Thinking about getting a new air conditioner before Summer starts to heat up? If so, what points should you consider before making a decision? What size unit? What type of unit? Where should you install it? Let us help you decide on the best air conditioning installation for you.

What size air conditioning unit should you install?

This is an important thing to consider. If you install an air conditioner that is too small, you will never get your room as cool as you like and the unit will be working harder than it was designed to, therefore wasting energy. If it's too large, then you will have wasted money on the purchase price and have a unit that is overpowered.

Air conditioners are generally measured by the amount of kW (kilowatts) of power they output. So you need to measure the room you want to cool and work out how many square metres the room footprint is. Then you can use this simple formula to work out how many kW you need:

  • Bedroom - .08kW per square metre (so a 16m² bedroom will need approximately 1.28kW of air conditioning)
  • Living Area - .125kW per square metre (so a 30m² living room will need around 3.75kW of air conditioning).

What type of air conditioner should you install?

You have several types to choose from and it basically comes down to how many rooms you need to cool and how much you want to spend. The choices are:

  • Window Units - these are the cheapest and you need 1 per room. These are generally not as efficient as the other types and can be noisier due to the compressor being part of the unit.
  • Split System - these are the most common and have the compressor located outside somewhere and then compressed refrigerant gas running to a fan (head unit) in the room. Good for 1 room (or adjoining rooms) and quieter than window units due to the compressor being outside.
  • Multi Split System - exactly the same as the split system, except the compressor runs multiple head units (fans) in different rooms. Great for cooling several rooms at once and as with the single split, quieter than window units.
  • Dusted System - this is where the compressor and fan unit sits outside and pumps cool air throughout your building with ducting that is generally located in the ceiling cavity. This is the ideal way to cool many rooms and is by far the quietest as all moving parts are located outside. Is the most expensive to install, though.

So there you have it. If you want to cool multiple rooms and the price isn't so important, we recommend ducted. If you only want to cool one or two rooms and keep the price down, then a split system gets our vote.

Where should you locate the air conditioner?

With split and ducted air conditioning units, you need to decide where to locate the external compressor (and fan for ducted) and the internal head units or ducts.

With the external unit, you need to consider both noise and distance/access to the areas you are cooling. If the unit is too close to a window or door, you will hear it running. Similarly, if you locate it too far away from the areas you want to cool, your installation costs will increase due to additional ducting/piping.

With the internal unit, it is best to locate it as high as possible so the cold air will settle. It is also more efficient if it is located on the side of the room that gets no sun.

What does reverse cycle and inverter mean?

Reverse cycle simply means that the unit can both heat and cool. So if you don't like the cold, this is the best option as it is one of the most efficient ways to warm a room.

Inverter system means that the unit constantly alters the fan and compressor speeds so it doesn't have to switch on and off to keep a constant temperature. This means that not only does it cool your room faster, but is more energy efficient (compressors draw the most power when switching on).

How energy-efficient is the air conditioning system?

Air Conditioner efficiency is measured through a star rating. This used to be 6-Star but now goes all the way up to 10 stars (with the highest number being the most efficient). So to compare similar size units, you just need to compare their star rating to work out which is more efficient.

Air conditioning installation

Air Conditioners are generally put on their own electrical circuit (unless it's a single, small unit). So if you haven't already got a spare circuit, this will need to be factored into the installation cost.

Lastly, if your air conditioning installation isn't completed by someone with the appropriate licenses, you will void the warranty. So be careful thinking you can do it yourself or use a mate. If you want to know more, feel free to contact us .