1 HP Air Conditioner in Israel: Which Model to Buy and the Cost Installed

The short answer: a room of up to about 13 m² on a mid-level floor, up to about 12 m² on a top floor, and up to about 11 m² on a top floor with a large sunny window.

The calculation is based on about ⁦650 BTU⁩ per m², the same basis used by the calculator on our site, with these additions:

• Shaded mid-level floor: 9,000 ÷ 650 = about 13.8 m².
• Top floor (15% extra): about 12 m².
• Top floor and west-facing window (25% extra): about 11 m².
• Top floor, sun and ceiling above 2.8 m (35% extra): about 10 m².

In practice, most bedrooms and kids’ rooms in Israeli apartments are ⁦9–13⁩ m², so a bedroom AC in most homes is 1 HP. A ⁦9–10⁩ m² mamad (reinforced safe room) almost always does fine with 1 HP, despite limited airflow.

If your room is on the borderline, check the BTU on the spec sheet, not just the label. Among the models we checked, the Tadiran Air One INV 140 delivers ⁦9,840 BTU⁩ and the Tadiran Solo 140 INV delivers ⁦8,530 BTU⁩. The difference of about ⁦1,300 BTU⁩ is worth about 2 m². For a ⁦14–16⁩ m² room, go to our 1.5 HP air conditioner guide, which also covers 1.25 HP.

In a bedroom, the indoor unit’s noise matters more than a few hundred BTU, but most stores don’t publish it, so you need to ask for the spec sheet.

What we found on the product pages:

• Mitsubishi SRK25ZSP: a full table, ⁦23 dB⁩ at the lowest speed and ⁦45 dB⁩ at the highest.
• Electra Platinum INV 150: ⁦37 dB⁩ at high speed. That’s a good figure, since most ACs are louder at high speed.
• Tadiran Air One INV 140, Solo 140 and Electra Relax 140: no noise figure on the store page.

To sleep quietly with any AC:

• Sleep mode: per the user manuals we checked, the mode gradually changes the temperature during the night. That way the AC works less and more quietly. The remote symbols are explained in our Tadiran AC remote symbols guide.
• Low fan speed: in automatic mode the fan speed rises to high when the room is warm. If the noise bothers you, set low speed manually.
• Placement: don’t install the indoor unit above the bed, so the airflow doesn’t blow straight at your head. Place the outdoor unit away from your bedroom window and the neighbors’ windows.
• Clean filters: a clogged filter forces the fan to work harder. Tadiran recommends cleaning the filter every 250 operating hours, i.e. about once a month in summer with nightly use. The full explanation is in our AC cleaning guide.

Both brands have a basic series at about ₪⁦1,000–1,450⁩ and an efficient series at about ₪⁦1,750–2,050.⁩ The difference between series is bigger than the difference between brands.

What the specs of the models we checked say:

• Tadiran 1 HP (Air One INV 140): the strongest cooling (⁦9,840 BTU⁩) and SEER 6.9, but SCOP of only 3.8. It suits anyone who uses the AC mainly for cooling.
• Tadiran Solo 140 INV: less BTU, but a wide inverter range suited to a small room, and SCOP 4.1.
• Electra 1 HP (Relax Inverter 140): the cheapest, with ⁦11,020 BTU⁩ heating, more than its cooling, and SCOP 4.52. It suits a room that also needs good heating on a low budget.
• Electra Platinum INV 150: the most efficient on both measures (SEER 7.3, SCOP 5.1), with R32 refrigerant and a published noise figure.

Warranty: on the store pages we saw a 5-year badge on the Air One and Solo, and one year on the Relax 140 and Platinum 150. Per Tadiran, you only get the extra warranty years if you register them within 60 days of purchase. A full comparison between the series is in our Tadiran vs Electra air conditioner guide.

In most cases, a 1 HP AC with standard installation costs about ₪⁦1,800–3,300⁩: about ₪⁦990–2,000⁩ for the AC plus about ₪⁦800–1,400⁩ for installation.

According to the professional price list on pro.co.il (an Israeli contractors’ site), installing a wall-mounted AC up to 1.5 HP costs about ₪⁦800–1,400⁩ including VAT, and includes up to 3 meters (10 ft) of copper piping. What makes installation more expensive:

• Extra piping: about ₪⁦120–140⁩ per extra meter per pro.co.il, or ₪⁦100–200⁩ per meter per Tadiran.
• Drilling through a concrete wall: about ₪⁦300–400,⁩ and in a mamad or thick wall about ₪⁦600–900.⁩
• Dedicated electrical outlet: about ₪⁦300–1,000⁩ per Tadiran, if there’s no suitable outlet near the AC.
• Removing an old AC: a few hundred shekels. Some installers don’t take away the old unit, so ask in advance.
• Crane: about ₪250 per hour, when there’s no access to the outdoor unit.

When you see a “1 HP AC including installation” deal, ask in writing what’s included: how many meters of piping, whether there’s drilling and an outlet, and whether the price includes removing and disposing of the old AC. Full price details are in our AC installation cost guide.

When the room is larger than 13 m², sits under the roof, or faces west without shading. In these cases the price difference is small and the comfort difference is large.

In stores we saw 1.25 HP models like the Electra Relax INV 170 (⁦12,355 BTU⁩) at ₪1,250 and the Tadiran Air One INV 180 (⁦12,180 BTU⁩) at ₪1,656. For the Relax, the difference from the same series’ 1 HP model is about ₪260, and for the Air One about ₪220. For that you get about ⁦2,500–3,000⁩ extra BTU, i.e. about 4 m² more coverage.

On the other hand, an oversized AC in a small room isn’t an advantage. With an inverter the problem is smaller, since the compressor drops to low output, but a big AC reaches temperature quickly and removes less humidity. In a ⁦9–10⁩ m² room, 1 HP is enough even on a top floor.

A practical rule: a room up to 11 m² always takes 1 HP. A ⁦12–13⁩ m² room takes 1 HP on a mid-level floor, and 1.25 HP on a top floor or with sun exposure. From 14 m² up, choose ⁦1.25–1.5⁩ HP.

At full power, a 1 HP AC draws about ⁦0.85 kW⁩, i.e. about 54 agorot per hour at the rate of 63.52 agorot per kWh including VAT (the residential rate from July 1, 2026). In practice, an inverter runs at lower output most of the night.

The ⁦0.85 kW⁩ cooling figure is taken from the Electra Relax Inverter 140 spec sheet. An 8-hour night at full power would cost about ₪4.3, but once the room has cooled, an inverter AC drops to partial output. So the actual cost is lower and depends on insulation, the temperature you set and the heat outside. The explanation of the difference between an inverter and an old AC is in our inverter AC guide.

On the electrical side, most 1 HP models are single-phase and work with a 10-amp breaker. That’s what appears on the specs of the Air One INV 140, Solo 140 and Relax 140. (Israel runs on 230V/50Hz.) If the AC plugs into a regular outlet, make sure the outlet isn’t shared with a heavy appliance like an electric radiator. If in doubt, call an electrician before installation.