Looking for cooling solutions for your Castle Hill home or business? You will no doubt be faced with a vast array of options when it comes to choosing the best air conditioner to purchase for your home or place of work. There are two main categories of air conditioners to choose from: split-system or ducted air conditioning. There are differences within each category that you will need to consider when making your decision. Here is some terminology that will assist you as you learn more about the features and benefits of both ducted and split-system models:
Reverse cycle means that the air conditioner offers both heating and cooling functions and this applies to both split system and ducted air conditioning units.
Air-conditioners cool your space by pulling warm air from the room, cooling the air, and blowing it back into the room, while releasing the heat through the outdoor unit. This process is reversed to warm a room, with the air conditioning unit pulling in warm air from outside (even in extremely cold outdoor temperatures there is still heat energy that can be pulled in). Reverse-cycle air conditioners are generally more cost effective than gas or electric heating options and are extremely efficient at heating your space.
You will likely see the term ‘inverter’ mentioned on a lot of models in your search to find the right ducted or split system air conditioner for your Castle Hill home. Inverter air conditioners can vary the speed of the compressor (which is a part in the box unit that usually sits outside the house) depending on how much power the air conditioner needs. During a warm day, for example, an inverter system that usually runs at 10kW might run at 12kW initially to make a faster impact in cooling your space, and then once the desired temperature is reached, it might run at around 3kW, maintaining the temperature with less power usage.
A non-inverter model can only run at full power or be off, so a 10kW non-inverter system would run at 10kW while cooling your house down initially, switch off when the desired temperature was reached and automatically switch back on when it needed to start cooling again. Switching the compressor on and off requires greater energy usage, and creates more wear, so is usually less cost effective than running an inverter unit.
Both split system and ducted units operate with an outdoor unit. The external, unit is a box attached to the outside of your home, and contains the compressor, propeller fan, circuit board and heat exchange coil. The unit acts to pump refrigerant to and from its partner unit which is located indoors. The outdoor box is also referred to as the ‘condenser’, ’heat exchanger’ or simply the ‘compressor’.
For the ultimate cool comfort in summer, and cosy warmth in winter, a ducted air conditioner is a wonderful solution. A ducted system can maintain desired temperatures throughout your entire house or business in Castle Hill and cover more expansive spaces than other air conditioning technology. A ducted system usually comprises an outdoor unit and a central indoor unit that connects to multiple vents or ducts throughout your building, usually in the ceiling but occasionally in walls or under the floor. You can choose from a variety of styles for your duct grills, allowing seamless integration with the interior styling of your home. Ducted air conditioning technology is also the quietest option available, making it ideal for bedrooms or boardrooms where you don’t want any distractions.
Ducted systems offer a lot of versatility in their ability to create separate temperature ‘zones’ within your home. For example, you may opt to cool only your living zones during the day or cool your living zone with multiple people present to a greater extent than a bedroom where only one person is sleeping. Your ducted system will have advanced sensors and air distribution ducts that ensure even distribution of air throughout each zone, so that you don’t experience hot or cold pockets of air within a space.
Our Castle Hill team offer supply and installation of an extensive range of ducted aircon units suitable for both homes and businesses.
The name split system comes from the air conditioner being split into the indoor unit (with a fan, remote receiver etc) and an outdoor unit (with the compressor, propellor fan etc). Some outdoor units can connect to multiple indoor units, and these systems are called multi-split or multi-head systems.
Many split systems will utilise inverter technology, but this is not always the case, so it’s worth checking. An indoor split system unit is usually designed to cool one room only, however a more powerful unit may be effective in cooling large open plan rooms in some homes. Split system air conditioners are a more budget friendly alternative to purchase and install, however they are not quite as powerful or consistent as ducted cooling. Split system is the most popular choice of air-conditioner for homes in Australia.
For Split System Air Conditioning Castle Hill, 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 conditioning units are quite expensive to run as they aren’t very energy efficient and have to work very hard to cool a space. Most portable units have a single duct connected to a window to vent heat from the room, it draws air from the room and vents it outside. This results in an air pressure reduction which means more hot air is drawn into the room from other areas of the house. Most portable units will not feature an energy star rating because whilst they can cool a person in part of a room, they will not cool the room effectively, and that is how the energy star ratings are measured. It is predominantly for these reasons that we don’t recommend or sell them.
It can be quite a complex process to choose the optimal air conditioning solution for your home or business in Castle Hill. An element that has the greatest impact on determining the best solution, and the size of your unit is room size. When bearing in mind your room size you must consider both your floor size and the height of your walls. Total room volume will impact how easily your room can be cooled. A room with really high ceilings creates a larger room volume and will require more energy to cool. There are many estimators available that will use general calculations such as a small room – up to 20m² – requiring 2-2.5kW of power, or a large room of 40–60m² needing 4-6kW, but these are a little simplistic. Other factors you should consider are:
Opting for the most accurate fit for your space is of critical importance, as choosing the most powerful air-conditioner available, or a higher model than an online estimator suggests, may not actually deliver you the best result. An air conditioner that is too big is not just more costly to run than it needs to be, but it can also give you a worse quality of heating or cooling. 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. Likewise, opting for a unit that is too small will result in it having to work too hard, causing excessive wear and tear as well as huge power bills. Units that are too small can also dry your home’s air too much.
It’s always a good idea to seek a recommendation from an expert that can assess your property to find the best solution. The Globalrez team offers free quotes to residents of Castle Hill over the phone or online here.
In Castle Hill,
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.
To find the best value among the quality products offered by each of these brands, we recommend watching out for any special sales or cash back offers. 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.
With regards to price range, 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, and likely significantly more in larger properties. The efficiency of the models you are considering is worth learning more about, as the initial purchase price is only one part of the financial equation as an owner of an air conditioner. 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.
To ensure your air conditioner operates efficiently, and that the lifetime of the unit is extended, in addition to keeping your operating costs low, regular servicing and maintenance is a must. Most air conditioning manufacturers recommend regular servicing – twice a year, at the start of summer and the start of winter.
Regular servicing through Globalrez will also mean that your unit located in Castle Hill will qualify for the full warranty of up to ten years, rather than just the standard one-year manufacturer’s warranty.
A comprehensive service is a full service of all the indoor and outdoor components, in addition to wide ranging testing to ensure all components are functioning optimally. 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 Windsor or Air Conditioning Paramatta or view all of our locations.
Located in the Hills District 30 kilometres north-west of Sydney, Castle Hill is a beautiful, hilly, green leafy suburb. Known for its large spacious housing blocks, it’s the perfect place for growing families wanting plenty of space away from the congestion of inner-city life. The suburb features a mix of large modern homes and heritage homes and has a reputation for its affluence. Castle Hill offers great retiree and family living with quality schools, abundant shopping options, and many parks and recreational options right on your doorstep. The space and beauty of this suburb do well in offsetting the transport and commuting challenges residents can face if working in the city.