Air Conditioning Information Types of Air Conditioning
- What is a room air conditioner (R.A.C)?
- What are portable air conditioners?
- Are there any tips to improve an Air Conditioning Units performance?
- Are projects fully managed?
- Can I have a system which cools and heats?
- Can works be undertaken 'out of hours'?
- Can you service & repair our systems even though you have not installed them?
- How long does an installation take to complete and install?
- Is there any chance of catching Legionella from your systems?
- What does your quotation normally exclude?
- What other services can you offer once the installation is complete?
- What warranty do I get?
Air conditioning is the process of treating air so that simultaneously it controls the temperature, relative humidity and cleanliness. Air conditioning can also be controlled building ventilation and air distribution.
- Cooling - Actual removal of heat from your home/office in summer. This makes the area more pleasant to live in and enjoy.
- Humidity Control - With electric refrigerated air conditioning, humidity is reduced to comfort level on those hot "sticky" days, and the excess moisture is expelled outside the building.
- Filtration - All the air in the conditioned area passes through a filter (mounted on the air conditioner) several times each hour, removing dust, pollen etc. There is also a noticeable absence of insects. The filtering activity of the air conditioner allows doors and windows to be kept closed. There's greater relief for asthma and hayfever sufferers.
- Circulation - Clean air conditioned air, circulates throughout the room and assures that the atmosphere can be refreshed at any time. Also this area stays cleaner for a longer period.
- Heating - Modern air conditioners can reverse the seasons for you. Economical reverse cycle units, commonly called "Heat Pumps", provide cosy warmth in winter at the cheapest possible rates.
The size of the air conditioning unit you buy largely depends on the area you wish to air condition. And there's quite a choice. Before you decide on an air conditioning unit of any kind, you'll find it's worthwhile getting expert advice first.
Those suitable for conditioning a room or particular area are commonly referred to as Room Air Conditioners (R.A.C.). This type of air conditioner is probably the most common. It is usually fitted in a specially cut opening through the wall or in a window. With room air conditioners, all cooling, heating and circulation components are housed in one box. Today's models have been carefully designed to blend with furnishings and colour schemes of all types. They are available in a range of cooling/heating capacities to suit most rooms.
As the name implies, these units are mounted on castors and can be moved from room to room. They contain the same components as a room air conditioner and will extract heat and moisture from the air. The small units are most effective as spot coolers rather than room air conditioners.
One-piece Units:
All the working components are enclosed in one cabinet. At the back of the unit is a flexible discharge tube which disperses hot air to the outside (through a window or door). Some of these units recover condensate water into a storage tank which requires regular emptying, whilst others discharge the water to the atmosphere.
Portable Split Systems:
The split system has all the basic refrigeration equipment, including the compressor, located in the indoor unit. This unit is connected to the condensing unit by approximately 2 metres of semi-rigid refrigerant tubing and a condensate hose.
- To help your air conditioner perform at its best, keep all windows and doors that open to the outside of your home/office space closed. Close drapes during the hot summer days and in the winter evenings.
- When a hot day is expected, turn the system on early rather than waiting until the building becomes hot. The reverse is true in winter.
- The 'High' speed setting of the circulating fan is only necessary to speed up the cooling when the unit is first switched 'on', or under extreme conditions. The lower speed setting usually gives adequate performance and has the advantage of being quieter in operation.
- Position the louvre of the air discharge in the 'UP' position for cooling and 'DOWN' when using the heating mode.
- Twenty-two degrees Celsius (22C) is often quoted as the acceptable temperature for all-round comfort, but it is not necessary to adhere to. People naturally dress according to the weather and it will be found that 24-25 C in summer and 17-19 C in winter will give comfortable conditions and also save electricity.
- You can save considerably on the amount of energy consumed for each 1 degree of cooling that you can do without.
- Regular Maintenance
The size of air conditioner you should have for the most effective climate control (both cooling and heating) depends basically on the size of your room and whether or not it is insulated.
The size and location of doors and windows, the room's aspect to the sun and so on, also have to be taken into consideration.
The use of the room should also be taken into account.
