01HP is cooling, not electricity
A “1 HP” label describes cooling capacity. The LG 1 HP inverter on this page delivers 2.7 kW of cooling for 770 W of rated input, and averages well below that once the room is cool.
Solar for air-conditioned homes · Cebu
Solar panels for aircon in Cebu: how many do you need?
Run the inverter or window aircons you already own on rooftop solar. See how many 620 W panels a 1 HP, 1.5 HP or 2 HP unit needs, what changes at night, and what it saves at current VECO, MECO and CEBECO rates.
- No sign-up
- Cebu rates, Sep 2026
- Every estimate labelled
A Cebu home at 2 p.m.Aircon on, sun up
- Solar energy
The short answer
Yes, for the hours the sun is up. A 1 HP inverter aircon running 8 daytime hours uses about 4.0–4.8 kWh, which about 2 panels of 620 W cover on an average Cebu day. A 1.5 HP needs 2–3 panels and a 2 HP unit about 4. At ₱14.89/kWh (VECO, Sep 2026), that 1 HP unit costs ₱1,787–₱2,144 a month to run 8 hours a day.
Night is different. Panels make nothing after dark, so night use is covered by batteries (plan on two for an aircon) or offset by net-metering credits worth about 55–65% of your rate. All figures here are planning estimates.
First, which “solar aircon”?
Your aircon, our panels. Not a “solar aircon”.
Search for solar aircon and you’ll find appliances for sale. This guide is about something else: running the aircons in your home on a rooftop system.
This guide
Rooftop solar for the aircons you already own
- Works with the inverter split and window units in most Cebu homes; nothing to replace.
- The panels power the whole house, not one appliance, and, once net metering is approved, surplus earns credits.
- Add batteries to keep a bedroom cool through a brownout.
A different product
“Solar aircon” units sold online
- Mostly AC/DC “hybrid” aircon units, many listed on online marketplaces.
- We don’t sell or assess them, so this page doesn’t compare them.
The quick answer, by horsepower
How many solar panels per aircon?
Planning figures for 8 hours of daytime use on an average Cebu day, priced at ₱14.89/kWh (VECO, Sep 2026). Your nameplate, room and habits move them.
| Aircon | 620 W panels | Solar for 8 daytime hours | 8 h a day, per month | Cost a month (VECO ₱14.89) | Daytime use per hour (mild–hot afternoon) | Rated input |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 HP inverter splitVariable speed | 2 | 1.1–1.3 kWp | 120–144 kWh | ₱1,787–₱2,144 | 0.50–0.60 kWh | 770 W |
| 1.5 HP inverter splitVariable speed | 2–3 | 1.4–1.7 kWp | 156–192 kWh | ₱2,323–₱2,859 | 0.65–0.80 kWh | 1,030 W |
| 2 HP inverter splitVariable speed | 4 | 2.2–2.6 kWp | 246–288 kWh | ₱3,663–₱4,288 | 1.02–1.20 kWh | 1,715 W |
| 2.5 HP inverter splitVariable speed · scaled estimate | 4–5 | 2.6–3.0 kWp | 288–336 kWh | ₱4,288–₱5,003 | 1.20–1.40 kWh | 1,850 W |
| 1 HP window typeFixed speed (non-inverter) · listing extract | 3 | 1.7–1.9 kWp | 192–216 kWh | ₱2,859–₱3,216 | 0.80–0.90 kWh | 880 W |
| 1.5 HP window typeFixed speed (non-inverter) · listing extract | 4 | 2.2–2.5 kWp | 246–276 kWh | ₱3,663–₱4,110 | 1.02–1.15 kWh | 1,120 W |
How these are worked outThe research planning ranges are for Cebu nights at 24–25 °C (for a 1 HP inverter, 0.4–0.6 kWh per hour), below the rated input because inverter compressors slow down once a room is cool. Daytime use runs from the middle of that range on a mild afternoon to its top on a hot one. Solar = daily kWh ÷ 3.7 kWh per kWp (1,350 kWh per kWp a year, a cautious Cebu figure). Rated inputs are from LG and Carrier listings (the window figures from listing extracts); 2.5 HP is scaled from 2 HP.
