Considerations When Installing An Air Conditioner
If you're looking to upgrade your home and to make it more comfortable, you might be considering installing an air conditioner. Here are two considerations.
What Type Should You Choose?
Which type of system you install depends on the area you need to cool. A split system design is ideal for open-living plan spaces or single rooms. These models have an indoor and outdoor unit, with refrigerant filled pipes connecting the two, moving heat from inside to outside. Alternatively, to regulate the temperature in several rooms, you could install a multi-split system which has one outdoor unit, connecting to several indoor ones.
If you wish to cool your entire home, a ductless system is an excellent option. Each room would have an air vent connected to a duct system that transports the cooled air throughout. A central control unit allows for regulation and control of the air travelling to the different openings.
Two scaled-down residential air conditioning options are perfect for single rooms or open living spaces. A single box unit fits within an external window or wall, without the need for an additional outdoor unit. You could use a portable air conditioning unit if you want an alternative that you can move from room to room or take with you if you relocate out of your current home.
Do You Need Heating As Well?
An air conditioner cools your home, but it can also heat it. Reverse cycle split systems do both. In cooling mode, the unit absorbs heat from inside your home and transports it to the outdoor unit. When you switch to heating mode, the system reverses the process, absorbing heat from the outside air and relocating it inside.
The refrigerant provides the key to how this works, absorbing and releasing warmth as needed. When cooling a room, the unit sucks in air from vents (typically underneath) and pushes this warm air across the pipes full of cold refrigerant. The coolant liquid absorbs the heat from the air passing across the pipes, and the air then flows back into the room minus this heat. The warm refrigerant then flows to the outside unit, where it releases its heat. The opposite happens when you switch the system to heating mode; the unit transfers heat from the outdoors to your home. Because reverse cycles absorb and relocates heat rather than generating it by using fuel, they provide an efficient form of heating and cooling.
Speak to a residential air conditioning professional to learn more about the options available to you.