General Electric (GE) has released their ClearView air conditioners, and among them is a gem: Inverter window air conditioners that isolate the compressor better (therefore, more of the noise stays outside).
The new air conditioners have an upside down ‘U’ shape that enables them to wrap around the bottom of your window sill in such a way that you won’t have to sacrifice your view. Traditional window air conditioners would block a significant portion of your window. However, this unit sits on the wall under your window and only a small portion of the unit is in the window.
Aside from the improved view, these U-shaped air conditioners provide other benefits that helped ductless mini split units kill their market share in many regions.
The compressor sits below the window instead of being wedged in it: This reduces indoor noise levels. Split units have always had the advantage of keeping the noisy, vibrating compressor outside. Window units are called ‘window rattlers’ because the vibrating compressor is sitting in the window.
Vibration-wise, there may not be much of an improvement with regards to the GE ClearView. However, the compressor noise may be reduced somewhat since the compressor is situated much further (down on the wall) from the window than it would be in a conventional box-shaped window air conditioner.
The larger benefit is significant energy savings. Inverter split air conditioners have been available for decades, while window units were not available with inverters for most of that time. Midea changed that earlier by offering a somewhat similar U-shaped window unit.
GE has now joined with a more decor-friendly design, as the Midea sits in front of the user’s window instead of under it like the GE. Both brands changed the game by bringing the tremendous energy savings of inverters to window air conditioners — without the huge installation cost of a split unit.