Night hours aren’t in this tableThe same 8 hours after dark need a battery charged by extra panels (about 1.2 kWp more for a 1 HP inverter unit), or about 1.8 times as many panels if you offset them through credits. Credits apply only once net metering is approved, how much you can export depends on your feeder, and exports earn your utility’s generation charge rather than the full rate. A battery sized only for brownouts buys comfort, not savings.
Got more than one aircon, or use them at night? Add each unit and its hours to see your own kWh, panels, batteries and price.
Size solar for my airconsThe aircon estimator
Your aircons, hour by hour.
Add each unit, when it runs and whether it must stay on in a brownout. Everything updates as you go and stays on your screen until you ask for a quote.
Aircon solar estimator
Average Cebu day · VECO rate, Sep 2026Your home
Sep 2026 household rate per kWh, as published.
Rotations usually last about an hour per area; 2026 red-alert windows ran 3–9 hours, mostly late afternoon and evening.
Your aircons 2 of 6
Aircon 1
4.0 kWh/dayAircon 2
6.1 kWh/day
Aircon electricity, per month
₱4,512/month
303 kWh a month (10.1 kWh a day) at VECO ₱14.89/kWh (Sep 2026).
₱4,512 a month for 303 kWh of aircon use. 2 panels for daytime use. 2 batteries for 4 hours of night backup.
Shows how much of it is aircon, and lets the calculator size your whole home from it.
- Daytime
- 4.8 kWh/day · 144 kWh/mo · ₱2,144
- Night
- 5.3 kWh/day · 159 kWh/mo · ₱2,368
- Solar output, average day
- Aircon load
- Run directly by solar
Daytime · solar
2 panels · 1.24 kWp
Makes the equivalent of about 96% of your 4.8 kWh of daytime aircon use on an average day. About 70% of that use runs straight from the panels as it happens; the surplus is exported for credit once net metering is approved.
Saves about ₱1,805 a month (estimate; about ₱3,189 with the 4-panel system priced below)
Night · brownout backup
2 batteries · 10.2 kWh
Runs 1 aircon plus essentials for about 7.4 hours (you planned for 4). One battery alone: about 3.7 hours.
Backup load up to 1.4 kW · 5 kW Deye inverter · 2 × about 2.6 kW of battery power (typical 50 A module)
If you sized solar for these aircons alone
- 4 panels + Deye 5 kW hybrid, battery-ready
- ₱110,000–₱129,000
- The same with 2 batteries
- ₱206,000–₱242,000
Installed list prices from our itemised quote (±8%), before any promotion. Our itemised pricing starts at 4 panels. With 4, the aircon saving rises to about ₱3,189 a month (estimate), and the rest covers other daytime loads. Your final price follows a site assessment.
Estimates for an average day (1,350 kWh per kWp a year), not measured use. Inverter units: 0.4–0.6 kWh per hour for 1 HP up to 0.85–1.2 for 2 HP; night use at the middle of the range, hot afternoons at the top. Essentials on backup: about 0.5 kW. Batteries: 3.69 kWh delivered per 5.12 kWh battery. Exports credited at 55% of your rate, once net metering is approved. Start-up surge isn’t modelled.
The calculator sizes batteries from your whole home’s evening use and may show fewer. With an aircon on the backup circuit we still recommend 2 batteries, and that travels with your quote request.
Want the whole house, not just the aircons? The solar savings calculator starts from your bill.Prices explained line by line: solar installation cost in Cebu.
Day versus night
Where solar runs your aircons, and where it can’t.
Cebu’s heat and Cebu’s sunshine peak together, which is why a daytime aircon is the easiest load in the house to put on solar. A home office, a living room in the afternoon or a store open in daylight can run mostly on what the roof makes at that moment.
Bedroom aircons are the opposite: they run from late evening to dawn, when panels make nothing. That use is covered by a battery, by credits earned in the day, or by the grid. How each works is a choice between on-grid, hybrid and off-grid systems.
An aircon day in four chapters
01 / 04One Cebu home, one dayIllustration
- Solar energy
- Battery
- Grid
Chapter 01
7–11 a.m.
