Looking to purchase an air conditioning solution for your home in Blacktown? You will no doubt be faced with a multitude of choices when it comes to choosing the right air conditioner for your home or workplace. There are two main categories of air conditioners to choose from: split-system or ducted air conditioning. Knowing which system is best for your needs will require you to understand the key differences between ducted and split system models, and the features and benefits of each. Here is some terminology that will assist you develop your understanding of the options available:
Air conditioning systems that provide both cooling and heating functions are referred to as reverse cycle. Both ducted and split system air conditioners can offer reverse cycle functions, providing you with greater versatility and functionality all year round. To cool your room, your air-conditioner will pull warm air from the room, cool the air, and blow it back into the room, whilst the heat is released via the outdoor unit. This process is simply reversed to warm a room, with reverse cycle air conditioners pulling in warm air from outside (even in extremely cold outdoor temperatures there is still heat energy that can be pulled in). The superior efficiency of reverse cycle air conditioners makes them a more cost-effective option than electric or gas heating options.
Inverter is another term you will notice on many of the models you come across when seeking to buy an air conditioning unit for your Blacktown home. Inverter technology is another feature of your air conditioning unit which will enable greater energy efficiency and hence greater economical performance. The speed of the compressor (the part of your unit that sits outside of the house) is variable in inverter air conditioners, enabling the unit to vary its power usage depending on the demand. For example, an inverter system that normally runs at 10kW might be able to run at 12kW when first switched on during a hot day to rapidly cool your home, then once the preferred temperature is achieved, the unit may remain on, however use less power, perhaps 3kW, to simply maintain the temperature.
An air conditioning unit that is non-inverter either runs at full power or switches off. For example, a 10kW non-inverter system would run at 10kW to begin to cool down your house, however it would then switch completely off once the preferred temperature was reached and automatically switch back on when it needed to start cooling again. Having the unit switch on and off frequently creates more wear and tear and utilises a lot of energy, making a non-inverter system a commonly more expensive unit to run.
An outdoor unit is a component of your air conditioner whether you elect a ducted or split system air-conditioning option. The outdoor unit is a box attached to the outside of your home or workplace, it contains the compressor, propeller fan, circuit board and heat exchange coil. From its external location, it pumps refrigerant to and from the indoor unit it is connected to. This outdoor box is also commonly known as the ‘condenser’, ’heat exchanger’ or simply the ‘compressor’.
If you are seeking an all-year round solution for ultimate comfort in both winter and summer, ducted air conditioning may be your perfect choice. Covering a much larger area, a ducted system can distribute cooling or heating at ideal temperatures all throughout your entire Blacktown home or business. Again, a ducted system features an outdoor unit, however its companion indoor unit is centrally located and connects to a network of vents or ducts that may be positioned in the floor, walls, or roof of your building. Regardless of the location of the duct grills, they can be flawlessly incorporated into your interior styling due to the vast range of designs available. Ducted air conditioning is ideal for bedrooms or boardrooms as it is the quietest of all the air conditioning options available.
The beauty of a ducted system is the ability to establish separate temperature ‘zones’, so that you can heat or cool different areas of your Blacktown home to different temperatures. For example, vacant rooms may be switched off, sleeping quarters can be cooled to optimal sleeping temperatures, whilst a living room is cooled to a greater or lesser extent in accordance with the desires of those still awake in the living space. To ensure there are no hot or cold air pockets in a room, the air distribution ducts feature advanced sensors, ensuring even distribution of air throughout each zone.
At Globalrez, our Blacktown team can supply and install a broad range of ducted aircon units suitable for both homes and businesses.
As the name may imply, a split system air conditioning unit is split, with an indoor unit (featuring a fan, remote receiver etc) linked to an outdoor unit (featuring the compressor, propellor fan etc). In larger homes or offices, an outdoor unit may be connected to multiple indoor units, and these systems are called multi-split or multi-head systems.
Inverter technology, enabling greater energy efficiency, is a feature of most split system air conditioners, however you may wish to check as this is not always the case. Each indoor unit is usually designed to cool one room only, however a powerful model may be able to effectively cool a larger open plan space within your home. Split system air conditioners are a popular choice for Australian homes. Purchasing a split system unit is a smaller investment than a ducted option, however they are generally not as powerful or effective.
For Split System Air Conditioning Blacktown, our team are available to chat with you if you need help determining if an inverter or non-inverter air conditioner is the best option for your circumstances and budget.
