If you are considering a ducted air conditioning system for your home, you should also include a smart control in your scope to make your investment go a long way.

Given the significant investment that a ducted air conditioning system involves, you naturally expect it to last for a long time and keep you comfortable without running up a huge power bill.

These three considerations of reliability, running costs and comfort are important when purchasing a ducted air conditioning system, yet often overlooked. This is where smart air conditioning systems come into play.

Comfort

While energy efficiency is an important expectation, comfort is the overriding reason we buy an air conditioning system. The more expensive the air conditioner, the more comfortable we expect it to be; hence, if we buy a single room portable air conditioner, we can put up with some rudimentary if not non-existent temperature control, along with wearing ear-muffs before attempting to sleep in the same room. At the other end of the scale, the ducted air conditioning purchase comes with a significant expectation of superior quality and comfort.

Running Costs

A regular, non-smart air conditioning system uses a single thermostat in your hallway to control the entire system in the house. This can lead to uneven cooling across the house – cold in some rooms, hot in others. A smart air conditioning system incorporates a temperature sensor in each room of your home, to help you maintain the right level of comfort in any space. By not over-conditioning some rooms, you are helping redirect the conditioning where it’s needed, so that you reach your comfort level sooner and simultaneously save on your running costs.

Reliability

However, not all temperature sensors are created equal. If you are considering a smart air conditioning system, you will want to be sure that your sensors are reliable. Most of the room sensors these days are wireless, so you should know what kind of signal these sensors send, what language they speak and how often they communicate. True smart air conditioning control systems use robust communication means such as radio frequency (RF), and will communicate at least once per minute. Less robust methods of communication will cause missed signals leading to long time delays between signals, which will result in noticeable discomfort to the room’s occupants.

So it is evident that not all smart air conditioning control systems are created equal. So what else should you be looking for? Well, since buying a ducted air conditioning system could be considered similar to buying a car, let’s use some car terminology to explain this better.

Questions to ask before making a purchase

Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux are some of Australia’s most popular cars, while other brands really struggle. Neither Toyota Hilux nor Ford Ranger is the cheapest in their category, so there’s quite a big clue there. Both these vehicles are manufactured by organisations that have been around for a long time. They have a reputation for great design, excellent build quality, strong reliability in the field, and a huge support network behind them when they need repairs.

The same reasons work for your smart air conditioning system too. Therefore, ask:

  • Who is selling the system?
  • Who designed the system?
  • Who manufactured the system?
  • Where was it produced?
  • How long has that company been around?
  • How long have they been manufacturing smart control systems?
  • What kind of backup support is offered, and by who?

You get the drift. Simply buying the cheapest won’t necessarily save you money; in fact, it may cost you extra in the short and long term. Your goal should be to get the lowest total cost of ownership, which is achieved through a combination of your initial purchase price, running costs, repair costs and time to replacement costs. A smart air conditioning system will save you running costs, and a reputable smart air conditioning system will have fewer repairs and associated costs, and a longer time to replacement cost. Such a smart air conditioning control system will also give you the comfort that you expect relative to the size of your purchase, hence, providing you with the feeling of value in your big ticket purchase.

Advantage Air designs, manufactures, distributes and supports the market-leading MyAir smart air conditioning control system. MyAir has a reputation for reliability, ease of use and exceptional after sales support; therefore, adding a MyAir to your ducted air conditioning system is a sound investment in your comfort and also your home.