Output climbs before the heat does.
Bedroom aircons switch off around dawn and the panels start slowly. Until the house warms up, most morning output goes to the fridge, fans and pump. Once net metering is approved, any surplus is exported for credit at your utility’s generation charge.
With net metering, exports bank credits for the evening bill
Chapter 02
12–4 p.m.
The hottest hours are the sunniest.
This is when an inverter aircon works hardest, at the top of its range, and when the panels make the most. Each kWh used as it is made saves the full ₱14.89/kWh (VECO, Sep 2026), worth about 1.5–1.8 times an exported kWh, which earns only the generation charge.
Daytime aircon use is the best use of solar
Chapter 03
6–10 p.m.
The sun is gone, the aircons aren’t.
After sunset the aircons draw from the grid at the full rate. Credits banked during the day reduce that bill, but each credit is worth only about 55–65% of a kWh you buy. Without a battery, this is the part solar doesn’t cut directly.
Night use is offset at the credit value, not cancelled
Chapter 04
A night rotation
Only the backup circuit stays cool.
When the grid fails, a grid-tied inverter must shut down. With a hybrid inverter and batteries, the circuits wired to its backup port keep running; everything else goes dark. One 1 HP bedroom unit plus essentials runs about 3½–4½ hours per battery.
- We take care of
- Sizing the batteries and wiring the chosen bedroom to the backup circuit.
- Your part
- Choose which rooms must stay cool when the power goes.
Two batteries recommended for any aircon on backup
At your pace. Select any chapter.
Inverter vs conventional
Inverter split or window type: it changes the solar maths.
The same 1 HP of cooling, run for the same 8 hours a night. A window unit’s fixed-speed compressor runs flat out, then stops; an inverter slows down once the room is cool.
| 1 HP inverter split | 1 HP window, non-inverter | |
|---|---|---|
| Rated power input | 770 W (LG HS09ISY2) | 880 W (Carrier WCARJ010EE listing extract) |
| DOE label basis | 0.39 kWh per hour (rated × 0.5) | 0.70 kWh per hour (rated × 0.8) |
| Planning average, Cebu night | 0.4–0.6 kWh per hour | 0.7–0.9 kWh per hour |
| 8 hours a night, per month | 120 kWh · ₱1,787 | 192 kWh · ₱2,859 |
| Panels for 8 daytime hours | 2 panels | 3 panels |
| One battery, with essentials | about 3.7 hours | about 2.8 hours |
| Start-up | Soft start: ramps up gently (typical of inverter units) | Each compressor start draws a brief surge well above running power |
Over a month of nights, the window unit in this example uses about 72 kWh more, roughly ₱1,072 at VECO’s Sep 2026 rate. On solar it also needs more panels by day and more battery at night, and its start-up surge is harder on a backup system.
The DOE label’s own method shows the gap: it assumes 9 hours a day and multiplies the rated input by 0.5 for inverter units and 0.8 for fixed-speed ones. An inverter at part load draws far less than its nameplate. In one LBNL worked example, half the cooling took only 40% of the power.
Keep the window unit, or replace it?Solar runs either, and we size for the aircons you actually have. If a window unit is near the end of its life anyway, switching it to an inverter split before you add batteries can save a battery’s worth of capacity. When you compare new units, look for a higher CSPF on the DOE energy label.
Mixed aircons at home? Get a whole-home estimate in pesos from your own bill. The aircons in the estimator go to the calculator with you, so set yours there first.
Get my whole-home estimateLimits of a horsepower estimate
Why horsepower alone gets the numbers wrong.
Two 1.5 HP aircons in the same street can use very different amounts of electricity. These six things explain most of the gap.
02Efficiency differs by model
The DOE energy label shows a CSPF: cooling delivered per kWh used over a season. Higher is better. The 2021 minimum is 3.08 for units under 3.33 kW of cooling and 2.81 for larger ones; the LG HSN/U18ISA 2 HP lists 5.25. Spec sheets also give an EER, the same ratio at full load (3.50 for the LG 1 HP).
03Outdoor heat
Under the standard used for Philippine labels, a unit at 35 °C outside draws about 9% more power than at 29 °C, and cools about 7% less. Cebu averages 27.1 °C, nearer 28–29 °C in April and May.
