Fitted Air conditioning
Discussion
1. Sounds expensive, 2 years ago had 3 units installed with 2 external units, 2 units downstairs, 1 upstairs, we are in a barn conversion rather than house. Price was £3200 in NE Midlands. Even if you add on 2 days more labour for more complex install, routing, pipes etc then add inflation you still at £5k.
2. I didnt think I would use the heater function but do. In winter we spend most of our day in the office and its easier just 5 mins to warm the office up, than wait 30-45 mins for the whole house central heating to warm up. Same in the other rooms, much more flexible to heat the room your in.
So yes, I would definitely fit the AC ...wish I had done it years ago
2. I didnt think I would use the heater function but do. In winter we spend most of our day in the office and its easier just 5 mins to warm the office up, than wait 30-45 mins for the whole house central heating to warm up. Same in the other rooms, much more flexible to heat the room your in.
So yes, I would definitely fit the AC ...wish I had done it years ago
MrJuice said:
Flumpo said:
1- how much?!
2- yes use it to heat, quicker than heating the same space with gas central heating, however it’s also much more expensive.
My AC guy said it's cheaper. Because of efficiency yadda yadda2- yes use it to heat, quicker than heating the same space with gas central heating, however it’s also much more expensive.
He's a lecturer in AC and refrigeration in commercial settings so I believe what he says. That said, mines not installed yet so I'm not sure how it feels for a room to be heated via AC Vs UFH. Both new to me and neither operational yet.
Although this has to be heavily caveated in that I don’t like being cold. My Panasonic unit was running on a low setting 22 hours a day when it was -6 last week. It was about £6 a day vs about £8 a day to run the central heating for the whole house on a much higher temp, which also wasn’t on all day.
Yeah that Quote is crazy but not unlike the one we got from our local supplier...
£5k would be expensive tbh considering it sounds like you're at the perfect stage to have it all installed and not worry about mess / making good etc.
Whatever you do, make sure you have the electrics in place to add at a later date but you can also consider running the pipe work internally which is nicer than having loads of conduit on the outside of the house - we did this and the only downside is a bit of noise from the pipe work which again, you can account for with insulation if you're doing a full renovation.
Heating - Yep, second year I've used ours for 'top-up' heating and works really well and heat is almost instant! I currently have it in the home office and just turn on and off as required and also in a master bedroom, I turn on before I jump in the shower so I'm not cold getting dressed as the central heatings usually not been on that long, it also helps to remove some of the steam from the shower too.
As others have said, it's a nice to have but not something I'd want to be without now, even if not used every week of the year. I may get another 1 or 2 units fitted this year.
£5k would be expensive tbh considering it sounds like you're at the perfect stage to have it all installed and not worry about mess / making good etc.
Whatever you do, make sure you have the electrics in place to add at a later date but you can also consider running the pipe work internally which is nicer than having loads of conduit on the outside of the house - we did this and the only downside is a bit of noise from the pipe work which again, you can account for with insulation if you're doing a full renovation.
Heating - Yep, second year I've used ours for 'top-up' heating and works really well and heat is almost instant! I currently have it in the home office and just turn on and off as required and also in a master bedroom, I turn on before I jump in the shower so I'm not cold getting dressed as the central heatings usually not been on that long, it also helps to remove some of the steam from the shower too.
As others have said, it's a nice to have but not something I'd want to be without now, even if not used every week of the year. I may get another 1 or 2 units fitted this year.
I'll add my 2p and perhaps controversially claim that whilst the price doesn't sound high, I do think it's reflective of what is available at the moment.
I had AC fitted earlier this year (just after the June heatwave so doh!) and for 4 AC units (2 living room, 2 bedroom) plus 2 wall mounted units, I paid £8k for the AC install and £1.2k for the electrics. People will claim that is high, but I couldn't get anyone to do it for less and it was done by a company recommended on this thread who I would whole heartedly recommend so it's perhaps the price for peace of mind. Electrics were a bit fiddly as unit is under the stairs and needed to be routed outside but they did it without complaint or later requests for more money, etc etc
I wouldn't be without them, and now regret not having the other 2 bedrooms fitted. The few days you use the AC makes the world of difference (particularly with a young child). Our bedrooms are east facing, so don't get as warm but with a modern south facing build, I'd expect you're going to have heat traps.
Re heating - it's a godsend for when you want to heat just individual rooms and/or need quick heat for short periods. We use it in the nursery to warm up for bath time / changing nappies - it's instant and nice and warm (dont' need to leave it on for long) and if we're sleeping, avoids us heating the whole house just to keep our rooms warm. Has so far saved a bit on CH (gas bills have been not too far off summer use for only hot water usage) as we also have smart TRVs in various rooms so they monitor when empty/heat not needed vs rest of the house.
