Aircon is the reason Filipino electricity bills swing so hard between January and May. Everything else in the house is noise by comparison. This page prices every common unit against every realistic run time, so you can find your own combination rather than a generic average.
A 1HP non-inverter window unit running 8 hours a night costs about [hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-1hp” period=”month”] a month at the current Meralco rate. A 1.5HP unit on the same schedule is [hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-15hp” period=”month”], and a 2HP is [hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-2hp” period=”month”]. Inverter units of the same horsepower run materially lower on long nightly cycles.
Every unit against every schedule
| Unit | Watts | 4 h | 6 h | 8 h | 10 h | 12 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5HP Aircon | 450 | ₱798 | ₱1,197 | ₱1,597 | ₱1,996 | ₱2,395 |
| 1HP Aircon | 900 | ₱1,597 | ₱2,395 | ₱3,193 | ₱3,991 | ₱4,790 |
| 1.5HP Aircon | 1,300 | ₱2,306 | ₱3,459 | ₱4,612 | ₱5,765 | ₱6,919 |
| 2HP Aircon | 1,800 | ₱3,193 | ₱4,790 | ₱6,386 | ₱7,983 | ₱9,580 |
| 2.5HP Aircon | 2,200 | ₱3,903 | ₱5,854 | ₱7,806 | ₱9,757 | ₱11,708 |
| 1HP Inverter Aircon | 700 | ₱1,242 | ₱1,863 | ₱2,484 | ₱3,104 | ₱3,725 |
| 1.5HP Inverter Aircon | 1,000 | ₱1,774 | ₱2,661 | ₱3,548 | ₱4,435 | ₱5,322 |
Read down the column that matches how long you actually run it, not how long you intend to. The gap between 8 and 12 hours on a 1.5HP unit is larger than the entire monthly cost of a refrigerator.
Horsepower is a sizing decision, not a comfort one
Bigger is not cooler. An oversized unit pulls the room temperature down fast, switches off before it has removed much humidity, and leaves the room cold and clammy. People respond by setting it lower, which costs more again. Roughly, 0.5HP suits a room under 10 square metres, 1HP up to about 15, 1.5HP up to about 20, and 2HP beyond that.
Ceiling height, west-facing walls, roof insulation and how many people are in the room all shift those numbers. A room under a hot galvanised roof needs more than the floor area suggests.
Inverter against non-inverter, in pesos
A non-inverter compressor has one speed. It runs at full power until the room hits temperature, stops, and restarts when the room warms. An inverter unit varies compressor speed, running hard to pull the room down then idling at a fraction of rated power to hold it.
The saving lands in the hours after the room is already cool, which for overnight use is most of the night. On the table above, compare the 1.5HP non-inverter row with the 1.5HP inverter row at 8 hours: that difference, over a year of nightly use, is the entire basis of the higher purchase price. For an hour or two of occasional use it never pays back.
What actually reduces the number
- Set 25 to 26 degrees. The room does not cool faster at 18; the compressor simply runs longer to overshoot.
- Use the timer. The hours after you fall asleep are the cheapest to remove.
- Run an electric fan alongside it. A few centavos an hour buys two or three degrees of comfort.
- Clean the filter monthly. Restricted airflow stretches every cycle.
- Seal the room. Cooling a space that leaks into the rest of the house is the most common waste.
- Shade the west wall and close curtains by afternoon. Heat you keep out is heat the compressor never removes.
Questions people actually ask
[hed_faq]Magkano ang kuryente ng aircon kada gabi?Para sa 1HP na non-inverter na window type na tumatakbo ng 8 oras, humigit-kumulang [hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-1hp” period=”day”] kada gabi sa kasalukuyang Meralco rate.
Which horsepower do I need?Roughly 0.5HP for a room under 10 square metres, 1HP to about 15, 1.5HP to about 20, and 2HP or more beyond that. Adjust upward for a hot roof, west-facing walls or high ceilings.
Is inverter aircon worth the extra cost?For long nightly use, yes. The saving comes from the hours holding temperature rather than cooling down. For occasional short use the higher purchase price does not come back.
Does setting 18 degrees cool the room faster?No. The compressor runs at the same output either way. A lower setpoint only makes it run longer, overshoot, and cost more.[/hed_faq]