Choosing the right air conditioner for your Melbourne home can be an overwhelming whirlpool of misinformation, advertising, cash back offers and brand names. It really doesn’t have to be that complicated!
Melbourne’s weather is difficult enough to deal with, there’s no need to add more difficulty to the process for your home!
Whether you live in Ringwood, Croydon, Kew, Dandenong or even the CBD… it’s easy to get your air conditioning install sorted once you know what to look for.
AIR CONDITIONER TYPES
There are lots of different types of air conditioning units on the market today, but one of the most affordable and effective styles is what’s called a Split System air conditioner. This refers to half the assembly being outside (the outdoor unit on the wall) and the sleek modern indoor component being installed on your living room or bedroom wall.
Split systems also have one more sub-choice on offer, being that you can also opt for a Reverse Cycle split system air conditioner. This allows you to benefit from energy efficient heating AND cooling from just one air conditioning unit. This is incredibly useful in any Melbourne home, as we know how quickly the weather can change here!
We’ll be referring to reverse cycle split systems throughout this blog post as it’s the most affordable and cost effective style of air conditioner for most Melbourne and Eastern Suburbs homes.
LOCATION
Choosing the right location for your new split system air conditioner is one of the most important decisions in the process. Installing the unit in an optimal location will allow for efficient heating and cooling of your room or home, depending on the size of the unit (more on that later). Depending on the shape of the room, you may even be able to install your new split system air conditioner so that it blows warm or cool air into other rooms too.
We can visit your house to discuss the perfect spot for your new split system, and help you decide whether a larger unit is ideal or perhaps consider multiple smaller units throughout your Melbourne home.
SIZE
Split System Air Conditioner sizing refers to the kW (kilowatt) rating of the unit, not its physical dimensions. Although, the higher the kW rating the larger the indoor and outdoor components will be.
It’s important to size your new split system correctly, otherwise the unit will never be able to warm or cool the room effectively. Alternatively if you oversize the unit, you’ll experience intense changes in temperature in close proximity to the unit, for example making it so cold that you can’t sit anywhere near the split system while it’s running.
The other point to consider is cost of purchase, and running cost. Both wasted budgets if the unit is too small or way too big.
Our team of electricians use a manufacturer provided sizing chart to ensure the air conditioner is the right size for your Melbourne home. We even go one step further and consider the orientation of your home, the material it’s built from, and whether your house is shaded or not.
HOT TIP: If your room flows onto other rooms (like your lounge) you may consider slightly oversizing your unit to allow additional warmth or cooling to be produced and help regulate temperatures in adjoining rooms. Be careful when doing this though, as warm or cool air can’t turn around corners like you might hope, leaving you disappointed with a lack of result…
COST
The big consideration is not just cost, but return on investment. Doing electrical work on your home is an investment in convenience, safety and energy efficiency. Overcapitalising on oversized air conditioners in every room doesn’t really help achieve an energy efficient temperature control for your home, so it pays to use an expert (not someone from Gardening in your local hardware store!)
The biggest expense for an air conditioning installation in your Melbourne home is shared between the unit purchase, and then the difficulty of the install. Both of these aspects can be addressed to ensure we work within your budget, to ensure your expectations are met. A larger reverse cycle air conditioner will cost more to buy than a smaller one, ranging from a few hundred dollars upward to $1500 or more depending on size and brand.
The installation aspect of the job can make the cost vary, as our dedicated team of electricians needs to spend more time installing your new air conditioning unit, and probably extra materials too!
WARNING: Don’t get lured into cheap install costs with major outlets. They might be cheap at face vale, but they can charge as high as 400% above standard industry pricing for “unexpected costs” like materials or copper piping (called pair coil).
BEAT THE RUSH
If you’re reading this blog post, perhaps you’re considering how best to heat or cool your Melbourne home! Air conditioning is a seasonal service, meaning although we offer the service all year round, we usually get inundated on the first hot day of summer or the first wet week of winter.
We never charge excess rates like the big hitters in the industry, but we do advise you reach out earlier rather than later so we don’t have to keep you waiting for your new split system air conditioner!
If you’d like to ask any questions about what would suit your Melbourne home best, you can email us or even call directly on 0428 862 963 today!
We’ll happily provide any advice and information that will help you make the right choice for your home.