Split air conditioners offer more advantages

Living in a country like Indonesia that has a tropical climate, an air conditioner is a virtual necessity for homeowners.

First introduced and patented by Willis Carrier of the U.S. in 1906, air conditioners are now available in all different types and sizes.

The cost and efficiency of home air-conditioning systems varies. Basically, there are four types of air conditioners available in the market these days. They include the window unit, built-in window, central air-conditioning and the ductless split system.

The window unit is generally easy to install in any standard double-hung window, while the built-in window is an air conditioner unit that is installed into the wall.

Although built-in units normally consume more energy than window units, they offer more features like cool/heat selections, according to a buying guide at www.air-conditioners-advice.com

Central air-conditioning cools several rooms simultaneously through your home's ducts, but some systems can be noisy.

Duct-free split systems, or Split AC as they are commonly called, require professional installation, but this type of air conditioner offers silent, duct-free air-conditioning, which makes it quite suitable for home use.

Split ACs are quite popular in Asia, including Indonesia. The Split AC comprises an indoor unit and outdoor unit. In fact, the Split ACs dominate the country's air conditioner market.

The cooling capacity of an air conditioner is measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs) -- the amount of the heat that is processed per hour in the air conditioner.

Generally, the split air-conditioning systems sold in Indonesia have different sizes, including 0.5 PK (horsepower), 0.75 PK, 1 PK, 1.5 PK and 2.5 PK.

An air conditioner with 1 PK has the cooling capacity of 9,000 BTUs. For home use, the standard is 600 BTUs for each square meter. This means that a 1 PK air conditioner can cover a room the size of 15 square meters.

The most popular brands in the Split AC category in the Indonesian market are LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, Fujitsu and Daewoo. The standard size is between 0.5 and 1 PK and they sell for between Rp 1.6 million and Rp 2.5 million each.

Advantages

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ductless split air conditioners have numerous residential and commercial applications.

The most common residential applications are in multifamily housing or as retrofitted add-ons to houses with hydronic or other non-ducted distribution systems (radiant panels, wood stoves, etc.).

Installation in new additions, where extending or installing ductwork is not feasible, is also a popular application. Commercial uses are also numerous. Some applications include schools, perimeter cooling for office buildings, additional cooling for restaurant kitchens and cooling for small offices within larger spaces, such as arenas, warehouses and auditoriums.

Ductless split-system air conditioners combine the zoning flexibility of a conventional room unit (a single air conditioner installed through a wall or a window frame) with the whole-house cooling potential of central systems.

Like central systems, they have two main components: a compressor/condenser, as well as an air handling unit, which contains an evaporator and a fan.

Some units operate as heat pumps and provide both summer cooling and winter heating. The noisy compressor and condenser are housed as one unit and located outdoors. The quiet fan/evaporator unit is indoors, located in the area to be cooled.

A conduit, which houses the power cable, refrigerant tubing, suction tubing and condensate drain, links the outdoor and indoor units. The term, "split-system," also describes some central air conditioners and heat pumps. If you ask about ductless, split- system air conditioners, make sure the dealer understands which system you are talking about.

Another common term for ductless split-systems is "mini- splits".

The advantages of ductless split-systems over room and central air conditioners are: easy installation, quiet operation, versatility in zoning and design, and security, EPA says in its consumers guide posted at online airconditioner shop www.iapcooling.com.

The split systems also eliminate the loss of cool air as it passes through the ductwork. A key advantage of split systems is their ease of installation.

Hook-up requires only a 7.62-centimeter hole in the wall for the conduit. Unlike with central air-conditioning, you do not need ductwork. Since the compressor in most ductless split- systems is as much as 15.24 meters away from the indoor evaporator, it is usually possible to cool rooms on the front side of the house, while still hiding the compressor in a less conspicuous area.

The compressor units also fit well on flat commercial building rooftops. Ductless split-system air conditioners operate relatively quietly, since the compressor is outside and the evaporator unit's fan generally runs at a low speed.

Variable speed high efficiency fans are also available. By providing zone cooling, ductless split-system air conditioners save energy, since only the rooms that are occupied need to be cooled. A thermostat independently controls each zone.

Therefore, operating costs are often lower than those of central systems that cool every room, whether it is in use or not. If you cannot afford to purchase an air conditioner for the whole house, you can also buy the system one zone at a time. A single outdoor unit controls from one to four zones, depending on the size of the unit. Commercial buildings tend to use larger units.

Split-systems are also more secure than window units since there is only a small hole in the wall. -- The Jakarta Post