Air Purifier vs Air Conditioner: What’s the Difference?

So forth, you may be keen to know the differences between an air purifier vs air conditioner. Here, these two devices usually serve several exigent purposes. Air conditioning is typically installed in the home to maintain a comfortable temperature during the summer months when it’s hotter outside than inside, while an air purifier works to remove pollutants from indoor spaces for better breathing conditions.

Both can be useful depending on your needs – if you have asthma or allergies, consider getting an ionic filter that removes allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, pollen grains, etc.

Still, suppose ease-of-use and energy efficiency is more important to you. In that case, we recommend going with central AC because these units use less electricity per hour compared to their window counterparts (which means lower electric bills!). Homeowners need to consider other factors before deciding which one to buy, such as cost efficiency, noise level, power usage, and more.

So be sure let’s dive into it! Understanding how each device works will help you decide which is suitable for your needs. Let’s focus on what they do well.

Air Purifier vs Air Conditioner: Which One Do I Need?

An air purifier eliminates particles while an AC unit cools the air. Air conditioners are not made to clean and heal indoor allergens, which is what your health-conscious partner wants for you in their home.

An air purifier stands as a cooling aid that refreshes both yourself and the environment by efficiently removing dust mites, pet dander, and cigarette smoke residue from carpets or furniture fabrics – all symptoms of allergies!

The difference between an air purifier vs. an air conditioner is that a/c unit cool the air, whereas ap’s eliminate particles !!!! The former can’t do anything about allergens (like pollen), but the second one has been designed explicitly with HEPA.

Comparison Chart

Here is a comparison chart between air purifiers and air conditioners. If you want to know more details, keep reading.

Criteria	Air purifier	Air conditioner
Application	Cleanses indoor air by removing pollutants, such as allergens, germs, smoke, and odors.	Cools the indoor temperature and helps reduce humidity.
Benefits	Improves air quality, which helps protect your health. They are useful for asthmatic and allergic people.	It creates a comfortable indoor environment, but its air purification levels are low. It is suitable for people with respiratory problems who are unable to tolerate high humidity levels.
Eliminate or Remove	Dust, allergies, smoke, mold spores, bacteria, dander of animals and certain viruses.	Temperature and humidity.

Essential function Of an Air Purifier Vs. Air Conditioner

One way to differentiate air purifiers from air conditioners is by understanding their essential functions. Next, I will explain in simple terms how each system works.

Air Purifier

Air purifiers are devices used in homes that eliminate smoke, floating particles, and more from the air to give you a healthy environment. The primary function of the air purifier is to clean and purify the air we breathe to provide us with a better quality of life.

The air purifier “sucks in” the air, filters it and returns it to a clean environment. This gives a constant renewal of the air while it is in operation.

This device removes particles and pollutants that decrease indoor air quality

but does not control temperature or humidity. Air purifiers can be used in any room and are beneficial against particles that cause allergies (pollen, mites, pet dander). Hence, people with asthma – some models eliminate up to 99% of dust particles greater than 0.3 micrometres -, skin sensitivity or dermatitis or respiratory problems, and even headaches may notice its benefits.

This is precisely what helps us to alleviate an air purifier. Its function is to clean the air of these harmful particles, as it cycles the air by passing it through a filter that collects all these particles.

Air Conditioner

Air conditioners are used to cool indoor environments. These devices suck in the warmest air in a room and then pump out cool air. These devices help regulate the temperature and humidity levels of a space. Air conditioners are not designed to purify the air; they do it to a low degree. This is not its primary function.

Portable units and window units have front vents with a filter that draws in hot air. Instead, the filter for a central air conditioning system is usually located on the house’s roof. An air conditioner filter traps larger particles, so they don’t end up inside the unit, preventing damage.

However, Air purifiers can capture microscopic particles that air conditioner filters cannot, such as bacteria, fine dust, and allergens.

Types of Air Purifier Filter vs. Air Conditioner Filter

Air Purifier Filter

Basic and HEPA Filters

Air purifiers are designed to reduce the amount of dust, pollen, and other particles in your home. HEPA filters are most effective at trapping these irritants, which can cause asthma or allergies. When you buy an air filter, make sure that it has a MERV rating, so you know how well it will do its job!

Ionizers and Ozone Generators

Do you want to breathe clean, fresh air in your home? Ionizers and ozone filters are the best way to remove pollutants from the atmosphere. They create two charges that neutralize harmful substances on contact – most airborne particles have a neutral charge. These particles react with released ion and ozone molecules emitted by a purifier, making them heavy enough, so they fall or stick onto surfaces like furniture.

