Energy-Efficient Features to Consider for Your Ducted Reverse-Cycle Air Conditioner

Modern ducted air conditioners offer so many features, that's it hard to know which to pick. Remember, though, that after you've paid for the initial installation, you'll have ongoing costs. To trim down those continuing expenses, consider the following options.

Inverter Technology

Inverter technology handles the way your air conditioner runs to reach the temperature that you've set on the thermostat. A non-inverter model will stop once the target is achieved. The room will then cool and drop below the desired climate, which will trigger the air conditioner to resume. This automatic switching from on to off uses extra energy, and the room temperature rises and dips in line with this type of operation. 

An inverter model does not simply start or stop. Instead, it speeds up and slows down to reach the thermostat temperature. This smooth operation uses less energy and keeps the room temperature more constant.

Multi-Zone Control

The more control you have over the different rooms in your home — with a multi-zone feature — the more you'll be able to fine-tune their heating and cooling. For example, you could reduce energy going to a spare bedroom that's not being used or to an empty study or games area. While cooking in the kitchen, you can turn off the heating entirely. Having alternatives will help prevent you expending heating and cooling unnecessarily. Various models carve up zones in different ways — the more options and control they offer, the more you can customise your home climate.

Motion Sensors

Zoned control provides options over the way the air conditioning ducts disperse air around your home. But you have to set it up to run as you prefer. For an even more subtle approach, you could install a system with motion sensors. 

Sensors are fixed at different places in the room, and the system will sense any movement. After a predetermined time of stillness, the unit will react. What it does will depend on the particular model. Some change the target temperature a degree or two up or down, depending on whether on cooling or heating. Other systems switch to economy mode. Thus, you won't be in the position of suddenly remembering that the air conditioner has been on in the home gym that you left hours earlier.

Motion sensors respond to specific behaviour rather than daily patterns so that if you, for once, leave the home office for a lunch break, the ducted air conditioning will not expend the same amount of energy as if you were in the room. This saves you from having to remember to change the settings manually. Over time, with such targeted cooling and heating, you'll use less energy and reduce costs. 

Contact a ducted air conditioning contractor to learn more.

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