ISO 16358 defaults via LBNL (2021); NASA POWER 2001–2025.04The thermostat
Each degree cooler costs several percent more energy; the estimator uses about 5% per degree, an estimate. Midea Philippines recommends about 25 °C (Aug 2026).
05Room size, roof and sun
A 1 HP unit cooling a room that needs 1.5 HP runs at full power for hours; one matched to the room’s floor area and ceiling height idles sooner. A west-facing room, a top floor under a bare metal roof, single glazing or gaps under the door also keep a compressor working harder for longer.
06Hours, not horsepower
Hours drive the bill. In a survey of 386 Filipino consumers for a 2023 CLASP/DOE study, mostly middle- and high-income aircon owners, 61% ran their aircon more than 6 hours a day, and 62% often or always limited use because of cost.
CLASP / DOE label study, Jan 2023. Not a national household statistic.Start from your bill, not from a horsepower chartYour bill’s kWh already includes your room, roof, habits and model. The appliance list in our calculator deliberately uses cautious wattages, 20–75% above the DOE label basis for aircons. That is right for sizing a battery, but too high for savings, so enter your bill if you know it. The estimator above can show how much of that bill is aircon.
Batteries for night aircon
Keeping a bedroom cool in a brownout: plan on two batteries.
A battery’s energy decides how long; its power decides whether the aircon starts at all. Both point to two batteries whenever an aircon is on the backup circuit.
3.69 kWhDelivered per 5.12 kWh battery80% usable × 90% conversion; an estimate until your battery model is confirmed
≈ 7 hEssentials only, per batteryFridge, fan, lights, Wi-Fi and TV at about 0.5 kW
3½–4½ hWith a 1 HP inverter airconPlus essentials, about 0.8–1.0 kW, per battery
≈ 2.6 kWContinuous power, typical 50 A moduleAt 51.2 V; little start-up headroom for one aircon. Your battery’s rating is confirmed in your proposal
- 1Only the backup circuit stays on
Grid-tied inverters must shut down when the grid fails. The hybrid keeps the circuits on its backup port running, so we wire the bedroom you choose to it, not the whole house.
- 2Power, not just energy
Deye hybrids can deliver twice their rated output for 10 seconds to start motors, but after dark the batteries set the limit: a typical 50 A battery module supplies about 2.6 kW. A second battery gives an aircon room to start alongside the fridge.
- 3Give the aircon a restart delay
Deye’s manual says aircons need at least 2–3 minutes to restart after power returns. A unit with a built-in delay, or a separate backup circuit, helps avoid overload trips.
- 4Daytime brownouts run on the sun
If the grid fails at midday, the hybrid inverter keeps the backup circuit running from the panels and tops up the battery at the same time.
Why night backup matters in Cebu now
The Visayas grid logged 93 yellow and 30 red alerts between 1 January and 3 September 2026 (NGCP, via Daily Tribune). Red-alert windows ran 3–9 hours, mostly late afternoon and evening, such as 3–8 p.m. on 11 August, exactly when aircons are on and solar output is fading. Rotations themselves were about an hour per area.
At a Cebu energy summit in October, SunStar reported that shortages are likely to continue through 2027; Energy Secretary Garin said the fix “will be a 2028”. For the full picture, read our guide to battery backup for Cebu brownouts, or compare a solar battery with a generator.
Illustrative scenarios
Three Cebu aircon setups, sized and priced.
Worked through the estimator above at ₱14.89/kWh (VECO, Sep 2026), with a 4-hour night brownout. Illustrations of the method, not real installations or quotes.
Scenario A · nights only
One bedroom, cooled at night
- 1 HP inverter split, 9 p.m.–5 a.m. (8 h)
- On the backup circuit
- Panels sized to offset it with credits
Day 0%Night 100%
- Aircon use
- 120 kWh · ₱1,787/mo
- Panels to offset it with credits
- 3 × 620 W (1.86 kWp)
- Batteries, 4-hour night brownout
- 2 (≈7.4 h)
- Estimated aircon saving, 4 panels
- ₱1,787/mo
- 4 panels, battery-ready
- ₱110,000–₱129,000
- With 2 batteries
- ₱206,000–₱242,000
No daytime use, so panels can’t run it directly. Once net metering is approved they earn credits by day that offset the night bill, and the batteries keep the room cool through a night brownout. The smallest system we price is more than it needs.
