Selecting a ducted air conditioning system is one of the most important choices you can make to enhance the comfort in your home over the long term. If the wrong system size, zoning or efficiency rating are used, running costs will be higher, temperature control will not be consistent and wear will be accelerated. This guide will provide a few of the necessities you must look at when picking ducted air conditioning for your house.
Considerations when selecting ducted air conditioning for a home
Matching system capacity to home size
When you install your ducted air conditioning system you take into account a number of factors such as capacity, among others. A system that is oversized or undersized will consume and create icing up energy during the summer and winter months, will not be efficient and result in excessive compressor wear and tear when in operation. Some capacity factors that need to be considered when choosing a ducted system for the house are:
- Square meterage assessment: Determine what the floor area of the dwelling is and compare the system’s capacity of a number of kilowatts to the recommended square area for that kilowatt capacity.
- Ceiling height impact: Takes into account ceilings higher than normal which expand the air volume within each room and need more system capacity to condition properly.
- Insulation and window quality: The conditioned air retained within the home for poor insulation and having large windows without shade adds to the load on the system.
- Professional load calculation: Using a trained installer to perform a correct load calculation instead of basing capacity on square footage only.
Understanding zoning options and layout planning
Zoning lets each part of the house be heated and cooled separately, saving energy and increasing comfort within the different uses and schedules of the home. The careful planning of zone layout prior to installation assures the system provides comfort to the target zone when and where it is required. Factors for zoning to plan for selection of ducted air conditioning are:
- Number of zones required: Determine and define the number of separate zones, in and around the house, that require a different temperature throughout the day including living areas, bedrooms, and work areas.
- Bedroom versus living area separation: separating bedrooms from living areas to provide the bedrooms with a cooler overnight set point, which can be set independently from daytime living areas.
- Unoccupied room management: The layout of the zone should be designed so that rooms not often used such as guest rooms and formal dining rooms can be turned off without impacting the remainder of the zone.
- Zone controller placement: The controller for each zone should be installed in a convenient, central position in the house, with the convenience of unhindered adjustment.
Evaluating energy efficiency ratings
Every summer and winter, the efficiency of a ducted air conditioning system has a direct impact on the running costs of the system. For any given type of system, comparing star ratings or energy efficiency ratings helps to determine which ones provide the greatest amount of energy output for a given amount of electricity. When deciding on a ducted system to install, considerations to take into account include:
- Star rating comparison: The higher the star rating the lower the amount of annual electricity used, so shop around for a system that is as star rated as you can afford.
- Inverter technology inclusion: Selection of the inverter compressor system, to better save energy by reducing fully on/off operation and making output modulation of the system.
- Government rebate eligibility: verifying if the chosen system is eligible for any state and/or federal energy efficiency rebates to lower the installation cost.
Summary
The key things to consider when picking an air conditioning system for a dwelling are formulating a befitting sized system, creating an effective zone layout, and choosing a unit that has good energy-efficientity characteristics. Considering these three things from the outset results in a comfortable system, running costs that are easily managed and a lasting system for years to come.
