How to Choose the Right Air-Conditioner For Your Home

Buying and installing an air-conditioning system for your home is a big decision that usually involves thousands of dollars. You will also be using the system to serve your cooling needs for years to come. So, it is very important that you do not make the wrong choice and get an unsuitable system that may cause more problems than it solves down the road.

To help you make the right choice, we have compiled a simple guide here to discuss the differences and advantages of the different systems available on the market now.

1. Different types of air-conditioners

Air-cons perform 3 basic functions:

• Produce cold air to lower overall temperatures
• Remove moisture from the air to lower humidity
• Filter the air to provide clean breathable environment

There are also 3 basic types of air-conditioner units or systems:

• Window or Casement units

Window or Casement units are affordable and easy to install. They were also very popular in Singapore for a period of time. They provide decent cooling and are compatible with the sliding windows on most HDB flats. They have since gone out of fashion due to limited cooling power and efficiency.

• Freestanding (Portable) units

Freestanding units are portable and can be moved around the house quite conveniently. They come with a venting kit that exhausts warm air out of the window. Most of them also come with reservoirs that needs to be emptied regularly. They are usually used to cool only very small areas and can be bulky and heavy. They were never very popular due to being even less efficient than window units.

• Multi-split systems

By far the most popular type of air-conditioning in hot and humid Singapore. Multi-split systems come with a central compressor installed outside the house and indoor blower units that cools rooms efficiently. Innovations in technology also make them the most efficient cooling systems measured by power consumption.

2. Cooling capacity and BTUs

The easiest way to measure cooling efficiency is by the individual unit’s ‘BTU’ or British Thermal Units. The BTU rating is basically the number that tells you how quickly and efficiently a unit can cool a room. Choosing the right BTU for your room size will ensure you get the most efficient cooling system for your needs.

The following list breaks down the most suitable BTU ratings for common room types in Singapore:

• 9k BTU – 15sqm to 18sqm (HDB/Condo Common rooms)
• 12k BTU – 20sqm to 24sqm (HDB/Condo Master rooms)
• 18k BTU – 30sqm to 36sqm (4 room flat Living rooms)
• 22k/24k BTU – 40sqm to 44sqm (5 room flat/ Condo Living rooms)

Apart from the size of the room that requires cooling, you also need to take into consideration factors such as ceiling height, room insulation, sun exposure, location and the room’s functions and occupancy rates.

For rooms with excessive direct sunlight, choose a unit with 10% more BTU than required. If you’re placing a unit in the kitchen, choose one with roughly 4k BTU above the requirements. If a room that is regularly occupied by more than 1 person, add an additional 600 BTU per person.

3. Energy efficiency rating

In Singapore, all air-conditioning systems, refrigerators, dryers, televisions and lamps need to be registered under NEA’s ‘Tick-Rating system’. The ratings range from 1-tick being the least energy efficient, to 5-ticks which is the highest energy efficiency rating available. Most air-conditioning systems fall under the 3-tick rating with a few models getting a 4-tick accreditation.

A higher tick rating means that the system draws less power to perform a similar task, therefore translating to lower greenhouse emissions, and lower power bills at the end of the month. To give an illustration of how much difference tick ratings make on your wallet, we look at the following example:

A Daikin 1-tick non invertor system 4 (Model: MA56EV16) annual energy cost = $1345.

A Daikin 3-ticks inverter system 4 (Model: 4MKS80FSG) annual energy cost = $767.

That’s a saving of $578 a year!!!

This guide just lays out some of the major considerations you need to take into account when shopping for a suitable air-conditioning system for your home. There are other factors to consider, such as routing of pipes and trunking, interior design cohesion, and other small details you might not have thought of.

The professional specialist team at Air Connection Design Pte Ltd have years of experience helping home owners like yourself choose and install the MOST SUITABLE air-conditioning system for your home.

If you are thinking of getting a brand new air-conditioning system or upgrading your old units, make an appointment with the specialist team from Air Connection Design Pte Ltd for a FREE on-site survey.

Within 1 short hour, you will find out:

• The air-conditioning system MOST SUITED to your NEEDS
• The BEST locations in the house to install blower units to ensure optimal COOLING EFFICIENCY
• The MOST IDEAL way to install the system with LEAST DISRUPTION to your existing décor

All for FREE!!!

Get in touch with us NOW!! We are more than glad to be of service to you!!