Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a room air conditioner and a split system?

A room air conditioner is your traditional form of air conditioning where the compressor and fan are together in one box. These units are generally installed into a window or wall. A split system comprises of two units - the outdoor condenser and compressor, and the indoor unit which houses the evaporator fan. These units are connected by refrigeration pipes. The design of a split system allows the unit to be very quiet, in operation, and generally more efficient on electricity use.

What are the benefits of a ducted system over a split system?

A ducted system is designed to air condition more than one room within your home. The indoor fan coil unit is situated manually in the ceiling space and is connected to the outdoor condensing unit. Individual outlets are situated in each room with the air conditioning controlled by a central controller. Unlike the ducted system, the split system is primarily designed to air condition only one room. If you are looking to air condition the whole house then you should consider a ducted system.

What is zoning in a ducted system?

Zoning allows you to turn on and off the air conditioning in certain areas of the house. This is done through the use of zone controls in the ductwork in the ceiling space. For example, a two-storey house may have an upstairs and downstairs zone, commonly called a day night zone. A larger house may have four or five zones, and depending on the size of the air conditioning, there may be a restriction to how many zones can operate at any one time.

How are the air conditioning units controlled?

Some air conditioning systems are controlled manually, others by infra-red remote control. Split systems, for example, have an infra-red remote control with functions to control temperature settings, timers and humidity levels. Ducted systems are controlled generally through a centrally located wall mounted controller. This unit controls temperature settings, fan speeds, humidity levels and timer functions.

What size unit is required for my house?

The answer to this question is difficult without viewing at least plans of your home. Ideally an on site visit is required. The size of the air conditioner is related to several determining factors - the size or the area to air condition, the aspect of the premises, large amounts of glass and the heat load generated from the number of people (as in the case of a restaurant) or the number of computers and so on. As a general rule, 145 watts per square meter is required to provide year round comfort conditions.

How much does it cost to run?

Reverse cycle air conditioning is the most energy efficient method of heating or cooling your home. Running costs are strongly influenced by how long the air conditioner is running. Therefore, an undersized air conditioning system will be significantly more expensive to operate than one that is correctly selected. At the current cost of electricity (13 cents per kw hour), an average five horse power unit with 5.5 kw power input, would cost approximately 71.5 cents per hour running non stop.