Contrary to popular belief, these devices will not harm people with breathing problems; however, it’s advised those who have asthma do not use one of these units inside their homes at all times.

Electrostatic Filters

Electrostatic filters are good at killing all types of air contaminants. They work by collecting particles and charging the floating pollutants to kill them off in a machine. These can be useful for your home or office because they remove bacteria, molds, etc., from the atmosphere, which may cause health problems if left unchecked.

The only drawback to this type of filter is that they produce ozone, which might not suit you if you already have breathing problems.

Activated Carbon Filters

It’s essential to keep an eye on your filter if it isn’t caring for unpleasant odors. You shouldn’t wait for the odor problem before you replace them with activated carbon filters, as they effectively eliminate smells and gases from the air.

Uv lights

The best filters for germs are the ones that can be installed with ultraviolet light. With UV lights, ALL harmful particles and microbes in your home will be eliminated! You should invest in these as a way to improve indoor air quality!

Air Conditioner Filter

Before going any further, you should know all about MERV ratings. This rating system defines a filter’s effectiveness, and it depends on the MERV Rating, which ranges from 1-16 with higher numbers meaning stronger airflow for your AC unit. Try an air conditioner of 11-15, so you won’t feel like there was no fresh breeze at home!

The MERV rating system has the potential to be a big help in determining what type of air purifier you may need for your allergies.

A higher-rated filter will collect more allergens and pollutants from the air, but they can cost significantly more than cheaper filters with lower ratings. Understanding this concept before buying an expensive machine could save you quite a bit of money! Below are some common types:

Fibreglass AC Filters

These filters are the most affordable but not very effective. These low MERV-rated air purifiers have an average lifespan of 3 months and can only remove up to 10% of airborne particles from your home when they work at all.

Pleated Polyester AC Filters

This air filter has a unique accordion-shaped design which makes it great for catching tiny particles. The MERV rating of this filter is 10-13, and they are pretty expensive compared to other filters, but you can get them for around $10! This particular type will remove less than 45% of the pollutants found in indoor air.

High-Efficiency AC Air Filters

One of the most vital parts of keeping your home clean and healthy is investing in a quality air filter. With a MERV rating of 14-16, this filter can trap up to 85% of pollutants that pass through it. Although they are expensive, these filters work great at relieving symptoms for asthma and allergy sufferers!

Hepa AC Filters

If you have allergies and are looking for the perfect AC filter, HEPA might not be your best bet. This type of air purification works excellent with a regular Air Conditioner (and is even better than most other filters). Still, there’s something about it that makes it less ideal: too much efficiency. The mesh on these types of filters blocks airflow in such a way as to inhibit power output from an A/C unit over time; this could hurt performance or cause malfunctions.

Washable AC Filters

Filters are often used to remove particulate matter from the air, but most people do not know the difference between disposable and washable filters. Disposable filters have high MERV ratings at 8-16 while also costing more money.

On the other hand, many homeowners opt for cheaper filter options like reusable ones, which can only be washed about 4 times before being replaced because they don’t provide solid filtration capabilities with their low 1-4 rating in removing debris.

What would be preferable? Which is better: an air purifier or an air conditioner?

If any of the following factors to you, an air purifier is the best option: 

• Cleaner air is essential for people who have respiratory conditions, such as asthma, allergies, or what’s medically known as COPD.
• You want to reduce your home’s dust, pollen, or animal dander.
• You’d like to eliminate the odors left behind by food, smoke, pets, or mold.
• You want to provide a healthier atmosphere for your family by reducing the number of bacteria and viruses present in the air.

If any of the following criteria to you, an air conditioner is your best option: 

• You wish to control the inside temperature better
• You want to minimize your home’s moisture levels
• It is not a good idea to live in a humid area if you have a respiratory ailment like asthma or COPD because of the many risks of worsening symptoms.

Air Purifier Vs Air Conditioner: Which One Is Best for Your Home?

It is clear that air purifiers are the best choice for people with breathing problems like allergies, asthma, or COPD. They also work excellently when there needs to be less pollen and dust inside of your home!

An air conditioner might be better if you want a comfortable temperature because they help control indoor temperatures and remove high humidity levels in one’s home.

Is an air purifier the same as an air conditioner?

It’s not true that they are the same, but air purifiers can sometimes function as air conditioners. Air purifiers and air conditioners both filter and cool the air.

The primary difference is that while an AC keeps a room at a specific temperature, most don’t use filters and just remove humidity from indoors as humidifiers do. An AC uses a mind-blowing number of watts to make even passably cold air (compared to outdoor cold) by blowing a lot of dry, hot outside inside your house or office space without removing any pollutants!

