Air Conditioner

To save long term on electricity you will want to buy "inverter" style air conditioners.  They are significantly less expensive to operate.

Brands: TGM, Lennox are my go to. TGM will be more affordable but good quality.

Go to the air conditioner shop almost across from Burger King in Puerto Plata.  They have a good reputation and offer most brands.  They will install as well. Sorry I don't know their name!

I believe all of the ductless, or "mini split"  units are "inverter type" these days. They only run the compressor as fast as is needed to meet the coolng load at any time. We just bought 3 in Las Terrenas, but I haven't been back to the house to see what brand. The poor electrical supply quality is what kills them, burning out the electronics that control the inverter. Quality of the a/c isn't what determines its life span here.

Thank You you're the best!

I have been very happy with AirMax.  A 20K btu, reasonable price, installed 2 years ago, works almost silently inside and out.  Will buy again.

just replaced all 4 split systems last month plus added a 5th.  House had LG units - more than 20 years old.  We went with all KTC brand inverter units.  Great product and the biggest reason we went with this brand is:
1. cost - we paid $6800 including installation for all 5 units
2. the availability of parts in case of repair. 
Energy savings will pay for them in just 36 months!

I don't know that brand. KTC  who makes them and where are they from?

Lately we have seen an influx of unknown brands. Some are good, others not so much!

planner wrote:

To save long term on electricity you will want to buy "inverter" style air conditioners.  They are significantly less expensive to operate.

Brands: TGM, Lennox are my go to. TGM will be more affordable but good quality.

Correct, I would recomend TGM,

planner wrote:

I don't know that brand. KTC  who makes them and where are they from?

Lately we have seen an influx of unknown brands. Some are good, others not so much!

With those unknown brand when needs reparations its hard to get the parts, so better go with the brand well known.

That is usually  my take as well. However some new names, are actually manufactured by companies we know. That is why I asked about KTC

TGM is the cheap version of KTC.  They have the same parts, but KTC has gold plating where it counts, and actually performs.  Plus, KTC parts are available, where you just replace the entire thing with TGM.  KTC TV's, air conditioners, fridges and coolers all perform well here, and most importantly, get fixed under warranty here if, purchased and installed from a reputable vendor.

I like the split heat pump style air conditioners where you are ductless, they have the compressor outside and then there is the other unit inside, but you see them and they dont look so nice.  Not exactly art work. They actually provide heat in the winter and cooling during the times you need it. 

Split units are much noisier than central air units but they are efficient and cool the air immediately, very fast in one room if you can close the doors and windows so the room is closed to other areas.   Well, new ones work amazingly well.  If you have high ceilings, you should have a ceiling fan to move the air too.  I have both central air conditioning with ducts and I also installed a split unit in my bedroom in Canada, so I dont have to cool the entire house instead of just one bedroom at night. 

In the summer, the basement is already cold down there as hot air rises, so upstairs, I am sleeping upstairs in the bedroom , so thats the only room that needs to be cold at night. so it saves me alot of money not cooling the entire house.  If you have alot of rooms and a big house, and you really want to cool the entire house, central is the way to go always, much cheaper than several split ac units.  Thats what my father says who has been in the industry for 50 years and is considered very knowledgable.

Almost no one has central air here.  Construction is not done with that in mind.  And it's very very expensive to run here.

Does your father's 50 years experience include a tropical island?

Most of the high end condos in Punta Cana (which I have rented over the years here) most of them have central air because they were designed that way.  These homes are not for poor people who cant afford much, never mind buy a house or condo with air conditioning. 

If you can afford to cool your home in this country, then you are one of the "wealthy people" who spend money on the finer things in life including temperature/climate controlled living spaces.

I am just saying, you will save money using central air in your entire home, vs running split units in each room.  It does not matter what the price is per kw, it costs more to cool a large space with many split units running in all rooms, vs one central air cooling all rooms.   That has nothing to do with what country your in.

So very few can afford this conversation.

