When you’re investing in your home you need to make sure it’s the right fit.
Check out our guide on what you need to consider when thinking about air conditioning installation to ensure it’s doing the job right.
There are seven factors you need to think about before hitting go on your install, not to mention talking to the best air conditioning installers (us!). Our expert techs will discuss these with you at home during our initial consult. Thinking about these factors ensures the system you choose is working its absolute hardest to keep you comfortable without spending a fortune on energy bills.
1. Your home’s layout and how you use your space play an important role in choosing the right system.
Among other things we’ll check out your TV placement and where your windows and doors are. There’s nothing worse than having cool air blowing straight onto you while you’re trying to relax. We also want to make sure air isn’t blowing out of the system and straight out the door. With careful consideration of your home’s layout, we can maximise energy efficiency. Saving you money and keeping your family comfortable.
2. The size of the area you want to heat or cool is directly related to the size of the unit you need.
We’ll crunch the numbers with our heat/load calculation to find out what unit suits your space. The larger the space, the bigger heating and cooling capacity you need and, depending on the size of your living area, a high wall heat pump might not be the best solution long term for energy efficiency. We’ll give you our best advice so you can make an informed choice.
3. The local climate.
There is no one size fits all approach for Kiwi homes and the weather plays a big factor in choosing the right system. In colder areas prone to frosts, systems need to be the right size to cope with the cold. Too small, and your system will spend its days working hard to defrost itself rather than heating your home. Meaning a very expensive electricity bill to get the warmth you need, and never really feeling truly comfortable. Our team are Bay of Plenty locals, and we understand the nuances of our regional (and sometimes unpredictable!) climate. We get how hot and muggy it can get in the bay and can expertly take you through the right air conditioning system for our weather conditions.
4. The number of windows in your space play a big role in the size of the system you need.
We love a lot of windows to let in the light, but it does mean you will lose and gain heat more quickly than a house with less windows, particularly if you live in an older home with single glazing. A lot of single glazed windows mean you’ll need a bigger unit to offset the heat loss in winter or to combat too much heat coming in during summer. Good quality curtains will also help maximise the efficiency of your system by trapping the heat in at night.
5. The same goes for insulation.
A well-insulated house will retain heat more effectively than older homes that might have only underfloor and ceiling insulation as well as keeping you cool in summer. Less insulation means a larger unit is needed to maintain cooler temperatures in summer.
6. The size of your system.
The size of the unit you need will be determined by the above factors and our first step is to come out to your place for a full assessment. We work with a number of different brands in order to find the right fit for your home and that means you get your pick of styles and colours as well.
7. NZ Rental Standards.
If you’re considering buying a rental property that property must meet the NZ Government’s Healthy Homes standards. Our old homes are cold, draughty and damp and there is a set of criteria that must be met to ensure warmer, healthier homes for everyone. One of those is heating. Landlords must provide one or more fixed heaters in the main living room, and one of the best ways to meet these standards is by installing a single unit heat pump.
There’s a lot of choice when it comes to installing the right system. Heating and cooling can be split up into three main systems - single, multi and ducted. All our systems are split systems, meaning the inside unit connects to an outside unit.
What’s right for you depends on your everyday life and budget and we’ve broken down pricing options for single, multi and ducted air conditioning systems.
Ducted system
A ducted system provides whole home heating and cooling. It’s a premium option but one that gives you a consistent temperature throughout your house, year round.A ducted system is usually installed in the ceiling with discreet ceiling grills in each room of your house. If suitable, they can also be installed under the house with floor mounted grills delivering cool air into your home. The temperature is controlled by a sleek, wall-mounted controller in your living room or kitchen. The price range varies, the cost for ducted installation in a three bedroom home will be dependent on the amount of windows and level of installation.
Multi unit system
A multi unit system includes multiple indoor units connected to just one outdoor unit, usually the living area and a home office or master suite for example. It’s a great option for comfort across a couple of rooms if you don’t quite have the budget for a full ducted system, and the one outdoor unit means the back of your house still looks neat and tidy.
The inside unit size will depend on the factors above and is connected to one outside unit that sits tucked away outside somewhere suitable.
Single heat pump
A great option for rentals or your first home, our single heat pumps are fantastic for efficiently heating or cooling your main living area and are a more budget friendly option for a comfy home. The inside unit size will depend on the factors discussed above and is connected to an outside unit tucked away in the best possible spot for your home.
It can take about 3-6 weeks from initial enquiry to having a system fully installed to get everything up and running. The sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to think about your options and get the right fit for your home. Give us a call and we’ll organise a time to assess your home and chat through the options.
There is a range of financing available with most of NZ’s major banks offering 0% or 1% interest rates on Healthy Home Loans. We talk about the options here.
