Air Con Suggestions

When you say in every room of the house does that require both the internal unit and external unit for each room, or is there a system where you have one external unit feeding multiple internal units?

edit - googled it myself, you can get multi units system. Nice.
 
Love the idea about split air, it does make sense but I do wonder if its worth the overall cost to have it installed vs long term use since when its hot in summer its only for a few weeks, I mean there is that point where its unbearable like 28-30c like this week ! but then in few weeks time it could be raining and damp again its British weather at its best.

For now I do a similar effect, windows all open with pegs on nets to stop wasp and spiders from getting in followed by a simple fan 16" standing fan in hallway or in-between door pushing any hot air out directly out the window. So its drawing cool air in from another open area or window and pushing the hot air out the window on the other end.

Yes not quite the same system but its working well and doing the trick, guess its all about ditching the hot air and replacing it with cooler air and air flow.

Most of us sweaty gorillas have probably just slammed a fan in the middle of room and switched in on !
 
whats everyones setup for the usual 6 foot of 6" hose coming out of those portables? Do you get a longer one and run it out a window???
 
As a sideways option fit a ceiling fan, made a major difference to my life and sleeping through the summer is no problem at all, couldn't live without one now. I've got one in the bedroom and one in the lounge.
 
R3X said:
Love the idea about split air, it does make sense but I do wonder if its worth the overall cost to have it installed vs long term use since when its hot in summer its only for a few weeks, I mean there is that point where its unbearable like 28-30c like this week ! but then in few weeks time it could be raining and damp again its British weather at its best.
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You are ignoring the other aspects of an inverter heat pump.
  • They also pump heat into the house at a 300% efficiency rating (meaning they pump 3KW of heat into the house for every 1KW of power consumed) - Big savings over my existing 100% efficient electrical system, one third of the cost! 11p/KWH translates to a useful energy heat unit costing equivalent of 3.66p.
  • They also dehumidify, so your example of in a few weeks it be raining and damp (ie, high humidity), you can now control the humidity inside the house resulting in it being much more comfortable.
  • The bonus too is obviously the cooling aspect as they can pump heat both in and out - so stable all year round.
Our system will be used all year round, hot or cold, damp or dry :)
 
Depends on the brand - not much really, approx £500-1000/per 12000BTU (each interior is 12000). (You would need to use a BTU AC calculator to work out your required BTU).

Small investment for the benefits. The tricky bit is getting the installation neat and finding somewhere discrete to house the exterior unit(s).
 
Jez said:
The tricky bit is getting the installation neat and finding somewhere discrete to house the exterior unit(s).
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Is there a limit to the length of pipework? I could have the exterior unit at the end of the garden but it would mean 30 metres of pipework.
 
Kol said:
Is there a limit to the length of pipework? I could have the exterior unit at the end of the garden but it would mean 30 metres of pipework.
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I would imagine that the units will specify a maximum pipe run. That said, 30m wouldn't be as long as i would imagine a lot of commercial buildings would require, so i am sure that it can be accommodated. I think the units have this sort of into in their technical specs.
 
Thanks @Jez - for me, the real draw is not only the ability to both cool and heat but to reduce humidity. That's what irritates me the most.
 
Yep thats a big draw for me too, another big one for me being that i live in an area with no gas. Currently my options are oil, lpg, or direct electric which is clean but expensive. These inverters are even cheaper to run than a mains gas boiler so its just perfect for heating.
 
my 12000 btu portable can only drop the room by 5-6C, will be getting a permanent split unit soon (Mitsubishi probably)
 
Jez said:
You are ignoring the other aspects of an inverter heat pump.
  • They also pump heat into the house at a 300% efficiency rating (meaning they pump 3KW of heat into the house for every 1KW of power consumed) - Big savings over my existing 100% efficient electrical system, one third of the cost! 11p/KWH translates to a useful energy heat unit costing equivalent of 3.66p.
  • They also dehumidify, so your example of in a few weeks it be raining and damp (ie, high humidity), you can now control the humidity inside the house resulting in it being much more comfortable.
  • The bonus too is obviously the cooling aspect as they can pump heat both in and out - so stable all year round.
Our system will be used all year round, hot or cold, damp or dry :)
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Some of the modern mini-splits have a COP as high as 4:1, so 400% efficiency. Obviously this is dependent on circumstances..

If you have Solar PV on the property as well, you can take the 1kW of solar generated and turn it into 3-4kW of Heating/cooling. Thats free, as you are using on-site generated power (ie your heating/cooling is falling from the sky!)
 
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Wow, i didnt realise that some were as efficient as that. I'll have to be careful before ordering and check all of the specs. :)
 
Jez said:
Wow, i didnt realise that some were as efficient as that. I'll have to be careful before ordering and check all of the specs. :)
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Its not just about the unit, installation is important... Insulation of all the pipework, correct setup, good locating of the compressor unit, attention to detail on the little thing..etc etc.

And, as always, the biggest impact is how well insulated and sealed your room/property is... Insulate insulate insulate!!!
 
samcat said:
Its not just about the unit, installation is important... Insulation of all the pipework, correct setup, good locating of the compressor unit, attention to detail on the little thing..etc etc.

And, as always, the biggest impact is how well insulated and sealed your room/property is... Insulate insulate insulate!!!
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Just checked and the units i am looking at are an SCOP of 3.8, much better than i thought. Wow, even cheaper to run, then. I have to wonder why this isnt the default heating method for most houses in the UK to be honest.
 
Jez said:
Just checked and the units i am looking at are an SCOP of 3.8, much better than i thought. Wow, even cheaper to run, then. I have to wonder why this isnt the default heating method for most houses in the UK to be honest.
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What do you use to heat your water at the moment? I guess for me, despite having a garden in London, space is at a premium so a boiler which can heat my home and my water is a good space saver.
 
Kol said:
What do you use to heat your water at the moment? I guess for me, despite having a garden in London, space is at a premium so a boiler which can heat my home and my water is a good space saver.
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A large pressurised cylinder (megaflo) with electric immersion elements. It can also be heated by the (electric) boiler elsewhere as a backup (this boiler used to be oil but it reached end of life and i hate oil).
 
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