I've seen dozens of million + dollar homes and high-end apartments here in Las Terrenas, and not a single one has central air.

In our house, we will have 4 split units, but most of the time, we will only use the one in our bedroom at night. During the day, we will open up the house and enjoy the ocean breeze. That's a big part of the beauty of living in this tropical paradise!

SOmeone one here reported they bought inverter units made in Moca but sold only in a store in Santiago and they were priced very good and were the best they had had. Regretably that post was quite a while ago and I notes on such are in my file in Moca - and I won't be back for several months. My son-in-law, a master electrician has Lennox in his new house...

@Karin1 I am native dominican, you are very incorrect. Here is RD central sire is not seen as it is in US. Houses are not mainly built for this kind of installations. Unless it is a building or (some)hotel, you will be seeing split air conditioning systems way more often in households And businesses. Also keep in mind punta cana is very tourist based, there will be slight accommodations for tourism there.

I am just saying, you will save money using central air in your entire home, vs running split units in each room. It does not matter what the price is per kw, it costs more to cool a large space with many split units running in all rooms, vs one central air cooling all rooms.  That has nothing to do with what country your in.
-@Karin1

That may have been accurate in times past.

BUT, it is now less costly to cool a whole house with split/ductless units. No power is wasted cooling the ductwork that runs to the individual areas that you want to cool. Google will provide proof of the validity of that statement

crabel I am not sure what you are actually saying.  IT is FAR more costly HERE to cool a whole house then use split units.   

This topic has a lot of good info! Here's my summary.

Electric power is expensive in the SR. Paying more for efficient ac units saves money over the long run in homes used daily. Thus the ductless split A/C units are the best choice.

We want to buy a unit made by a company that produces high-quality equipment. The equipment needs be covered by a warranty that is honored in the RD. Replacement parts need to be available.

Ductless split AC units are now a commodity. Once we know which brands we want, finding the best price is pretty simple.

We need updates on the best brand and the reasons for that choice. What was best a couple of years ago may not be the best choice today.

Could someone please educate us on what a high-quality installation entails? So far, we have zero data on this topic. We can only agree to an installer's bid if we know what an ideal installation entails.

There are people here who can give us that information. I can't wait to see it!

Comparing split units vs central air cannot be compared by the cost of your electricity bill alone.  Homes designed for central air in this country are far more costly to construct and it is not easy to find a builder that will do it properly.  On top of that central air units are generally running all of the time while most people only use split units in a small area and generally at night for sleeping.

Two very different animals in my opinion.

Interesting question - what entails a good install?

I can only answer this partly. It includes making sure each unit has its own breaker to use in emergency.  It includes making sure the panel box is correctly set up / efficient etc. I do not actually know what that means but I know what happens when it is wrong!

It includes installing the unit in the right place! IF there are options, install it in the most efficient location not what is easiest!   It includes making it look "finished" when done. AND it needs to be guaranteed!

Another  item for your list is maintenance!  Depending on hours of use and  the environment it may need maintenance more often.  NOT maintaining it often enough overworks the unit!

crabel I am not sure what you are actually saying. IT is FAR more costly HERE to cool a whole house then use split units. 
-@planner

What I wrote was, "BUT, it is now less costly to cool a whole house with split/ductless units. "

Maybe the problem is in the translation.

I think those words mean:

IF a person wants to cool the whole house with AC they will spend less on electric power if they install ductless split AC units in all the areas they want to have AC

THAN if they cool the whole house by installing a central AC unit.

Does that help?

install it in the most efficient location not what is easiest!
-@planner

What is the definition of "the most efficient location"?

Most of us would not be able to answer that question. I know that I could not.

@DominicanadaMike

I agree. The costs of construction are part of the equation.

That said, I was only trying to get the point across that if you are going to build a house that will have the whole house cooled with AC, the most economical way to do that is to use individual split ductless AC units.

And "most economical" includes the construction and operating expenses.

install it in the most efficient location not what is easiest!
-@planner

What is the definition of "the most efficient location"?

