Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation 1 Jan 14, 2016 9:52 pm Hi there, We are not far off commencing construction of our new (forever) home and I have got 4 quotes from AC suppliers in my area for installation during the construction. Our builders are happy for contractors to come onsite during construction to install ducted AC, which is a bonus for us. My problem is I really know not much about air con, what brands are better, appropriate unit for our house etc etc so I am seeking some opinions and advice. The house is about 280sqm (plus alfresco & garage but they wont be air conditioned) The 4 suppliers have each recommended a different brand unit with basic details as follows, - Actron Air (4-19kw) ESP Platinum + single phase (3 zones/11 outlets) - Daikin- Singkle phase standard inverter (7.3-15.5kw) (7 zones/10 outlets) - Mitsubishi Electric- Premium Inverter + wifi (3 zones/ 7 outlets) - Toshiba- 14kw (3 zones/ 8 outlets) Does anyone have any experience or recommendations with which units will be best? Quoted prices are all within the budget, just want to get advice on what may be the best type of unit. Thanks Re: Wanting opinions on Ducted AC for new home build. 2Jan 15, 2016 10:09 pm We have decided on an Actron system. House including garage and alfresco is about 370sqm. Really like that they seem to work really well on those hot hot aussie days. Re: Wanting opinions on Ducted AC for new home build. 3Jan 15, 2016 10:34 pm Aussie141414 We have decided on an Actron system. House including garage and alfresco is about 370sqm. Really like that they seem to work really well on those hot hot aussie days. Which Actron model and how many KW? Also where in Australia are you? Re: Wanting opinions on Ducted AC for new home build. 4Jan 15, 2016 11:27 pm I think you should get another quote from another supplier with the Aircon system that you've settled with, one to pick their brain and make sure they've quoted you correctly. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=75739&p=1299716#p1299716 Re: Wanting opinions on Ducted AC for new home build. 5Jan 18, 2016 10:39 am Those are all quite reputable brands, but the systems differ quite a bit. The Actron unit would be somewhat more expensive. The big selling point of Actron is that they they are scalable, and have a variable speed indoor fan unit that can cope right down to only one or two outlets on at once. Most of the other units will want around at least half of the outlets on at any time. So Actron can be good if just need too keep one room cool often. But they way they have it configured with only 3 zones suggests it won't be set up to take advantage of this feature anyhow. The Daikin is also historically a better brand name than Mitsubishi or Toshiba, though the talk now is that there isn't much between them. The downside with Daikin is that the inverter doesn't have as wide a range as the others. The minimum power of 7.3kW means it has to cycle in and out more under light loading, so the outlet temperature cycles more depending on whether the compressor is running or not at the time. There's a significant difference between 7 outlets and 11 outlets, so you should think about how many outlets is best for your design. Also have a think about how many zones will be useful. Our house has a zone for every outlet, and it helps give the flexibility to turn off any outlet arbitrarily - such as over the kitchen while preparing food, or over dining area while eating etc.. To some extent you can "turn off" a room anyhow without a zone motor by just closing the door, but some air will still flow under the door. You could try to work out some use cases, to work out which areas of the house need to be cooled at any given time. Factor in load shedding, and try to identify which areas could be left off in the hottest of days, and make sure your zoning allows that. But bear in mind that there always has to be a cool air path back to the return-air vent, so you can't effectively turn off the area that contains the return air vent, or any areas between that and any cooled rooms. Re: Wanting opinions on Ducted AC for new home build. 6Jan 18, 2016 10:44 am Thanks oneJohn for all your great insight. Im not familiar with the workings of these types of things so some knowledgeable contributions if very much appreciated. I will look more into the Actron unit to see if perhaps I can change to some more zones to improve the level of flexibility with which zones we have on. Thanks again Re: Wanting opinions on Ducted AC for new home build. 7Jan 18, 2016 9:27 pm Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Actron are arguably the top 3. Actron I believe are mostly Australian made which may give you a warm fuzzy feeling to know you're supporting our struggling manufacturing sector. Building Services Engineer Renovating our 1960's modernist home in Brisbane https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=82091 Re: Wanting opinions on Ducted AC for new home build. 8Jan 22, 2016 1:30 pm Think we have decided on thw actron unit. Bit more expensive upfront though they claim to have significantly lower running costs with their ESP platinum system. Hopefully it will all work out ok Re: Wanting opinions on Ducted AC for new home build. 9Mar 02, 2016 3:59 pm i went with actron add on in victoria,and a independent small business operator whom is used around geelong by others for hard jobs recommended Actron and also brivis add on, said doesn,t have many jobs repairing these brands,and are as good or better.i,m extremly happy with my ac and heating. Can anyone recommend a good/affordable retaining wall and fence builder that I can get a quote from located in Sydney? 8 45786 If you are in Victoria you have a statutory right to your own building inspector regardless of builder's consent. No negotiations are required. However the builder will… 1 2925 Hi all, sorting out the ducted air con for a 350sqm double story house. Does this placement sound reasonable to you? Also, I plan to have 6 zones I think. Living room… 0 0 |