I don't expect to 'recover' my spend on the AC (maybe on sale who knows) but it has made life infinitely more comfortable on the really hot days and for those times i need the room to be warm quickly.
I'd say go for it if the £5k isn't a problem re overall budget (and if you've spoken to one or two other recommended supplier and the figures all come in around the same).
I had AC fitted earlier this year (just after the June heatwave so doh!) and for 4 AC units (2 living room, 2 bedroom) plus 2 wall mounted units, I paid £8k for the AC install and £1.2k for the electrics. People will claim that is high, but I couldn't get anyone to do it for less and it was done by a company recommended on this thread who I would whole heartedly recommend so it's perhaps the price for peace of mind. Electrics were a bit fiddly as unit is under the stairs and needed to be routed outside but they did it without complaint or later requests for more money, etc etc
I wouldn't be without them, and now regret not having the other 2 bedrooms fitted. The few days you use the AC makes the world of difference (particularly with a young child). Our bedrooms are east facing, so don't get as warm but with a modern south facing build, I'd expect you're going to have heat traps.
Re heating - it's a godsend for when you want to heat just individual rooms and/or need quick heat for short periods. We use it in the nursery to warm up for bath time / changing nappies - it's instant and nice and warm (dont' need to leave it on for long) and if we're sleeping, avoids us heating the whole house just to keep our rooms warm. Has so far saved a bit on CH (gas bills have been not too far off summer use for only hot water usage) as we also have smart TRVs in various rooms so they monitor when empty/heat not needed vs rest of the house.
I don't expect to 'recover' my spend on the AC (maybe on sale who knows) but it has made life infinitely more comfortable on the really hot days and for those times i need the room to be warm quickly.
I'd say go for it if the £5k isn't a problem re overall budget (and if you've spoken to one or two other recommended supplier and the figures all come in around the same).
Similar to xerawh above, we had AC units put in 4 rooms, split between 2 external units installed this summer (also just after the hot spell!).
We are in the East Mids area and paid £5,500 for the following, plus £335 for the electrician.
Living kitchen diner - Mitsubishi MSZ-HR50VF 5kW wall mount unit
Master Bed - Mitsubishi MSZ-HR25VF 2.5kW wall mount unit
Side external wall - Mitsubishi MXZ-2HA50VF2 5kW Condenser
Kids Bed 1 - Mitsubishi MSZ-HR25VF 2.5kW wall mount unit
Kids Bed 2 - Mitsubishi MSZ-HR25VF 2.5kW wall mount unit
Rear external wall - Mitsubishi MXZ-2HA40VF2 4kW Condenser
Lynx AC did it for us and were great throughout, well recommended. My parents and their neighbour also had them in for their houses on our recommendation, and they also gave top advice and installs for them too.
On the point of whether or not you need AC... no you don't, but it makes summer a lot more comfortable, and gives you another option for heating in the ways others have mentioned. I wouldn't want it to be my primary heat source, but its nice to have it as a backup or for quick heat in one room. If you can afford it and can see yourself living there for a good while yet, then go for it. Your quote is definitely high though, so I would get one or two more before committing.
We are in the East Mids area and paid £5,500 for the following, plus £335 for the electrician.
Living kitchen diner - Mitsubishi MSZ-HR50VF 5kW wall mount unit
Master Bed - Mitsubishi MSZ-HR25VF 2.5kW wall mount unit
Side external wall - Mitsubishi MXZ-2HA50VF2 5kW Condenser
Kids Bed 1 - Mitsubishi MSZ-HR25VF 2.5kW wall mount unit
Kids Bed 2 - Mitsubishi MSZ-HR25VF 2.5kW wall mount unit
Rear external wall - Mitsubishi MXZ-2HA40VF2 4kW Condenser
Lynx AC did it for us and were great throughout, well recommended. My parents and their neighbour also had them in for their houses on our recommendation, and they also gave top advice and installs for them too.
On the point of whether or not you need AC... no you don't, but it makes summer a lot more comfortable, and gives you another option for heating in the ways others have mentioned. I wouldn't want it to be my primary heat source, but its nice to have it as a backup or for quick heat in one room. If you can afford it and can see yourself living there for a good while yet, then go for it. Your quote is definitely high though, so I would get one or two more before committing.
Edited by Daaaveee on Friday 8th December 16:59
Heat pumps are great for raising/lowering the air temperature a few degrees.
What they are useless at is providing comfort when it's cold outside.
Wafting warm air around at head level does not warm the furniture or the floor, as well as being draughty (which feels uncomfortable when trying to get warm)
Heating is NOT the opposite of cooling.
Ideal heating is warming the floor with no draughts - ideal cooling is a good blast of cold air.
In Brisbane for a few days, fortunately my daughter has this big air con unit as outside is like a furnace...well over 30 every day.
Flumpo said:
I can only tell you how much mine costs to run based on smart meter readings, but heating my whole house with gas central heating is cheaper than heating the much smaller extension for the same time period through the AC. If I was heating a whole house through the AC it would be astronomical I would imagine.