Scenario B · work from home
An office and a living room by day, a bedroom at night
- 1.5 HP inverter split in the office, 9 daytime hours
- 2 HP inverter split in the living room, 6 h in the afternoon and 2 h in the evening
- 1 HP inverter split, 8 hours at night, on backup
Day 70%Night 30%
- Aircon use
- 614 kWh · ₱9,135/mo
- Panels for daytime use
- 6 × 620 W (3.72 kWp)
- Batteries, 4-hour night brownout
- 2 (≈7.4 h)
- Estimated aircon saving
- ₱5,762/mo
- 6 panels, battery-ready
- ₱145,000–₱170,000
- With 2 batteries
- ₱240,000–₱282,000
Two aircons run in the sunniest hours, so most of their electricity comes straight from the roof. Panels sized for daytime use leave the bedroom on the grid, or on the batteries in a brownout.
Scenario C · family home
Two bedrooms and a living room, nights offset too
- Two 1 HP inverter splits, 8 hours a night, both on backup
- 2 HP inverter split in the living room, 8 h by day and 3 h in the evening
- Panels sized to offset day and night with credits
Day 46%Night 54%
- Aircon use
- 620 kWh · ₱9,236/mo
- Panels to offset it with credits
- 13 × 620 W (8.06 kWp)
- Batteries, 4-hour night brownout
- 2 (≈4.9 h)
- Estimated aircon saving
- ₱9,214/mo
- 13 panels, battery-ready
- ₱283,000–₱333,000
- With 2 batteries
- ₱379,000–₱445,000
Most of this home’s aircon use is after dark, so offsetting it takes several times the panels that daytime use alone needs. That only pays if net metering is approved and your feeder can take the exports.
Prices are installed list prices from our itemised quote (±8%), never below 4 panels, before any promotion. Savings value self-used solar at the full rate and exports at 55% of it, and count only the aircons. Ready-made configurations are in our solar packages.
What goes into an aircon-ready system
The same equipment as every system we quote, sized around when your aircons run. Warranty terms are confirmed in your proposal.
- 620 W N-type TOPCon panels, sized to your daytime load
- Deye single-phase 48 V hybrid inverter: 5, 6, 8 or 10 kW
- 5.12 kWh LiFePO4 batteries, if you want brownout backup
- A backup circuit for the rooms you choose
- Design, installation, configuration and testing
- Permits and net-metering paperwork in the itemised estimate, then after-sales support
Monthly aircon cost at current rates
What your aircons cost to run at current Cebu rates.
Night use at the middle of each planning range, 8 hours a day for 30 days. Rates are each utility’s latest published figure (CEBECO II from the ICSC PRESYO tracker).
| Utility and rate | 1 HP inverter | 1.5 HP inverter | 2 HP inverter | 1 HP window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MECO₱15.98/kWh · Sep 2026 | ₱1,918 | ₱2,493 | ₱3,931 | ₱3,068 |
| VECO₱14.89/kWh · Sep 2026 | ₱1,787 | ₱2,323 | ₱3,663 | ₱2,859 |
| CEBECO I₱15.24/kWh · Sep 2026 | ₱1,829 | ₱2,377 | ₱3,749 | ₱2,926 |
| CEBECO IIabout ₱15.9/kWh · Sep 2026, ICSC tracker | ₱1,909 | ₱2,482 | ₱3,914 | ₱3,055 |
| CEBECO III₱15.08/kWh · Oct 2026 | ₱1,810 | ₱2,352 | ₱3,710 | ₱2,895 |
Cebu household rates rose about 19–45% in the year to September 2026, and they move by ₱0.50–₱1.00/kWh in a typical month, up or down. In April and May the same aircon also works harder in the heat, so a 1 HP unit that costs about ₱1,787 a month to run at night today can cost a different amount even when your habits don’t.
