When considering installing air conditioners in your home, you’ll need to take into account several factors, ranging from any natural ventilation your home benefits from, to floor plan, to Western sun in the afternoon and even the amount of natural shade from vegetation outside. Once you’ve decided that you need air conditioning, you should make sure you buy a system that is not only energy efficient but is sized and installed properly. Our qualified technicians and installers will be happy to help you with this work, in accordance with the provisions as laid out by Arctik and the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH).
One of the more important choices you’ll be faced with is that of whether to install a standard split system or an inverter split system, and to make the right choice you’ll need to know the difference between the two.
What is a Split System?
A split system uses two units working together: an inside unit and a ‘white box’ or compressor/ condensing unit outside. It works by expelling the hot air inside your house to the outside and replacing it with circulated cool air. Inside the system you’ll find a compressor, a fan, an evaporator coil, and refrigerant.
As well as controlling air circulation, a split system lets you control temperature, humidity, atmospheric moisture and cleanliness. An efficient system helps keep air clean by allowing you to keep your doors and windows closed – meaning you can wave goodbye to bugs and pollen indoors.
A standard split system has two speed settings on its compressor motor – that’s the part that drives the refrigerant through the whole system: full speed or off. When the room temperature reaches the desired level the motor switches off, and when it rises above that set temperature, the motor comes back on again.
An inverter split system is more efficient
An inverter split system regulates room temperature by graduating the speed of the compressor motor, a little like using the accelerator on your car to remain at a constant speed. And just like using an accelerator wisely, an inverter system uses less power than a standard system constantly coming on and off. In fact, an inverter split system uses around 30% less energy than a standard fixed speed split system.
Other benefits of inverter split systems
It’s not just the lower energy use that distinguish inverter split systems from standard split systems.
- They are quieter, with the motor cruising rather than clunking in and out of action noisily.
- Working less hard, the internal parts suffer less wear and tear, meaning longer life and lower servicing costs.
When making the choice between these two types of split systems, it’s easy to see why so many homeowners decide on an inverter split system.