Which Air Conditioner is Best for Your Home?

When it comes to cooling your home, there are many options available. From window units to ducted air conditioning, each type of air conditioner has its own advantages and disadvantages. But which one is the best for your home?Multisplit units are the most energy-efficient type of air conditioner. This system works with multiple indoor air conditioners using a single external compressor.

This is a great option if you have many rooms in the house, as you won't need to buy an outdoor unit for each one. Ducted air conditioning, also known as central air conditioning, is another efficient option. This system includes a large compressor on the outside of the building, an internal evaporative unit, and ducts that carry the air conditioning to several rooms through the ventilation grilles. However, this type of system requires some significant alterations to your home and tends to have a high upfront cost. When choosing an air conditioner, it's important to select a model with an adequate capacity or slightly higher than what you need.

For example, if you want to cool a 20 m² room for your little nipper, you should choose a unit between 2.0 and 2.5 kW. We recommend increasing the size slightly and opting for the 2.5 kW model. The noise level of an air conditioner is usually measured in decibels (dBA). Most standard units operate between 40 and 60 dBA. To put this into context, watching the news at an average volume produces around 60 dBA, and our normal indoor voices reach about 40 dBA.

So, if your air conditioner operates at 60 dBA, it could interfere with your conversations or your Netflix binge. The quietest units are between 19 and 24 decibels, comparable to the sound of a desk fan. The energy rating label is designed to help you choose a suitable product for your climate zone. Ratings are up to 10 stars for both heating and cooling; the more stars you have, the more energy efficient your air conditioner will be. Single-phase units with 10 to 14 kW are suitable for smaller homes, while three-phase systems with 10 to 20 kW are ideal for larger homes. These rugged systems can withstand outdoor temperatures up to 46°C and up to -20°C while reducing wasted operations and providing better performance and energy savings.

Fujitsu has been voted the most trusted brand in the air conditioning category for 3 consecutive years in Australia. Central air conditioning is the most efficient way to keep the whole house cool. You can expect lower energy bills along with better indoor comfort, cooler temperatures and lower humidity. With all air conditioning components located outside, you can stay cool with a virtually invisible silent system. If you have budget constraints, a window unit is the cheapest equipment option to add air conditioning to your home. Since Window air conditioners come in different sizes, they would be suitable if you are looking to cool a single room or a small area. Air conditioning installers must have one of two licenses issued by the Australian Refrigeration Council: either a full refrigeration and air conditioning license (RAC) or a restricted “split” license. Some common functions include voice control, Google Assistant and Alexa compatibility, i-Save mode to save preferred settings, long mode to distribute air more evenly throughout the room, and a blue fin condenser to slow down the corrosion process in the outdoor unit heat exchanger. The Australian Energy Foundation suggests using a fan in conjunction with the air conditioner to help circulate cold air, so there is no need to set the thermostat of the air conditioner so low. Split system residential air conditioners must meet minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) to be sold in Australia.

The previous rating method did not take into account the impact that climate has on air conditioning performance. One of the most energy-efficient cooling options for your home is an all-in-one heating and cooling unit that pumps warm air from inside your home to an outdoor cooling unit in summer and returns cool air to the interior. Known for its quality home electronics, Panasonic offers a wide selection of products to fit one-room, multi-room and whole-house air conditioning. But with all the brands, sizes and features on the market today, finding the “best” air conditioner can be difficult. This specification is not only applicable to smart ACs but also any type of air conditioner you are about to buy. Noise is another factor; most portable air conditioners have water reservoirs that you have to drain manually as the unit removes excess moisture from the air. To help keep a cool head when selecting an AC unit for your home or office, Canstar Blue asked more than 900 Australians for their opinion on the air conditioner they bought and installed over the past three years.

Lucy Ryan
Lucy Ryan

Passionate music buff. Total music expert. Passionate music expert. Baconaholic. Unapologetic burrito junkie. Hardcore music geek.