Air Conditioning Options For Your Home
Air conditioning for your home has sometimes been seen as a luxury product, but with rising gas prices and environmental concerns over the impact of gas, could air conditioned homes become the norm?
In this post we look at the pro’s and con’s of air conditioning and which air conditioning system could be right for you.
What Are The Different Types of Air Conditioners Available to Heat & Cool Your Home?
Portable
The simplest air conditioning unit is a portable air conditioning unit. This option is usually an all-in-one box that is typically around the same size as a large suit case. You simply plug it into a wall socket and can operate anywhere in the home. It is easy to move from room to room as required.
With a portable unit you will also need to the following:
1. Place a duct out a window to expel the resultant warm air to the outside.
2. Regularly empty the water that is collected within the unit reserve.
3. Clean the filter of the build up of dust and dirt.
Advantages of Portable Air Conditioning
Portable and can be moved from room to room.
No installation costs.
Cheaper to buy.
Disadvantages of Portable Air Conditioning
Higher running costs
Noisier
Need an open window which could cause a security risk
Not as efficient
Installed Single Room Air Conditioning
Wall Mounted units have two parts and need to be installed by one of our engineers. There is an external fan unit that is usually located on the outside wall of the house and is connected to the indoor unit that delivers the cool air to the room.
The are a number of different configurations for the internal unit depending on the room or area you are looking to cool.
High level wall mounted bulkhead unit. This is a the most common and recognisable options for home installs.
Low level units. These are fixed to the wall at floor level and look like a standard radiator.
Ceiling cassettes or ducts. This option is more discrete as it is usually fitted flush in the ceiling or wall of the area to be heated or cooled.
This single room system is great for heating or cooling small area’s such as loft conversions, garages, conservatories or home offices.
Installed Split Air Conditioning System
This takes air conditioning to the next level for larger rooms or whole house set ups. In its simplest form two internal units can be linked to one external fan. This can heat or cool a larger area or 2 separate rooms that don’t need individual temperature controls.
Installed Multi Split Air Conditioning System
For more control you may need to look at multi-split air conditioning units. One outdoor unit can have up to around 10 indoor units connected to it. Each indoor unit can be individually controlled. This is useful in a home where you want cooling in the office and a bedroom during the day but later on you need cooling in the lounge and different bedrooms. These systems cannot however heat some rooms and cool others at the same time. They must be in the same mode, so either all heating or all cooling
Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems
In larger properties and complex properties we can use Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems that can have more than 10 indoor units connected to them.
They can also offer heating or cooling simultaneously. A Hydro-Box can also be added so that the system can operate as an air-to-water heat pump and heat the hot water for showers and washing as well as central heating through underfloor heating or convection radiators.
Some brands have also introduced ‘heat recovery’ systems to the VRF units so that you can then cool your room and heat your water with the resultant heat.
In our experience there is no one single solution for your home, but a combination of heating, cooling, insulation, switching to low energy products and solar panels works best.
The costs to purchase and install an air conditioning unit in your home will vary according to the manufacturer of the equipment and the layout of your home.