Frequently asked questions

What is Air Conditioning used for?

The primary use of air conditioning is usually for comfort cooling, to reduce the room temperature during warmer months. Modern air conditioning systems are capable of heating too. This means that as well as cooling your desired space you would not need a separate heating system. This is ideal for extensions, remodelled rooms, Garden offices, commercial units etc.

Additionally to this Air conditioning is used for year round cooling in areas with constant heat sources, such as Server rooms or manufacturing areas. Different systems are capable of operating at lower outdoor ambient temperature, this is key at the planning stage.

How much does Air conditioning cost?

This can be difficult to answer without knowing all the factors of the area to be cooled, typical installations of a wall mounted unit start from around £1500.00 (+vat for Business). Various factors can affect this including: Room size, distance of pipework to outdoor unit, position of indoor unit, installation type (Wall mount, ducted, cassette) and system type such as design and high efficiency.

What is the best type of Air Conditioning?

All systems as long as they are specified to the area they are in will do the duty, regardless of type. Each unit has its advantages but they all come down to customer preference, for budget Wall mounts are the best option, for minimal visible room changes Ducted units are better, Ceiling Cassette units are best for airflow, less chance of Draught complaints. Each room will be assessed and advice given accordingly.

Who is the best manufacturer?

Market leaders in this area are Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric, not to be confused with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Whilst they may have the name to back them up, most if not all manufacturers will back up their equipment with their own parts warranty, essentially negating any brand preference. Most standard systems visibly look the same too, the design and spec of premium units compared one against another would often be the deciding factor.

How much does it cost to run Air Conditioning?

(Estimate only: less than as little as 20p per hour.)

This is also difficult to put an exact number on this but we can use power input to determine a power cost base on the following. For example if a unit has a 2.5Kw cooling output and a C.o.P (Coefficient of performance) of 4.52 Kw/Kw then the input usage would not exceed 0.62Kw Per hour. This size of system would be suitable for rooms up to 20 – 25 Square Metres. A higher efficiency unit with a higher C.o.P can reduce this usage to 0.55Kw Per hour. When we know how many Kw per hour are to be consumed we can estimate an maximum cost to run based on Electricity cost per Kw. This will also be affected by the room itself, it is unlikely that the air conditioner would need to run at 100% for a full hour, therefore further decreasing its energy cost. At a cost of £0.35 per Kw of electricity this would cost less than 20p per hour.

How often does my Air Conditioning unit need a Re-gas?

In an ideal world the answer to this question would be never, from the moment the installation is complete the system will be completely sealed and the refrigerant inside the system will circulate indefinitely without escaping. That said due to vibrations and any external factors systems can develop leaks, often on compression connections which can be easily repaired, but sometimes on internal areas which may need more invasive repair works. There are some systems where this never presents as an issue, there are others where this may occur within a few years of installation.

Why is my Air Conditioning unit not cooling?

The first thing to check is the remote controller for the air conditioner, has it been turned on, was the signal received by the air conditioner and is the remote controller set to the correct mode. This will rule out any user error, if all of those things are ok and there is a problem with the air conditioner then there may be flashing lights indicating a fault, the sequence of light flashes can determine a fault code, explained within the manuals. This may need an engineers visit to repair or examine.

When will I need to replace my air conditioner?

As long as your air conditioner is still operating as it should there is no Law to determine a need to replace. Like any industry the technology is always evolving, becoming more efficient or improved refrigerants in terms of Carbon imprints. The most recent refrigerants used in air conditioning systems are R32 and R290, Both of which are readily available, older refrigerants such as R22 have been phased out and systems containing this refrigerant will become increasingly difficult to maintain. Any system with a suspected refrigerant issue containing R22 will have to have the refrigerant removed, disposed of and a suitable drop-in refrigerant used instead. Due to this it is often a good time to upgrade to a newer system with readily available parts and refrigerants.

How often should I get my Air Conditioning units Serviced?

Having your Air conditioning system serviced once per year will ensure its efficiency, identify any issues which may require attention and maintain the manufacturers Warranty. Our price to carry out a service for an individual system would be £70 +vat. The more systems you have the cheaper per system it would be for servicing down to a minimum of £50.00 +vat per system for 5 or more.