularly write reviews about brands and their products. .

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