Your utility also sets what your exports earn. Our local guides cover rates, net metering and brownouts for each:
- Solar for VECO customersCebu City, Mandaue, Talisay
- Solar for MECO customersLapu-Lapu, Cordova
- Solar for CEBECO customersNorthern, southern and western Cebu
How exports are credited, utility by utility: net metering in Cebu. More guides in the solar guides hub, or see how solar works, step by step.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Aircon and solar, straight answers.
The questions Cebu homeowners ask most when their aircons are the reason for going solar.
01How many solar panels do I need for a 1 HP aircon?
About 2 panels of 620 W for a 1 HP inverter split that runs 8 hours while the sun is up. It uses roughly 4.0–4.8 kWh in those hours, and each kWp of panels makes about 3.7 kWh on an average Cebu day, so it needs 1.1–1.3 kWp. A 1.5 HP inverter unit needs 2–3 panels, a 2 HP unit about 4 and a 1 HP window type about 3.
Those panels only cover daytime running. The same aircon at night needs a battery charged by extra panels (about 1.2 kWp more), or about 1.8 times the panels if you offset it through net-metering credits. These are planning estimates; the estimator on this page works it out for your own units and hours.
02How many solar panels do I need for a 2 HP aircon?
About 4 panels of 620 W for a 2 HP inverter split that runs 8 hours while the sun is up. It uses roughly 8.2–9.6 kWh in those hours, so it needs 2.2–2.6 kWp of panels. Running it 8 hours a day costs about ₱3,663–₱4,288 a month at ₱14.89/kWh (VECO, Sep 2026).
At night a 2 HP inverter unit averages about 1.0 kWh an hour, so on a battery with essentials it runs about 2.4 hours per battery. Its 1,715 W rated input plus essentials also comes close to the 2.6 kW a typical 50 A battery module supplies, so plan on at least two batteries if it must stay on in a brownout. These are planning estimates; the estimator on this page works it out for your own hours.
03Magkano ang solar panel para sa aircon?
It depends on when your aircon runs, but here is what our itemised prices give today. Our itemised pricing starts at 4 panels (2.48 kWp) with a Deye 5 kW hybrid inverter, mounting, installation, permits and net-metering paperwork: ₱110,000–₱129,000 at list price. It makes about 9.2 kWh on an average day, close to the 8.0–9.6 kWh two 1 HP inverter aircons use in 8 daytime hours. A typical inverter refrigerator adds about 1.4 kWh a day (the 60 W average in our calculator’s appliance list; check your own label), and it is already part of the essentials in the battery figures on this page.
To keep a bedroom aircon on through a night brownout, add two 5.12 kWh batteries at ₱52,000 each: about ₱206,000–₱242,000 in total. Every price is itemised, and the final figure is confirmed in your written proposal after a site assessment.
04Can solar panels run my aircon at night?
Not directly: panels stop producing at sunset. There are two ways to cover night use. A battery stores daytime solar and runs the aircon after dark. Each 5.12 kWh battery delivers about 3.69 kWh, so a 1 HP inverter unit plus essentials runs about 3½–4½ hours per battery, and we recommend two whenever an aircon is on backup. To cut the night bill rather than just ride out brownouts, extra panels have to charge the battery by day.
The other way is net metering. Daytime surplus is exported and credited at your utility’s generation charge, about 55–65% of the household rate in late 2026. Credits lower the night bill, but they don’t keep the aircon on in a brownout.
05Is a 5 kW solar system enough to run air conditioning?
First check what “5 kW” means: panels are rated in kWp, the inverter in kW, and the two often differ. Eight 620 W panels make 4.96 kWp, about 18 kWh on an average Cebu day. That covers the daytime running of two 1.5 HP inverter aircons for 8 hours (about 13 kWh at the top of the planning range), with some left for the rest of the house.
A 5 kW Deye hybrid inverter can supply up to 5 kW during a brownout when the panels and batteries can deliver it, more than the rated input of three 1.5 HP inverter units (3.1 kW). After dark the batteries set the limit: a typical 50 A battery module supplies about 2.6 kW, so backup power depends on the battery modules as well as the inverter. Your battery model’s rating is confirmed in your proposal.
