Air Purifier Vs Air Conditioner: What’s The Difference?

One of the best strategies that you can use to make your indoor living spaces safe and comfortable is by improving the quality of your indoor air. To achieve this, you need to use an air purifier and an air conditioner device. In this guide, we are going to look at the difference between air purifier vs air conditioner. We shall focus on how they both function and how they can complement each other to help you achieve a perfect indoor air cooling and purification mechanism.

Air purifier vs air conditioner; what’s the difference?

To help you make a better buying decision, we are going to make a detailed comparison between air purifiers and air conditioners based on the following parameters;

Air purifier vs air conditioner: Definition of terms

Air Conditioner

An air conditioner is a device that is used to regulate the temperature and humidity in a living room, office, or building by cooling the indoor air. An air conditioner uses a fan to draw the heated air into the device’s air filter where the heated air undergoes a cooling process before being re-circulated back into the room.

Air conditioners also can regulate the level of humidity in a room in case it’s too hot to improve the quality of your indoor air.

Household air conditioners come in three main types namely;

• Central air conditioners are fitted as part of Heating, Ventilation, Air, and Conditioning (HVAC) systems.
• Window air conditioning units that contain all the required elements in a single unit
• Portable air conditioners which are lightweight and easy to move from one room to another

Air conditioners are not designed to trap airborne contaminants and they can even contribute to spreading them around your room if not well maintained. An air conditioner’s primary role is to cool the indoor air and regulate temperature to make the living spaces and work environment comfortable.

Air Purifier

An air purifier is a device that is used to clean and purify the indoor air by removing the most common indoor air pollutants in the air such as; dust, pollen, allergens, smoke, pet dander, virus, bacteria, and odors.

An air purifier works by drawing contaminated air into the air filter where the airborne contaminants are trapped before the clean air is released for re-circulation therefore, improving indoor air quality. Different air purifier models use different air purification methods to clean indoor air.

The most common ones use True HEPA Air filters, UV lights, and Activated-carbon. For ionic air purifiers, they release negative ions that attach themselves to the positively-charged airborne particulates making them too heavy and they drop to the ground or on other surfaces.

When shopping for an air purifier for small spaces, portable air purifiers are the best choice.

Read Also; Does Air Purifier Help with Household Odors?

Air purifier vs air conditioner; Role

The role of an air purifier is to clean the indoor air by removing most of the common air pollutants such as dust, allergens, pollen, pet dander, and smoke.

The contaminated air is drawn into the air purifier device by a fan where it passes through air filters such as HEPA air filters which trap the airborne contaminants before releasing the clean air for re-circulation in your room.

If you or any of your family members suffer from any respiratory conditions such as asthma or allergy, buying an air purifier can be of great help in improving indoor air quality.

The work of an air conditioner is to regulate the temperature in your home, office, or inside building. It traps the heated air and passes it through a fan where it’s condensed before being re-circulated back into the room.

An air conditioner also helps dehumidify the air thus, improving indoor air quality.

Air purifier vs air conditioner; Functionality

The function of an air conditioner is to regulate indoor room temperature by constantly cooling heated air. The heated air is drawn into the air conditioner where it undergoes a cooling process before recirculating the cool air in a room.

In areas with excessive moisture levels, air conditioners also dehumidify the indoor air by removing excessive moisture content.

For easier use and control, an air purifier is fitted with a thermostat control system that allows the user to set their preferred room temperature levels at any given time and adjust it accordingly.

The function of an air purifier is to clean the indoor air. Filter-based air purifiers do so by trapping the most common airborne contaminants such as dust, allergens, pet dander, mold, smoke, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inside the air filters before releasing the cleaned air for re-circulation in the room.

For ionic air purifiers, they clean the indoor air by releasing negative ions which attach themselves to the positively-charged air pollutant particulates. Air purifiers operate quietly when cleaning your indoor air to ensure it doesn’t distort your comfort when sleeping or in any other environment.

Air purifier vs air conditioner; Maintenance level

Air purifiers require less maintenance compared to air conditioners. Once your filter-based air purifier starts working, you will be required to change air filters every 3-6 months. Some air purifier models come with washable air filters thus, helping you lower maintenance costs.

An air conditioner will require regular maintenance for it to operate effectively. The filters require regular replacement and also the duct-work is prone to clogs and leaks. For the best user experience and effectiveness, it’s important to adhere to the manufacturer’s guidelines on the maintenance schedule for both air purifiers and air conditioners.

Air conditioner vs air purifier; Space Requirement

Space requirement is another important consideration that one needs to consider when comparing air conditioner vs air purifier devices. Space requirements can vary depending on the type, size, and other accessories in an air conditioner or air purifier device.

Air conditioners, generally require a bigger storage space due to their big size. Portable air conditioners are small and occupy less space although they need to be placed near a window or door for proper ventilation.

Larger models such as window air conditioners will require a bigger storage space and they have to be mounted in a window or near a wall.

Most air purifier models are smaller in size and they require smaller storage space. Portable air purifiers can be placed on top of a table, a desk, or in a corner inside your living room or bedroom to improve the quality of your indoor air.

Air purifier vs air conditioner FAQs