Although this has to be heavily caveated in that I don’t like being cold. My Panasonic unit was running on a low setting 22 hours a day when it was -6 last week. It was about £6 a day vs about £8 a day to run the central heating for the whole house on a much higher temp, which also wasn’t on all day.
Gas is circa 7p/kWh, electric circa 28p/kWh. So assuming your boiler is condensing then you need a heat pump COP better than 3.5 to be in the same ball park. It's not unachievable but depends on many factors.Although this has to be heavily caveated in that I don’t like being cold. My Panasonic unit was running on a low setting 22 hours a day when it was -6 last week. It was about £6 a day vs about £8 a day to run the central heating for the whole house on a much higher temp, which also wasn’t on all day.
gangzoom said:
The main debate we are not sure about is do we really NEED AC.
For me the two big benefits of AC have been:- When working in the summer, either working-at-home or just doing non-paid paperwork of the sort that we all have, not getting distracted by the uncomfortable climate in the room and just concentrating on the task is great.
- Trying to sleep. The AC gives a constant climate through the night with quite reasonable cost and being able to sleep without uncomfortable summer heat or noise through an open window is brilliant.
Regarding cost, there’s a big difference between £7k and £10k so you need a cost breakdown. If you have long pipe runs and awkward electric cabling those will bump up the cost, so £7k could be OK whereas £10k would be harder to justify. Also depends where you are in the country as anything in the south east carries a cost premium.
Got the quotes, much more sensible now that we have stud walls in and the aircon chaps can see the layout properly.
Two upstairs bed rooms will have two separate units, 4.5 and 3.5KW units, condensor will install outside in a none visually obvious part of the house. 5 year warranty included. £3200 installed.
Seems sensible/similar to figures quoted here.
Two upstairs bed rooms will have two separate units, 4.5 and 3.5KW units, condensor will install outside in a none visually obvious part of the house. 5 year warranty included. £3200 installed.
Seems sensible/similar to figures quoted here.
gangzoom said:
Got the quotes, much more sensible now that we have stud walls in and the aircon chaps can see the layout properly.
Two upstairs bed rooms will have two separate units, 4.5 and 3.5KW units, condensor will install outside in a none visually obvious part of the house. 5 year warranty included. £3200 installed.
Seems sensible/similar to figures quoted here.
Not sure what units you're getting but Seems a good price.Two upstairs bed rooms will have two separate units, 4.5 and 3.5KW units, condensor will install outside in a none visually obvious part of the house. 5 year warranty included. £3200 installed.
Seems sensible/similar to figures quoted here.
Thought I’d update this thread - installed the Eletriq iqool 12000 btu last year.
Worked really well to keep the garden room/gym cool during the summer.
Negative: It really struggles to heat the room up when outdoor temps are below 5C
Example - turned it on 45min ago to warm the room up before I use it. Was 8C, now 14. Air from unit is not particularly warm now - definitely not the 30C it’s set to.
Thought I’d update for anyone considering buying one. I don’t mind as it takes the edge off and it’s a garden room so not in constant use. But I’d be annoyed if I needed to use it as a primary source of heat daily.
ukwill said:
Thought I’d update this thread - installed the Eletriq iqool 12000 btu last year.
Worked really well to keep the garden room/gym cool during the summer.
Negative: It really struggles to heat the room up when outdoor temps are below 5C
Example - turned it on 45min ago to warm the room up before I use it. Was 8C, now 14. Air from unit is not particularly warm now - definitely not the 30C it’s set to.
Thought I’d update for anyone considering buying one. I don’t mind as it takes the edge off and it’s a garden room so not in constant use. But I’d be annoyed if I needed to use it as a primary source of heat daily.
They’re optimised for cooling, and as such are compromised when in heating mode. Being all in one units forces small heat exchangers which aren’t able to extract sufficient heat energy from the ambient air given the comparatively small temperature delta’s they need to work at compared to cooling mode.Worked really well to keep the garden room/gym cool during the summer.
Negative: It really struggles to heat the room up when outdoor temps are below 5C
Example - turned it on 45min ago to warm the room up before I use it. Was 8C, now 14. Air from unit is not particularly warm now - definitely not the 30C it’s set to.
Thought I’d update for anyone considering buying one. I don’t mind as it takes the edge off and it’s a garden room so not in constant use. But I’d be annoyed if I needed to use it as a primary source of heat daily.
ukwill said:
Air from unit is not particularly warm now - definitely not the 30C it’s set to.
.
The 30 degrees is a thermostat setting, NOTHING to do with the temperature of the air coming out..
As long as the defrosting is working correctly (outdoor unit should defrost every half hour), not much else you can do.
You have a course now worked out that small high wall heat pumps aren't very good as a form of central heating.
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