When considering home improvements you may not have thought about air conditioning. In America air conditioning is very common and in many parts of the country where the temperatures can frequently soar, life would be intolerable without it. We may think that air conditioning is something that is suitable for offices, hotels and public buildings, but air conditioning can also be installed in a small flat or house. Areas in a house that typically become uncomfortably hot during summer are bedrooms, kitchens, conservatories and lounges.

Air conditioners typically work by using a refrigerant to move heat from inside a building to the outside. The refrigerant goes through an evaporation cycle and a condensing cycle. During the evaporation cycle the refrigerant is absorbing heat from the air inside the house whilst in the condensing cycle it releases this heat to the air outside the house. Pumps are required to circulate the refrigerant and a compressor unit compresses the refrigerant at the start of the cycle. Fans are also installed to create air flow inside the house and in some cases to disperse the heat from the external condenser unit. Older systems are not particularly environmentally friendly, but newer systems have improved.

For many years air conditioning was considered to be too expensive and too obtrusive to be used in domestic homes. However, modern systems have changed that opinion. Modern air conditioning systems are much smaller, and they also cost a lot less. There are many different types of air conditioners, but perhaps the most common is what is known as the split type air conditioner. This type has an indoor and outdoor section with cables and pipes that connect the two. A temperature sensor in the room detects changes in room temperature and switches the cooling or heating on and off. The units can be low wall mounted, high wall mounted, ceiling mounted or suspended from the ceiling. Customers can choose from a range of modern designs.

With some new systems customers can also save money on their electricity bills. This is because the system can be used to control the climate, heating rooms by extracting heat from the outside air or cooling rooms by reversing the process. These air source heat pumps are very energy efficient and are very popular in Scandinavia and North America. Such systems may also attract a discount from the government as they help to reduce a household’s carbon footprint.