06Can I run my aircon on solar for free?
No. The panels and installation cost money up front, and only daytime use is covered directly. What solar does is replace grid electricity you would otherwise buy at ₱14.89/kWh (VECO, Sep 2026). In the estimator’s starting example (a 1 HP bedroom unit at night and a 1.5 HP unit mostly by day), 2 panels sized for the daytime use save about ₱1,805 of a ₱4,512 monthly aircon cost. Our itemised pricing starts at 4 panels, which would save about ₱3,189 on the aircons and also cover other daytime loads. The rest of the night use is still paid for, or offset by credits at a lower value.
Savings depend on your hours, the weather and future rates, so treat every figure on this page as an estimate, not a promise.
07Should I buy a “solar aircon” instead?
Search results for “solar aircon” are mostly AC/DC “hybrid” aircon units, many of them online marketplace listings. They are a different product, and we don’t sell or assess them, so we can’t compare their performance here. A rooftop system works with the aircons you already own, powers the rest of the house too, and, once net metering is approved, earns credits for any surplus.
If you’re buying a new aircon anyway, compare the CSPF on the DOE energy label: higher is better.
08Do I need to replace my window aircon before going solar?
No. Solar runs both types. But on a Cebu night a 1 HP window unit uses roughly 0.7–0.9 kWh an hour against 0.4–0.6 for a 1 HP inverter split, so it needs more panels for daytime use and drains a battery faster at night: about 2.8 hours per battery with essentials, against 3.7 for the inverter unit. If a window unit is near the end of its life anyway, replacing it with an inverter split before you size a battery can keep the battery count down. We size for the aircons you actually have.
THREE WAYS TO MOVE FORWARD
Size solar around your aircons, your way.
Run your own numbers, ask for a site assessment and an itemised quote, or put a question to a person first. Your aircon choices from the estimator travel with any request.
Route A
Instant estimate
Your system, installed price and savings in about 30 seconds. No contact details needed.
Start the calculatorRoute BRequest an aircon-sized quote
Share a few details and we’ll prepare a proposal after a site assessment.
Request my quoteRoute CAsk an advisor
Have a question first? Ask it here and get a straight answer.
Ask a questionROUTE A · INSTANT ESTIMATE
Get your own estimate.
The same calculator and prices as the rest of the site. Your estimate stays on your screen unless you ask us to contact you.
Have a promo code?
Your promo code takes 10% off your system estimate, up to ₱50,000.
Let’s start with your electricity bill.
Choose your usual monthly bill. An estimate is all you need.
Using VECO at ₱14.89/kWh · Sep 2026. You can change your provider later.
About 30 seconds · No obligation
ROUTES B & C · TALK TO US
Prefer a quote or a conversation?
Every quotation follows a site assessment of your roof, wiring and priorities, so the price you approve is the price of the system you get.
Request an aircon-sized quote
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Sources & assumptions
Reviewed 16 October 2026 · Aircon figures are planning estimates; our prices are calculated live from our itemised component list
Sources & assumptions
Reviewed 16 October 2026 · Aircon figures are planning estimates; our prices are calculated live from our itemised component list
- DOE Philippine Energy Labeling Program, implementing guidelines for air conditioners (2021, WTO TBT notification) (opens in a new tab)
Label kWh = rated kW × 9 h × 30 × 0.5 (inverter) or 0.8 (fixed-speed); CSPF basis; 2021 minimums. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
- DOE PELP air-conditioner guidelines, 2023 draft (WTO TBT notification) (opens in a new tab)
Draft star bands. Whether they are in force is unconfirmed, so this page doesn’t quote star cut-offs. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
- LG HS09ISY2 1 HP inverter split (Emcor listing) (opens in a new tab)
2.70 kW cooling, 770 W rated input, EER 3.50. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
- LG HS12ISY2 1.5 HP inverter split (Emcor listing) (opens in a new tab)
3.52 kW cooling, 1,030 W rated input. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
- LG HSN/U18ISA 2 HP inverter split (SM Appliance listing) (opens in a new tab)
1,715 W rated input, CSPF 5.25. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
- LG HSN24IPX 2.5 HP inverter split (LG Philippines product page) (opens in a new tab)
Power input 315 ~ 1,850 ~ 2,600 W (min ~ rated ~ max), 6.30 kW rated cooling, EER 3.41. The 2.5 HP planning range on this page is scaled from the 2 HP unit, so it is an estimate. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
- Carrier Aura window units WCARJ010EE (1 HP) and WCARJ014EE (1.5 HP) (Ansons listings) (opens in a new tab)
1 HP: 880 W, CSPF 3.37; 1.5 HP: about 1,120 W. Listing extract: read from search-result summaries because the pages block fetching, so these window figures are treated as estimates. 16 Oct 2026.