Most of us would not be able to answer that question. I know that I could not.
-@crabelramble

Well the easy answer is not on a south facing exposure.  That would be inefficient.  Sometimes installers will do the easiest thing rather than what is right. OR  to save you  the equivalent of  US 20 in cable cost  do what is closer rather than what is  more efficient longer term. 

Putting the compressor in full afternoon sun is not efficient.  Sometimes there is no other option but if there is, its well worth considering.

Good points!

The absolute best location for the compressor is one that remains in the shade the whole day. Is that accurate?

What about constructing a sun shield to provide shade with corrugated steel? That would help if you can not find a shaded location. Would that have merit?

What about airflow? That must be important! Imagine installing the compressor thing in a deep narrow courtyard, a couple of stories tall, walled on four sides. That would trap all the heat in that confined area, making the system inefficient. How does one find where the prevailing breeze is for a specific location?

How do you determine the size of the electrical cable? Too small and efficiency goes down.

What other things do we need to consider?

Not size of electrical cable, length!

yes shaded will always be better. For constructing a shade, remember we can have  tropical storms and hurricanes, anything built will need to keep that in mind!

Airflow is important too!

All great information guys! Thank you. I for one will pay more because I get hot quickly and must sleep with air (yes spoiled American lol) but after living in the desert all these years I am still not used to the heat.

Question are they able to run central air on houses made of cinder blocks?

Thanks great info!

@planner:  yes, of course length is important but the longer the length, the conductor must increase in size to compensate for voltage and current loss.  So the moral of the story is that size does matter...

@polo1club:  Running central air means running ducts.  and that means constructing something on top of the cinder blocks.  Call it another layer.  Can it be done?  Of course, as long as there is room.  For example, you may have to drop the ceiling a foot to accommodate ducts by either creating a new ceiling using drywall or creating just a step in the ceiling.  It will all depend upon how you want the place to look when its done.  Best to consult an architect and design engineer to see what would work best and then get out your cheque book!

Question are they able to run central air on houses made of cinder blocks?

-@polo1club

Central air, as us North Americans know it, requires ducting. IMO, no RD home will have ducting unless it was designed by a North American who has money to burn.

The other significant thing about the typical RD home, made out of cinder block and concrete, is its lack of insulation. How much that hurts the pocket is something that I don't know.

🤣🤣 I will never argue with a man who tells me size matters!!! 🤣🤣 Best laugh of the day!

Well getting back to the OP’s question the most popular brand is TGM you can also take a look at the Daikin brand. I purchased 2 Daikin units last year and they have held up very well have not had any issues with them at all. I can also recommend a good store for you to go to in Santiago but they do have multiple locations throughout DR with very knowledgeable people and very good pricing. There website is Refripartes.com One other important point regarding installation of the A/C units they must be installed by a certified installer for your warranty to be valid.

There website is Refripartes.com
-@DRforme

Thanks, that's the kind of info that we need!

BTW, I Googled that url and ended up getting,  "Refripartes.com

This domain is for sale: $1,995".

@crabelramble

Not sure why that happened as I was just on their website. Try Googling TGM Dominican Republic that should bring up the page.

TGM Lennox Westinghouse all good brands.

Refripartes is well known and reliable.  I have purchased from them and never had an issue. They do not always have the best prices! 

@planner

There prices are pretty comparable to everyone else. I would rather spend a little more for a purchase from as you say a reputable and reliable dealer than buying an A/C unit from Jumbo. Especially if you ever need warranty service. Matter of fact my wife will be going to the Santiago store in about 2 weeks to order 4 A/C units for our current new home build. And believe me she knows how to squeeze a peso out of the toughest salesman.

So then she negotiates their prices, because she knows its a bit high. There is nothing wrong with  knowing and paying for a reputable  provider.  I do it on a regular basis.   However, sometimes they are not competitive!  Its all about knowing the market at any given time as things change,  and YES always negotiate!