The following is a checklist of information you should take when you talk to an air conditioning adviser, so they can get a better appreciation of the size and type of unit you need – However we do this for free, just give us a call to arrange.
- A pencil sketch of the floor plan of the room to be air conditioned/heated.
- The type of construction of the building.
- The direction which the room faces, i.e. north, south, east or west.
- The size and position of windows. Large areas of glass exposed to the sun can substantially increase heat gains in summer and during cold weather can result in undesirable heat losses.
- The size and shape of doorways and any other openings off the area to be air conditioned.
- Is the ceiling insulated? If so, what is its type and thickness?
- Floor dimensions – length, width and height of ceiling.
- Intended use of the area.
- Number of persons normally occupying the space.
Reverse cycle air conditioning is the most cost-effective form of heating available. It's a real energy miser. Up to three times more efficient than other electrical heaters and even better in comparison to kerosene, oil and gas appliances.
While other systems generate heat by burning fuel, reverse cycle air conditioning needs only a relatively small amount of electricity to operate the fan motors and compressor. The technical term for this is co-efficient of performance or C.O.P. This means you get a high output compared to the electricity consumed. Hence air conditioning's high efficiency.
Reverse cycle won't only be a comfort to you through the seasons. It will also add value to your premises. Like a smart new extension, air conditioning is seen as a big plus. In simplest terms, you get more for your euro.
So you can never lose. Today, tomorrow or well into the future.
All projects no matter how large or small are fully managed by our nominated supervisory and project management staff. Whether a project is 2k or 100k it will be managed to the same high standard.
Yes! Systems heat and cool if required from the same piece of kit. To give you an idea , heat pump systems can be offered for only a few percent more when compared to cooling systems and in some cases for the same cost.
If you are extending, why not allow us to quote for heating and cooling and save money by eliminating the need to upgrade boilers and add radiators.
Yes we are happy to carry out works during the evening or a weekend to minimise disruption at your place of work. It should be noted that costs 'out of hours' are slightly more expensive than normal working hours due to an increase in our staff's pay scale for these unsociable hours. Additional costs are available upon application.
We can suppy, service and complete maintenance works for all systems whether they have been installed by Advanced Air or not. We can also in certain cases offer extended warranties to plant installed by our competition.
We offer contracts and works costed by the hour whichever suits your requirement.
How long is a piece of string? An installation depending upon its complexity and spend level can be phased from a single day to many months. The timescales will be indicated once a budgetary cost has been provided and the quotation is made firm.
In simple terms none of the systems we engineer and install can put you or your staff at risk. For more details of the systems we offer and how we eliminate the risk of legionella please call the office.
We cannot comment with regard to any existing services and equipment within your building but will happily undertake a survey of existing plant in the event you are concerned. Routine maintenance of existing systems can eliminate the risk of legionella. Service and maintenance is also an area we can help you with.
We pride ourselves that our costing's are tailored as per the client's request and have no hidden catches. We are happy to include all electrical works and in general are contracted to offer a full working solution. Maintenance costs are to be considered as an additional sum and will be costed separately upon request.
Advanced Air are able to offer extensive services ranging from simple telephone support to fully managed on site maintenance contracts. We are happy to service and repair the equipment for years to come whether under warranty or not. On many occasions we are able to offer extended warranties to suit your budget.
Systems are offered complete with a 12 months parts warranty, which is extendable to 60 months dependant upon the manufacturer selected. For example we are able to offer the majority of products c/w a 12-month parts warranty and an additional 24-month parts only warranty if unit is regularly maintained by Advanced Air Conditioning.
All warranties are subject to a maintenance regime in line with the manufacturers guidelines. This is much the same as buying a new car and having it serviced to validate the warranty. A simple analogy of this would be:
You are expected to have a new car serviced in line with the manufacturers mileage intervals to validate the warranty. In the event you exceed this interval and did not for example have the oil changed within the engine, which consequently blows up, the manufacturer or dealer will not be liable to pay for the replacement. In this case you would be expected to pay for the engine replacement.
In the event the engine was replenished in line with the service intervals, the dealer would replace the engine and claim for the costs back from the manufacturer. This works much the same for an air conditioning installer.