That’s why it’s important to get whatever kind you’re getting from a reputable company that only sells products they would be happy with for their own home.

Should you choose an air conditioner or a purifier?

The answer to this question depends on several factors. The decision about which one is better for you could depend on your specific needs. When it comes to a particular allergy, the amount of time you’ll be using the unit each day, the electricity costs, where you live, how much noise your surroundings generate, and more.

However, purifiers have the edge over air conditioners in terms of efficiency. Still, because they’re energy-hungry machines that require permanent installation in any home or office space (unlike air conditioners), they’re only best suited for environments where the eye-watering cost can be justified by their qualities – such as locations with year-round and inferior indoor air quality.

Air conditioning units draw in dirty and dusty air, filter out the dust and some of the more extensive particulate matter, cool it, and blow it out into your home. This is true for many filters as they first draw in dirt, particles, etc., from the outside air.

Air conditioners typically have an ionizer to help cleanse the air before intake by filtering airborne particles through a high-efficiency particle arrestor (HEPA).

They do not kill viruses or bacteria, So depending on your goals – environmental protection vs. saving money – choosing an A/C or purifier might rely on you!

FAQ

It will be necessary to study our case and inform ourselves in-depth about which option may interest us the most or that, ultimately, can better meet the needs of the space to which it is directed. Finally, we insist, perhaps the best solution is to install several devices and not just one.

1. Can I use an air purifier with an air conditioner? 

Yes. You can have an air purifier and an air conditioner running simultaneously without any problems whatsoever. It’s best to combine both of these products to get optimal results for your home, especially if multiple people live indoors with allergies or asthma issues!

The purifier will constantly clean the room, while the AC will keep it cool at all times–even if you turn up or down its settings to suit your needs!

Some units even come with an ionizer function that helps filter out impurities from the air as well. But for efficiency’s sake, we recommend getting one of those high-end dedicated ionic cleaners so they’ll be perfectly positioned to scrub away everything polluting your living space each day.

2. Do air purifiers cool the air?

No, air purifiers do not cool the air. Their primary function is to filter out pollutants and particles from the air, but they do not have any mechanism to change the temperature of the air. Some air purifiers may produce a slight cooling effect as a result of the air passing through the filter and being pushed back out, but it is not a significant cooling effect and is not a primary feature of the device.

3. Does an Air Purifier Cool a Room?

No, an air purifier does not cool a room. Its main function is to purify the air by removing pollutants, allergens, and other harmful particles from the air. However, some air purifiers may have a fan that circulates the air in the room, which can provide a slight cooling effect. But this is not the primary function of an air purifier, and it cannot replace an actual air conditioning system.

4. Do Air Conditioners Clean the Air?

Air Conditioners do not filter the air to make it cleaner. They recycle the air in your home by cycling it until it’s cool and moist, filtering out some harmful particles (according to the EPA, not all), and then blowing that air back into your home. All this recycling makes for a more humid environment- making folks generally less able to handle the heat.

5. Do air conditioners bring in air from outside? 

Air conditioners do not bring in air from outside, but they can certainly seem to because the cold air goes down.

An air conditioner only removes the part of a building with too much heat (humidity). An overworked pump will evacuate sweat from workers or any other excess moisture evaporating from surfaces in your home or office on a humid day. This lowers the humidity and makes you more comfortable on scorching days.

It has no scent when it comes out again into your living space because chemicals have removed all odors in your refrigerant before being pumped back out into your living space for cooling. To think about this difference might help make sense of why cool dehumidifying is.

6. Do air conditioners purify the air?

Air conditioners can help to remove some pollutants and particles from the air, but they are not specifically designed to purify the air like an air purifier. The main function of air conditioners is to regulate temperature and humidity levels in a room or building. However, some modern air conditioners may include additional features such as a filter that can capture some airborne particles like dust, pollen, and pet dander. These filters are not as effective as HEPA filters found in air purifiers, but they can help to improve indoor air quality to some extent. It is important to note that air conditioners do not have the ability to remove mold, bacteria, and viruses from the air.

Final verdict

So which is it? An air purifier or air conditioner? The answer depends on your situation. If you’re trying to improve indoor air quality, an air purifier will probably be more effective for you than a traditional AC unit that just cools down the space and doesn’t filter out pollutants.

On the other hand, if cooling alone solves your problem, then go with an AC without doing any research into filtration systems because they are usually much cheaper than high-quality filters in most cases. And don’t forget about energy efficiency! Some of these units can save up to 20% annually on heating and cooling costs by providing better temperature control and cleaner air.

Whatever, we hope this post has helped you learn more about air purifiers vs conditioners and how they can help your home breathe easier. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact our team of experts at www.justpurifier.com.