Why is an Inverter Air Conditioner Called So?

 I have always wondered why an air conditioner which runs on alternating current mains power supply is labelled as DC Inverter. I have also seen a sticker on the refrigerator mentioning 'Inverter Compressor". The inverter which I was familiar with was the inverter which is used to power a part of our home wiring when the mains supply fails. That runs on a 24 Volts battery and converts direct current  to alternating current at 230 Volts. Recently I had also heard of solar inverters used to convert the direct current delivered by solar panels to alternating current for the home circuits. In case of inverter air conditioners, there is dual conversion happening, unlike the home inverters or solar inverters. The alternating current supply is first rectified into direct current, which runs an inverter, converting it back to alternating current of variable frequency and voltage. That is how the name came for the compressors of modern air conditioners and refrigerators.


Conventional compressors regulate temperature by intermittently switching on and off, as guided by a temperature sensor. The new inverter compressors in air conditioners and refrigerators do not switch on and off intermittently. Instead, they adjust temperature control by varying the speed of the compressor depending on the need. That is done by the variable frequency and voltage generated by the inverter. The smooth modulation of compressor speed results in reduced wear and tear, better energy efficiency and more consistent temperature control. Another advantage is that the large surge current during each switch on of the conventional air conditioner is not there for the inverter compressor. Hence it has been mentioned that it is possible to operate it on solar panels, which are unable to take care of the surge current need of conventional air conditioners. Inverter air conditioners are also likely to produce less noise during operation.

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