How do I choose an air conditioner?

Your engineer will advise based on room size.

AC eats electricity so go for energy efficiency when possible

Fred no one here has an "engineer" that comes with an apartment.

I indicated in response to your other post to take your room measurements to a store called Refripartes for assistance.  You need width and length but also ceiling heights to give  accurate assistance.

You should buy a name brand as their are many cheap models flooding the market.

You want an "inverter" model. This means it's energy efficient. The higher the SEER the more efficient it is.  Spend the most on the units you will use the most. 

I hope this helps.

    Fred no one here has an "engineer" that comes with an apartment.   

    -@planner

Who fits the AC?

The installer from the store where you go to get quotes! Most stores have their own.

Or any one of many installers you find by word of mouth.  They are not engineers here.

    The installer from the store where you go to get quotes!

    -@planner

That's the man I was talking about

@Fred The installer doesn't come to your home until after you buy your unit in a store! They don't make sales calls to visit your home and determine what you need! This isn't like buying a central AC/HVAC unit.

i know a person who came to my house took the measurements of the room ( house ) told me the size ( BTU’s ) told me two different prices for two different models , told him i would have it on 24/7 so he suggest one , so i bought it 4 years ago , i had him come back three times to clean / maintain it , youg guy late 20’s travels all over he told me

He won't travel all over with the exception of your local area.  It's too costly for them to go all over! I also have a guy who does all my installs but I don't buy units from him. I negotiate my own purchases.  And yes theses types can come.in and give you an assessment and quote the install.

Fyi maintenance and cleaning needs to be done routinely based on usage. My office units every 3 months.  My bedroom air every 3 months. Guest room is done every 6 months.

Weekly we clean the easily removable screens inside!

@planner

With my years of experience in the US with A/C systems - I agree, the higher the SEER the more efficient is it -and wort the investment -  up to a point --- you end up hitting the spot where the purchasing cost of that extra SEER number isn't worth the investment.

On Spit systems here in the DR, I try to hit the 20 SEER mark but have found a great sale at Plaza Lama recently on York units - the SEER was a bit less and the compressor warrantee wasn't as good as the Carrier I was looking at, but the initial cost (and its physical size) was a perfect fit.

The other item you need to pay attention to is its availability. You might see them for sale and a perfect fit for your application - but they are not available (and no idea when they will be). I have seen that the 12,000 btu units (used for smaller rooms) is commonly available but the larger ones (24,000 btu ) used to cool an entire apartment or floor of a townhouse, is commonly out of stock.

I only purchase brand name units that I can find online. Im from the US so have a lot of experience with Carrier, York, Heil  and even LG. Im not saying the "no name" units are not as good or better quality - Im just not familiar with the way they are built. They might be the best units available but I stick with the products that I have experience with.

It will drive you crazy matching: size, SEER, Compressor warrantee, availability and price -- so good luck.

I am in Bavaro and have a very talented Handyman who specializes in refrigeration units (A/C and refrigerators), he does everything for me on all my A/C units. I think he charges in the neighborhood of $400 for a simple unit swap out. More if he needs to run wires or add piping. I have found that the Techs, the store recommends, are a bit cheaper but try to up charge you when they have already started the job. Some of their recommendations were good ideas and some were just blatant gringo up-charges.

Hope my comments help

They do help. Yes it's a balancing act. Of course here electricity is brutally expensive and that helps offset higher SEER higher initial cost.

question 400 for install? Dollars?  That is brutally expensive. A basic install starts at RD 4,000. 

@KerinaS

i chose the brand  I wanted a US brand Carrier and I used the supplier/ installer to get the units i wanted they advised on the sizes needed, which has turned out to be spot on, they also clean the units,  i agree that the ones used most often require a deep clean every 3 months due to dust and bacteria. i used a very helpful company rvaldez@jrvingenieria.com Rolando is the boss they supplied, installed and clean the units for me.  Rolando is a lovely helpful guy I would recommend his business

@Tippj

Sounds like you hit the jackpot with this arrangement

@planner

I think he meant to replace the one that was there with a new one.