Air Conditioning FAQ’s

Can Air Conditioning Heat as well as Cool?

It most certainly can, and very efficiently too! Modern Air Conditioning Systems are fitted with a heat pump and an additional divert valve within the outdoor part of the Air Conditioning unit, which can reverse the flow of the refrigerant cycle (at the press of a button by you, or set it automaticly). In effect, the system then tries to cool the outside air, and transfers the piping hot heat which is collected (and amplified) straight inside your home. Even when the outside temperature is sub minus, air conditioning units will extract heat and pump it straight into your home or conservatory.

The rated heating capacity of a ‘heat-pump’ system is generally slightly higher than it’s rated cooling capacity, and provides a huge saving in electrical consumption and in turn reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

An electric fire, heater or under-floor heating system that has a rated heating capacity of 3 kW, consumes 3 kW/h of electrical power. A heat-pump air-conditioning system with a rated heating capacity of 3 kW, consumes around just 1 kW/h of electrical power, providing a saving of 66% in electrical consumption. Some of the latest energy-efficient ‘inverter’ heat-pump systems can produce more than 4 kw of heat from 1 kW/h of electricity, in turn providing an electrical saving of more than 75%. That really means savings on heating, especially with the price rises already announced in Feb 2006.

Where can I use Air Conditioning units?

Air conditioning units can be used throughout your home or conservatory, office, shop and restaurant as well as right across the factory floor.

Can our company get Tax Relief on Air Conditioning ?

Yes, upto 100% Tax relief is available in the first year through the Governments ECAs. Please see our Extra notes about Tax Relief

How will I benefit from installing air-conditioning at home?

Most of us take the ability to warm our homes for granted, but few appreciate the benefits of being able to remove unwanted heat during the summer months. When outside air temperatures reach uncomfortable levels, the coolest temperature we can hope to maintain within our homes is the same, despite any amount of ventilation through the use of conventional fans. In reality, our homes become even warmer than the outside air temperature through solar gains from windows and additional heat-loads from within the home – electrical equipment, water heaters and even people.

With air conditioning equipment installed, you can quickly reduce or increase the temperature within the room to a comfortable level, whilst at the same time reducing the humidity (in cooling mode) to eliminate the ’stickiness’ associated with our UK summers. Doors and windows can then also be kept closed improving the security of your home, whilst at the same time keeping out nuisance insects, dirt & dust and any external noise pollution. The air within the room is re-circulated and cleaned through filters to trap dust and pollens, in turn benefiting people suffering from allergies and respiratory problems.

Conservatories and loft conversions that are typically too hot in the summer and difficult to keep warm in the winter, are totally transformed by air conditioning and can be enjoyed at a constant level of comfort, throughout the entire year. Air conditioning really is the ultimate home improvement.

How does an Air Conditioner work?

Air conditioning systems work by moving heat from inside your premises to the outside with the use of refrigerant gases. It works on basically the same principle as your household fridge.

How much does Air Conditioning cost?

The purchase of Air conditioning units are now more affordable than ever, also, the energy efficient heating an air conditioning unit provides makes air conditioning for your home a very sensible choice in these days of soaring energy prices. A single split high wall mounted system can now be purchased from aircon-comfort for as little as £800.00 fully fitted in your home !

How long does it take to install?

In most circumstances, a single or twin split air conditioner can be installed by our skilled engineers in one day, with minimum disruption.

What are the benefits of Air Conditioning?

The benefits of Air Conditioning are to give a comfortable environment at work or at home throughout the seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Air Conditioning units are multi function products – energy efficient heating, cooling, filtering and air circulation . With an auto changeover switch on many units, you set the temperature you want and the unit will cool or heat as required to keep the room at your chosen temperature.

What equipment is typically required?

As with most things in life, the ‘you get what you pay for’ rule applies. Rooms at home can be cooled with temporary portable air conditioning units, these will cool your home but are heavy and noisy – you would not want to sleep in a room with one of these ! The split type system is the most commonly used form of air-conditioning system within the home. As the name suggests, the refrigeration circuit is split into two halves, with each half being contained within separate indoor and outdoor units. The indoor units are attractive in appearance and quite in operation. They contain a heat-exchanger and low-noise fan, and are generally wall-mounted, floor-standing or concealed within attic spaces or radiator cases. The outdoor units are responsible for rejecting the unwanted heat to outside. They are again, compact in design and operate with extremely low noise ratings. They need to be sited outside, either floor standing by a wall, on a flat roof or wall-mounted on suitable brackets. There are exceptions to this, for instance, the outside unit could be sited inside a garage if there is suitable air-flow through the garage to allow optimal performance in extreme temperatures.

What is air purification?

An anti dust filter is fitted to air conditioning units – this filters dust, allergy-causing mites, smoke particles and odours, keeping the air in your environment clean and fresh.

Is the equipment noisy in operation?

No, one of the most important design criteria for the equipment manufacturers
is a low operating noise level. Many air conditioning systems incorporate ‘quiet’ or ’silent’ modes, which provide sound levels as low as 22 dB(A) from the indoor unit and 43 dB(A) from the outdoor unit. In basic terms, you have to be within 2 or 3 metres of these units in a quite environment to hear any indication that the air conditioning is working.