WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DUCTED AIR CONDITIONING

Whether the sun is shining, or it is pouring with rain, you should feel comfortable and happy in your home or workspace. Investing in a quality air conditioner is integral if you’re sick of being stuck in the heat every summer despite being inside. And ducted systems cannot be beaten – not only will they assist in regulating the temperature of your space, but they are also incredibly energy-efficient.

Many homeowners, however, do not know what ducted air conditioning is. That is why we’re here: to tell you everything you need to know before deciding on your heating and cooling methods.

Despite ducted air conditioning being most popular in office space, shopping centres, libraries, and many other large spaces, they are becoming increasingly popular in homes. Why’s this? Well, ducted air conditioners are discreet, they create minimal disruption while cooling your space and they are fantastic for your electricity bills.

It is important that any homeowners know how ducted air-conditioning works before deciding what system they use to cool their space so they can be confident they’re choosing the correct air conditioning for their home.

What is Ducted Air Conditioning?

Through a series of ducts built into the system, the ducted air conditioning cools your space by circulating the air through one unit.

While a ductless split system cools a space through an individual compressor and indoor unit, ducted air conditioners use a single unit that can be located in your roof, under your flooring or outside your space. This single unit will cool the air before moving it to all rooms through a series of ducts built into the roof or floors.

Do you love your room being warm and cosy in the afternoons but cold when you’re trying to fall asleep? Ducted air conditioning gives you the ability to control the distribution of air and regulate different temperatures in each room. By producing energy-efficient cooling annually, the addition of temperature zoning is another way that you can be more cost-effective with your cooling system.

Using an inverter will help you save even more on your energy bills. This will keep a consistent temperature by allowing your unit to operate at a certain speed.

Ducted vs ductless Air Conditioning

Installation

The installation of ducted and ductless air conditioning is completely different.

It shouldn’t surprise you that the installation of ducted air conditioning is an incredibly tailored experience. Ducted air conditioning requires the space to install ductwork above or below the entire space in addition to the installation of vents in each space and a central unit being fitted outside.

A professional is required for the installation process to customise the system to your space which needs the consideration of the unit size, the number of vents necessary and the zones that need cooling.

Ductless systems, however, have a significantly simpler installation process. This process is simplified by the piping that connects the internal units, which require less time, effort, and modification to install than ductless systems. However, one somewhat difficult part of the ductless installation process is the mounting of individual evaporator units in each room that requires cooling.

In comparison, it is clear that while the installation process for ducted air conditioning is more difficult (especially for smaller spaces), it is a cost-effective alternative to ductless air conditioning systems

Temperature zoning

Ducted air conditioning works by running ducts throughout your building to allow a constant regulation of temperature throughout every zone. On top of this, you have the option to select which zones are cooled and when, which is a fantastic way to conserve energy that is not necessary, which in turn keeps your electricity costs down without the compromise of comfort.

On the other hand, ductless cooling systems are designed to be installed in individual rooms, therefore cooling each space separately and maintaining a consistent temperature in different areas.

RUNNING COST AND EFFICIENCY

The scale of your installation is really what will decide whether ducted or ductless air conditioning will be more cost and energy efficient for your space. To a point, ductless split systems will be more affordable to run than ducted air conditioners as they have a lower energy demand, however, it may be more expensive to run various split system air conditioners to cool an entire building compared to using a single ducted cooling system.

Over a long period of time, it is often considered that ducted air conditioning systems will be more cost and energy efficient due to their ability to zone temperatures. This zoning conserves energy that does not need to be used, which can significantly decrease electricity bills in the long run.

As a general rule of thumb, ducted air conditioners will be better at cooling larger spaces while ductless systems will be better for cooling one or two rooms.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

Regular cleaning and maintenance are required no matter which cooling system you decide to install in your space to ensure that it continues working efficiently for longer. If you do not clean and maintain your system regularly, it can retain harmful bacteria.

Ducted air conditioners will take less time and money to maintain due to their limited components. Despite this, it is important that you get any of your cooling systems professionally inspected at least once a year to identify any potential issues and to ensure your system is performing at its best.

You can also assist in the maintenance of these systems yourself between these visits by cleaning the units and filters regularly and changing the filters at least twice a year.

APPEARANCE

Both systems include an outdoor unit, their appearance inside your space differs greatly. Ducted air conditioning is almost undetectable, with only vents visible in the floors or ceiling while split systems are installed high up on the walls of your space. Which system you prefer aesthetically comes down to personal preference as some can look past the oblong box while others cannot.