The best air conditioner for your home depends on multiple factors, including the size of your room and the number of people in the house. Not sure what to look for? Then take a closer look at our ducted AC buying guide below. We’ve covered everything that you need to know before making an educated decision when it comes time to invest in a new cooling solution for your home.
Air conditioning units can be deceptively complex devices, requiring homeowners to make several decisions about the type of cooling system that they want, as well as how many vents will be needed around their house or apartment. One critical consideration is whether or not you hire professionals to help install your system. And if you have a big house to cool, here are a few helpful tips to aid you in choosing the right ducted air conditioning Sydney for your home.
Understanding how much power you need
When purchasing an air conditioner, most people don’t understand what all those numbers on the yellow sticker mean. It can be very confusing! Here are some simple guidelines so you know exactly what to look for when comparing air conditioning power ratings.
How much power do you need?
The first thing that you should know is that your air conditioner needs to cool a specific amount of space, not a specific number of rooms. Typically, efficient air conditioners can cool around 500-700 square feet. The size of the actual unit will vary depending on how powerful it is, but you need to know how big the space can cool.
Calculating the power neededÂ
Ducted air conditioners need to run at half capacity or they will not operate efficiently. In other words, your AC unit is typically twice as efficient when it is only cooling half of the space in your house. For example, a 5-ton unit is capable of cooling 1,000 square feet. You would need to buy a 10-ton unit for 2,000 square feet.
Size Matters
It’s not just size that matters; it’s also how well it performs that matters too. The size of an air conditioning unit simply refers to its capacity to cool a certain amount of space. Larger homes need more powerful units, smaller homes need less powerful units. Ducted air conditioners, as the name suggests, have a duct that is used to bring cooled air into different areas of the home. So the size and power of your unit will depend on how far apart these vents are from each other, as well as how big or small your rooms are.
Compressor Location
You can’t just plonk your new air conditioner into the corner and call it good. Your unit needs correct ventilation so that heat released by the compressor doesn’t build up inside the unit itself. So before you choose your spot, think about where the vents should be.
Location of Vents
Generally speaking, the closer the vents are to each other, the more powerful your unit needs to be. Rule of thumb: for every foot between vents, you need another ton to cool that area. For example, if you have ten feet between vents, you’ll need at least a five-ton unit.
Ducted Units Are Expensive But They Cool Your Home Faster
The simple fact is ducted units are much more expensive than split system air conditioners because they have larger coils which allow them to transfer large amounts of heat quickly (cooling capacity). This means that they can cool your home faster. On the other hand, if you have a smaller house, a split-system unit is more than enough and will save you thousands in the long run.
Pay Attention To The Details
There are many brands and companies to choose from in this ever-growing market. Always do your research and read reviews about the company or brand before buying their products. You want to make sure that whatever brand you decide on has been around for a while (since it’s not often easy to find trustworthy customer reviews) and has positive feedback from existing customers.
