Help & Advice
We understand that the sheer range of air conditioning units on the market can be a bit daunting, so we’ve covered a range of topics below to answer any burning questions you might have.
Don’t forget, if there’s anything not answered below, our team are on hand via live chat and phone to help.
Air Purification
One of the main attractions in summer is the ability of air conditioning to filter and purify the air you breathe in your home. Whilst the filtration systems differ by unit, most units capture up to 94% of contaminants in the air such as pollen and dust. The units ioniser then neutralises these contaminated particles to help keep the units coil clean.
Air purification is a huge benefit to anyone suffering from allergies such as hayfever and has been shown to improve home air quality by up to 67%.
Installed Air Con vs Portable
Portable air conditioners are a popular and cost effective choice if you only require the odd day or two of cooling, however they do have their draw backs. Noise is often the biggest complaint, as the inverter and all moving parts are within the home, as opposed to a split system where the internal unit is whisper quiet.
Portable units are also much less energy efficient as they need to vent the hot air through an open window, which can also lead to security concerns.
Although the up-front cost of a fully installed unit is higher, the long warranty, energy efficiency and lower running costs often make up for this. Plus, installed air conditioners can also heat and purify the air, unlike most portable units.
Cooling
When you think of air conditioning, cooling is usually the first thing that comes to mind With UK summers only getting hotter each year, air conditioning is becoming less of a luxury and more of an essential.
Air conditioning cools your home by extracting warm air from your home and venting it outside. The external unit then uses a condenser to compress and chill air before it’s passed back into the home and cools the room with a smooth steady air flow.
The temperature of the room is set using either the remote control with digital display, using a smart speaker or mobile phone.
Heating
Many people aren’t aware that air conditioning can be an energy efficient way to heat your home in winter, by only heating the areas that are needed rather than a full central heating system.
The heating function on an air conditioning system essentially works in reverse, by expelling cold air and introducing warm air to the room. Whilst not as energy efficient in heating mode, you will likely still notice significant savings compared to having to heat the whole house using central heating.
You can expect heating costs to be anywhere from 18p to 30p per hour dependent on your provider and energy tarriff.
Unit Locations
There are two main components to any air conditioning system, the internal and external units.
Internal units are best placed high in a room so that air flow can be distributed evenly. We recommend fitting to an external wall so there’s less trunking required and less chance of a condensate being required. This is especially important when it’s a bedroom, as this will reduce the noise level.
Outdoor units are best wall-mounted at a low level. This prevents any built up around the base of the unit and also reduces on-going maintenance costs compared to the unit being mounted high on the wall, which may require scaffolding to access.
Controls
You can control your air conditioning units in a variety of ways to help you utilise your new air conditioning in the most energy efficient way.
Intelligent Remote Controls included with your package allow you to set the temperature and let the system maintain it. Some also have a follow-me function, adjusting the room temperature in multi-unit systems as you walk around.
Smart Speakers such as Google Home or Alexa can set the temperature based on a simple voice command such as “Alexa, set the temperature to 21 degrees”.
Mobile Apps can be used to set the temperature even when you’re not at home.