Portable air conditioners are less efficient in their cooling technology as they work with a single duct that connects to a window to vent heat from the room. Air is drawn from the room via the duct and vented outside. This creates an air pressure reduction, meaning more hot air is drawn into the room from other areas of the house. In working much harder to cool your space, a portable unit will be far more expensive for you to operate and will not feature an energy star rating. A portable unit may effectively cool a person in one part of the room but will not efficiently or consistently cool the entire room. It is due to this lack of performance and increased energy usage that we do not recommend or sell portable units.
Due to the varied options available to you, it can be quite difficult to determine the optimal air conditioner for your Blacktown home or business. Using an online estimator may assist you in your decision making, however some estimators are a little too simplistic, so it is great to understand what factors you need to take into consideration for your estimation. Some estimators will use general calculations based on room size – for example, a room of up to 20m² is estimated to require 2-2.5kW of power, or a large room of 40–60m² is estimated to need 4-6kW of power. Whilst room size unquestionably is a big determinant on what type and size of air conditioning unit you will need, it is necessary to factor in more than just the floor size. The total volume of your room is of greater significance, and understandably a room with a high ceiling will take more effort and energy to cool. Hence wall height needs to be factored into your estimation along with:
Whilst it can be tempting to choose the most powerful air-conditioner available, or simply opt for a higher model than your estimator suggests, unfortunately this does not always guarantee that you end up with the optimal solution for your space. A large air conditioner can not only cost you more than necessary to run, but it can also be detrimental to the quality of heating or cooling achieved. It may not dehumidify or dry the air enough, the automatic systems may turn on and off so frequently that it causes damage, and it can also leave your room too hot or too cold. It can be much the same if the unit you select is too small for your room, it will be overworked causing additional wear and tear and increase operational costs. Additionally, units that are too small can also dry your home’s air too much.
Seeking a professional recommendation from one of our Blacktown team members is a great way to ensure the unit you choose is a good fit for your property. To ensure your chosen option fits within your budget, contact our Globalrez team for a free quote over the phone or online here.
In Blacktown, there are many brands to choose from, and most of the big names make dozens of models, so it can seem impossible to compare between them. Mitsubishi, Haier, and Samsung on average are some of the most economical and environmentally friendly on the market. Mitsubishi is also often a favourite among consumer groups such as CHOICE, and Fujitsu is one of the most popular brands in air conditioning in Australia. ActronAir is well regarded as it is Australian-owned and their products are Australian-made, and Daikin – although it now has overseas ownership – still offers Australian-made air conditioners.
Most of these brands offer quality products, and it is a matter of watching out for any special sales or cash back offers to find the best value among them. Generally these companies will have similar models in similar price brackets, although you might have to be careful when looking out for particular features. For example, if you want an air conditioner that adjusts the temperature based on whether it senses people and movement you will have to look for different names with different brands – for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries it’s Eco Operation; for Haier it’s Eco-pilot; and for Daikin it’s Intelligent Eye.
You can expect to pay at least $1000 for a split system air conditioner, ranging up to closer to $4000 for multi-head systems. To get ducted you will probably be looking at $6000 minimum, but likely significantly more in larger properties. Obviously the initial cost is only part of the expense of owning an air conditioner, so it’s worth looking into the efficiency of the models you are considering. Comparing split systems is often relatively straight-forward using the energy star rating system, but because ducted systems will be different in every house you’ll have to ask an installer to get a better idea of the running cost for your home.
Most air conditioning manufacturers recommend regular servicing – twice a year, at the start of summer and the start of winter. Regular servicing and maintenance ensure your air conditioner runs at maximum efficiency, extending its lifetime as well as keeping operating costs at a minimum.
Regular servicing through Globalrez will also mean that your unit located in Blacktown will qualify for the full warranty of up to ten years, rather than just the standard one-year manufacturer’s warranty.
A comprehensive service involves more than just cleaning filters, it’s a full service of all the indoor and outdoor components, as well as comprehensive testing to ensure all components are running at full capacity. A service includes duct cleaning – a cleaning of the supply and return air ducts and registers, grills and diffusers, heat exchangers, heating and cooling coils, fan motor and fan housing, and the air handling unit housing
Not quite what you were looking for? Check out Air Conditioning Bondi or Air Conditioning Belrose or view all of our locations.
Blacktown is a bustling suburb in Greater Western Sydney about 34 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. Home to people from many cultural backgrounds, Blacktown is a great place to find a plethora of food options, a diverse range of retail shopping and is home to plenty of recreational activities. Featherdale Wildlife Park is just one of the many family-friendly attractions you can find in Blacktown. Just a skip and a jump away in neighbouring Prospect are Raging Waters – Sydney’s answer to Wet’n’Wild – and even a funky retro drive-in cinema with all the mod cons!