Residential Air Conditioning and Heating

REFRESHINGLY COOL IN THE SUMMER, WITH SUPER EFFICIENT HEATING IN THE WINTER - FROM THE SAME UNIT

When considering having an air conditioning system installed, people naturally think of the fact that it cools the air on hot days, it also removes excess humidity and makes the living space much more comfortable. However, it will do more than just provide cooling ...

Full house ground source and air source heat-pump systems are currently very expensive - they cost many times more than a conventional central heating system. Our air conditioning units use the same heat-pump technology and are much more affordable. They give you the best options in terms of comfort and economy. In addition to providing efficient cooling of your home when required, they also work as super efficient room heaters. In fact one of our typical units will produce 3 to 4 times more heat out, than the amount of electricity which it consumes, in fact some units can achieve up to 5 times more! How can this be true?

Heating your home is usually achieved by burning some fuel (probably gas or oil) in a boiler to produce the heat, or by passing electricity through heating elements - think of electric fan heaters and oil filled electric radiators.

In these systems, the energy which is supplied - gas, oil, electricity - is used to PRODUCE the heat, which then heats the house or room, but an air conditioning heat-pump system doesn't actually PRODUCE any heat, it MOVES heat.

So the electricity which goes into the air conditioning unit doesn't produce any heat directly, it powers the heat pump, and the heat pump moves the heat - either out of your home to cool it, or into your home to heat it. A two kilowatt air conditioning unit will give out 2 kilowatts of heat, but it typically uses only about half a kilowatt of electricity to do this. So where does the heat energy come from - after all you can't get something for nothing.

Well the heat energy is actually free energy and it comes from the outside air. The air conditioning unit just moves it from the outside of your house to the inside, it slightly cools the outside air and uses that heat energy to heat your home. Right now we are all trying to utilise more energy efficient systems in our homes; not just because it saves money, but by using free energy and reducing carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels like gas and oil, we are also helping the planet.

You might go outside on a cold day and think that there is no heat out there, but in fact there is still plenty of free heat energy available which can be moved into your home by the air conditioning system, even if the outside temperature is below zero.

Let's look at three places where the installation of an air conditioning heat-pump unit could make a big difference to the enjoyment of your home...

LOUNGE

During the middle of winter when it's freezing cold outside - maybe snowing, you will be using your central heating system to heat your home. However there are many times, particularly in spring, autumn and early or late winter when you just need a little extra heat in your main living room. The days can be quite warm, but once the sun goes down, the evenings can be quite chilly.

An air conditioning heat pump unit is ideal as it enables you to very economically add some warmth to your living space without have to fire up your whole-house heating system.

Then on those hot humid summer days, especially during a heat wave - which seem to be occurring more and more frequently now; your air conditioning unit will quickly transform your overheated living space into a cool refreshing area for you and your family to enjoy in comfort.

BEDROOM

Warm summer evenings are something that many of us look forward to, shorter nights bring light evenings, ideal for BBQs and socialising. But when it's time to turn in for the night, walking in to a hot stifling bedroom is not in any way a pleasant experience.

In our homes the bedrooms are usually upstairs, and during the day the heat rises and becomes concentrated in the upstairs rooms. This is particularly true if your master bedroom faces south or south-west and receives the late sun. You have the choice of leaving the bedroom windows open, and being savaged by mosquitoes, or closing them and swelter in the heat. Either way, a good night's sleep will not follow. Turning on a fan will help a little, but they tend to be noisy and all they really do is stir up the hot and humid air.

An air conditioning unit will completely transform your summer sleeping experience. Instead of walking up the stairs into a wall of hot air, you will enter your bedroom and be greeted by a cool gentle refreshing breeze and an environment which is at the perfect temperature for a great night's sleep. Modern air conditioning units have a sleep programme function, which automatically controls the bedroom temperature in stages during your sleep, and bedroom units are quiet, so the noise won't keep you awake during the night.

Away from the summer months, your bedroom air conditioning unit can provide a boost of heat when required in the morning before you leave for work, which will save you the expense of firing up the central heating and, because it's a heat-pump, it's much more efficient and cheaper to run than conventional electric room heaters.

CONSERVATORY

Conservatories, along with orangeries and sun rooms are a fantastic way to extend and enhance the living space of your home. They allow you to feel as though you are outdoors, while being protected from the elements.

However, they can often suffer from the problem of being too hot in the summer, while getting too cold in the winter. This can limit the time that you can spend in them and reduce the enjoyment of having one.

A fantastic solution to this problem is the installation of an air conditioning system. During hot days in the summer, the temperature can be brought down to a comfortable level and in the winter, the unit will perform as a highly efficient heating unit, which will be significantly cheaper to run than conventional electric or fuel based heating systems.

Also, conservatories can be exempt from building regulations if certain requirements are met. One of these is that "The conservatory must be fitted with its own independent heating system that can be controlled separately from the rest of the house." An air conditioning / heating system complies with this requirement, whereas having a radiator in your conservatory which is connected to your house central heating system, does not comply.