Evaporative air conditioning is growing in popularity throughout Australia. More and more installation services are being required due to the demand. It is not surprising due to the fact that evaporative coolers are much cheaper to install, are environmentally friendly and they have lower running costs.
In this blog, we’re going to look at these units, how they work, what they’re benefits are and their potential drawbacks.
How Does An Evaporative Air Conditioner Work?
They work by drawing hot, external air through several “filter pads”. As hot air rises over these filter pads, water evaporates, and produces cooling and humidifies the unit. This new cool and moist air then travels throughout your home. As the cool air is delivered into your home through a number of vents, rooms in the home are cooled off and stagnant hot air gets cleared out. The air goes out of the home via windows and doors, allowing for a fresh cycle in the room.
The Benefits Of Evaporative Air Conditioning
- Low installation and running costs are the most significant benefits of having evaporative cooling in homes. This means that you can expect a lower initial setup cost and lowered energy bills down the line.
- If you’re an environmentally conscious person and consider your carbon footprint, these units are a great choice. Evaporative air conditioning emits fewer CO2 and produces no chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases.
- If you live in dry and hot environments, they’ll be a great investment as these conditions are favourable to being functioning.
The Running Costs Of Evaporative Cooling
It is important to remember that these use both water and electricity. Here is an estimation of costs, based on how much electricity each unit uses. The actual costs will depend on how much cooling your unit provides, and the company pricing structure you go for.
- Portable units uses up to 3 cents per hour
- Window and wall-mounted systems use between 6 and 7 cents per hour
- Ducted units ( about medium size) uses anything between 12 and 28 cents per hour
How Much Water Do The Use?
- Water usage in evaporative air conditioning units depend on the system you install. However, the humidity of the air and fan speed you select will affect water consumption.
- Smaller and portable systems can use around 4 litres of water each hour and larger central units can use up to 25 litres per hour.
- With ducted evaporative air conditioners water is refreshed regularly so these systems have a higher water consumption rate. Make sure you speak to your local evaporative air conditioning installer for all the details.
Factors To Consider When Choosing Evaporative Air Conditioning
- A draw-back when choosing evaporative air conditioning is the possibility that your system works optimally when windows and doors are left open. This is primarily so that cool air can flow through your home for regular influxes of cool, fresh air.
- In order for the evaporative cooler to be effective, it might need you to live in a humid area. The unit requires the outside air to be humid because the humidity will allow the water to evaporate from the pads.
- Make sure you find out if your building be ventilated during cooling because direct evaporative units cannot adequately work if there’s using up air from the conditioned area to the outside. This will only lead to moisture building up in those areas.
- Another important thing to consider is maintenance required for your unit. Evaporative air conditioning are easier to maintain than other cooling alternatives. However, there are specific maintenance requirements you need to look at before choosing your system.
Water distribution headers need to be cleared and flushed routinely to remove dirt and debris.
Water treatment is essential when using evaporative cooling. The quality of the water will determine the treatment needed.
Make sure you speak to your installer about these, prior to getting your system so that you can make an informed decision.
Let our expert installers at Kalamunda Plumbing take you through all you need to know about these units. If you are looking for evaporative air conditioning installations, we’re the right choice for your needs. Give us a call!
