Air conditioning choices made easy.
With such a large range of air conditioners available, choosing the one that suits you can be daunting. We break it down for you.
Simple Air Conditioner Choices
- Room size: Match the power of an air conditioner to the room size.
- Air Conditioning Type: Choose from central ducted, window units, split systems and portable.
- Filters: Prevent bacteria and allergens from being recycled through the room.
Room Size vs. Air Conditioner Capacity
Match the air conditioning unit to the size of the room it's cooling. As a rule of thumb, the bigger the room, the more powerful an air conditioner will have to be to cool it:
- Underpowered air conditioners will have to work harder, wasting energy
- Overpowered air conditioners are an unnecessary expense
How Much Capacity Will I Need?
Air conditioners are rated by BTU (British Thermal Unit) and power output, in kilowatts (kW). To work out the approximate sized air con you'll need, apply this simple formula:
- Bedroom: 80 watts (0.080kW) per square metre (length by width). For example, a 16m² bedroom should need around 1.28kW of air conditioning
- Living room: 125 watts (0.125kW) per square metre. For example, a 30m² living room should require around 3.75kW
- Proximity to the kitchen and appliances increases a room's required cooling
Which Type of Air Conditioner?
- Ducted Air Conditioners: Cool multiple rooms through a large cooling fan, which sits outside and pumps cool air around the building through ducts, which are housed in the ceiling cavity.
- Window units: Mounted through a window or a wall. These are excellent for small rooms.
- Split system: The cooling unit is installed outside, with the fans mounted inside. Split systems are suited to cooling one or more adjoining rooms.
- Multi-split system: Utilising one outdoor unit, with multiple fan units inside to distribute the cool air throughout the house.
- Portable: Small, light and can be moved from room to room. They have a low power output, suited to small spaces –- apartments and renters.
- Evaporative coolers: Appear like cheaper versions of portable air conditioners, but do not use refrigerant technology. They work by drawing air past a special water-cooled filter system.
Technical Terms You Should Know
- Reverse cycle: The air conditioner internally reverses its operation to provide heating or cooling, as required.
- Inverter system: Constantly alters fan and motor speeds. This enables faster cooling of a room, and the air conditioner doesn't have to switch itself on and off to maintain a constant temperature.
Energy Efficiency
Check the energy efficiency labels. Cooling-only air conditioners have one blue band of stars to display energy consumption. Reverse cycle has two bands of stars -- blue to indicate consumption during cooling and red for heating.
- Manufacturers of inverter systems claim that they are 30 per cent more efficient during partial load.
- Is It Noisy? If you're considering an outdoor air conditioning unit, check the relevant noise level regulations.
- Are Filters Necessary? Yes. Good air conditioning units will use filters to prevent bacteria and allergens being recycled through the room.
- It's important to clean the filter every few weeks.
- Some units have an indicator to show when the filter needs changing.
Positioning Is Important
- Avoid positioning the air conditioning unit on the side of the house that gets the most sun; this will cause it to be less efficient.
- For efficient cooling, mount the unit high in the room -- cool air sinks.
Installation
Do not attempt to install a split or ducted system without holding the appropriate licenses. This will also void you warranty.