- Midea Philippines, “How much electricity does an aircon use in the Philippines?” (opens in a new tab)
Manufacturer table of monthly kWh at 8 h a day; 25 °C recommendation. Published 6 Aug 2026, accessed 16 Oct 2026.
- LBNL / ASEAN Centre for Energy, ASEAN air-conditioner efficiency harmonisation report (opens in a new tab)
ISO 16358 defaults: at 29 °C vs 35 °C outdoors, +7.7% capacity and −8.6% power input; EER rated at 35 °C outdoors / 27 °C indoors; part-load example (1,080 W full vs 432 W half). May 2021.
- CLASP / DOE, “From Informational to Comparative: The New Philippine Energy Label” (opens in a new tab)
Survey of 386 consumers, mostly middle- and high-income: 61% run their aircon more than 6 h a day. Jan 2023.
- Visayan Electric, September 2026 rate announcement (opens in a new tab)
₱14.89/kWh for a 200 kWh home. Posted 26 Sep, updated 28 Sep 2026.
- MECO, average September 2026 rate (opens in a new tab)
₱15.9806/kWh after VAT; generation charge ₱9.7611. Posted 1 Oct 2026.
- CEBECO I, power rates advisory (September 2026 billing) (opens in a new tab)
₱15.24/kWh at 100 kWh. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
- CEBECO III, rate schedule for 2026 (opens in a new tab)
About ₱15.08/kWh at 100 kWh including the meter fee. Posted 9 Oct 2026. CEBECO II (about ₱15.9, Sep 2026) is from the ICSC PRESYO tracker: presyo.icsc.ngo.
- ERC Resolution No. 15, s. 2025 (Amended Net-Metering Rules) (opens in a new tab)
Exports are credited at the utility’s generation charge, not the retail rate. Issued 27 Aug 2025.
- PVGIS 5.3 (European Commission JRC), Cebu City (opens in a new tab)
About 1,367–1,420 kWh per kWp a year; this page uses a cautious 1,350. Run 16 Oct 2026.
- NASA POWER climatology, Cebu City (2001–2025) (opens in a new tab)
Mean air temperature 27.1 °C; about 28.1–28.7 °C in April–May. Accessed 16 Oct 2026.
- Deye SUN-3–6K-SG04LP1 hybrid inverter datasheet (opens in a new tab)
Off-grid peak power: 2× rated for 10 s. File dated 11 Sep 2026.
- Deye SUN-3–6K-SG04LP1 user manual (opens in a new tab)
Air conditioners need at least 2–3 minutes to restart after power returns. File dated 27 Apr 2026.
- Deye SE-G5.1 battery user manual (AS, AF, LATAM), v03 (opens in a new tab)
80% recommended depth of discharge; 50 A maximum per module (about 2.6 kW at 51.2 V). The battery model behind our price is confirmed in your proposal. 18 Mar 2026.
- Daily Tribune, “Visayas grid logs 123 alerts as supply falters” (opens in a new tab)
93 yellow and 30 red alerts, 1 Jan–3 Sep 2026 (NGCP). 3 Sep 2026.
- SunStar, “Power risks persist” (Cebu Energy Summit) (opens in a new tab)
SunStar reports shortages likely through 2027; Energy Secretary Garin: “it will be a 2028”. 12 Oct 2026.
- Philstar, “Visayas grid on extended red alert” (opens in a new tab)
Example red-alert window, 3–8 p.m. on 11 Aug 2026. 12 Aug 2026.
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