Air conditioners are not more than 100% efficient; in fact, no machine can achieve greater than 100% efficiency according to the laws of thermodynamics. It would violate the principle of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.
The efficiency of an air conditioner refers to how well it converts electrical energy into cooling output. The cooling efficiency of an air conditioner is typically measured using the coefficient of performance (COP), which is the ratio of cooling output (in British Thermal Units or BTUs) to the energy input (in watt-hours).
The COP of an air conditioner can be greater than 1, which means it produces more cooling output (in BTUs) than the electrical energy it consumes (in watt-hours). For example, a COP of 3 means that the air conditioner produces 3 BTUs of cooling for every 1 watt-hour of electricity it consumes. This is what makes air conditioners energy-efficient.
However, it's crucial to understand that the COP only considers the cooling output and the electrical energy input. It does not take into account the energy losses that occur in the system due to factors like friction, heat transfer, and inefficiencies in the components. Therefore, while an air conditioner can have a COP greater than 1, it can never have an efficiency greater than 100% when considering the entire system.
In practical terms, highly efficient air conditioners with modern technologies can achieve COP values of 3 or more, indicating that they can provide three times more cooling output than the electrical energy they consume. This results in significant energy savings and a more environmentally friendly operation.