What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Each System?
Some readers who are old enough may remember some of the big WWF set piece wrestling matches from the 90s – Hulk Hogan versus The Undertaker or something similar; or maybe Bruno versus Tyson in boxing? This is the sort of thing we are discussing when writing about Fujitsu versus Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning: a head-to-head comparison between two of the giants in the industry.
Both manufacturers have a reputation for making some fantastic systems, so which option is best for your building? Here we’ll give an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of both in different areas of performance, before giving our own opinion.
What Is The Quality And Reliability Like?
Fujitsu and Mitsubishi Electric are both market leading brands for quality. Like for like, there isn’t much in it, although many users will still say that Mitsubishi Electric has an edge over Fujitsu. However, both manufacturers have differing areas of competence. As we are focusing on commercial air conditioning systems, Mitsubishi Electric always usually comes out on top. Mitsubishi Electric systems are simply better quality machines, having better build quality and using superior components designed to meet the requirements of larger buildings, and this is reflected in the technologies they use. Fujitsu, on the other hand are OK and will do the job but will need replacing well before a Mitsubishi Electric system.
Commercial facilities managers usually find that a Mitsubishi system requires fewer part replacements and less maintenance than a Fujitsu, which can add up to significant savings over the life-cycle of the system.
What Are The Differences In Prices?
Fujitsu are hard to beat on price, which is why many businesses are attracted to these systems. Mitsubishi Electric are high-end air conditioning systems and come with a commensurately higher price tag. This reflects Mitsubishi Electric’s increased reliability, performance rating and investment in new technologies. Many businesses go for a Fujitsu because of budget restraints, which may be logical insofar as upfront costs are concerned. However, over the life-cycle of a system – say 10 to 20 to 30 years – you may end up paying more for a Fujitsu than a Mitsubishi Electric, due to the Mitsubishi Electric’s superior build and technological advantage and Fujitsu’s increased maintenance requirements.
Which System Performs Better?
In recent years, Mitsubishi Electric have edged further and further away from Fujitsu in terms of performance. Fujitsu’s domestic and small building air conditioning systems are still extremely energy efficient and cost-effective, but this starts to break down with larger buildings. So for larger offices, schools, libraries and public buildings, a Mitsubishi Electric system will work harder, and cost you less money for doing so.
How Has The Technology Improved?
It is fair to say that both Japanese manufacturers have invested in new air conditioning technologies over the past five years. These include more eco-friendly refrigerants, inverter technologies and smart phone-based environmental control apps. We have used Mitsubishi Electric’s MELCloud smart phone app extensively for remote air conditioning control, and it is excellent and user-friendly. Fujitsu’s FGLair smartphone app is also perfectly compatible with their systems.
Who Really Has The Best System?
Having worked with both Fujitsu and Mitsubishi systems for many years, our opinion is that Mitsubishi Electric offers the best value overall. This isn’t to say that Fujitsu systems aren’t any good, but Mitsubishi’s reputation for innovation and reliability provide a higher level of value over the life-cycle of a commercial system than their Fujitsu competitors.
Your choice of A/C system will ultimately depend on the nature of your building and your cooling requirements. To get the best value for a system it is really important that you have it professionally installed and then regularly maintained, and this is where having a company such as ACE Services on your side can be a real advantage.