Find an Air Conditioning Engineer you can trust in Stevenston.

Are you planning to install a new climate control in your home or property? If yes, then there are a number of things you’d have to consider before making a financial commitment and that’s related to air conditioning planning permission. It’s crucial to equip yourself with the facts so as to avoid any hiccups along the ways and end up with an AC system that works well and complies with all relevant air conditioning regulations. In this post, we’re going to give you a good insight into planning permission for air conditioning in homes. Let’s take a look!

In general, majority of small air conditioning installations do not need planning permission. In other words, you don’t have to submit a planning permission application to install an air conditioning system in your home or property – if you want to, simply go ahead with it. However, there’s a need to ensure that your external air conditioning units meet some regulations. These regulations include:

• It isn’t bigger than 0.6m3
• It’s over a metre from the boundaries of any property
• It’s more than a metre away from the edge of a flat roof
• It shouldn’t be fitted on a pitched roof

In addition, you’d have to ensure that there isn’t a wind turbine on the property. For a more accurate information, it’s more advisable to reach out to your local authority for advice on air conditioning planning permission before installing your air conditioning unit. They’re in a much better position to advise you on how to ensure that your air conditioning complies with the relevant regulations as well as whether or not you’ll need a planning permission.
 

NO - as air conditioning systems use fluorinated gases as refrigerants, all work on them must be done by professionals holding valid F-Gas certification. There is a range of different qualifications and certifications that apply for this, so it's always best to ask someone who is qualified to do this.

We all know how helpful air conditioning systems can be especially during the hot summer season which is great at making your home feel nothing less than an inferno. So if you have an AC system, you’d probably want to know if leaving it on will be cheaper and more efficient.

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, leaving your air conditioning system on will make make it cheaper and more efficient. This isn’t what you or many other people will have in mind though. Under no circumstances should you leave you air conditioning system on full blast 24/7. To make your air conditioning system more efficient by leaving it on has a right and wrong way you can go about it. Let’s have a look!

If you’d ever noticed, any time you turn your air conditioner off during a very a hot day, even if it’s for just a couple of hours, things tend to get thrown out of balance pretty quickly. When turned back on, your AC system will have to work even harder to restore the usual comfort levels in the room. When you abuse this dial in such a fashion, the AC system can only become more inefficient rather than making your home more comfortable quickly.

On the other hand, your AC system ( when tuned to the right settings) can help maintain the proper temperature and humidity balance within your home instead of turning it off while away. And upon getting back, you can simply turn down the thermostat a bit which helps you prevent the usual stagnant air that you’d be hit with when your return home (with the AC system turned off) that’ll have you racing for the dial.

With heating and cooling bills making up more than 50 percent of one’s overall utility expenses as reported by the Department of Energy, you’d probably want to know some ways in which in you can improve the efficiency of your air conditioning system. With the warmer months just around the corner, now is the best time to get started. Not only will you be able to improve the air conditioning efficiency in your home, but you’d also be able to save some money on cooling and heating bills. In this article, we’re going to consider the top 5 tips you can implement to get your air conditioning system running efficiently and at its maximum. Let’s take a look!

• Ensure that around your outdoor condenser unit is clean. When clean and free of debris, your outdoor unit is able to function at its best. This can be done by yourself just by watching a couple of videos, however you’ll need a professional whenever a more thorough and in depth cleaning required.
• Vacuum indoor vents and keep vents unblocked. In order to ensure there’s an uninterrupted airflow from your system, there’s a need to vacuum dust as well as form of debris away from the indoor vents. You should also keep items such as furniture and blinds away from obstructing the vents.
• Increase your thermostat by a number of degrees. Generally, adjusting temperature 5 to 8 degrees can go a long way to help you save some money.
• Keep lamps and other heat producing appliances away from the thermostat. Having heat producing appliance will only inform the thermostat that the air in the room needs extra cooling. This will make the system run longer and use up more electricity.
• Keep the curtains and blinds closed. This is to prevent the heat of the outside coming in and vice versa.

Also referred to as Freon, the refrigerant “R22 is a commonly used chlordiflouromethane that’s usually incorporated in air conditioning systems as well as many other refrigeration applications. However, because of the evidence discovered which shows the gas can contribute to the damage of the ozone layer, the refrigerant has now been banned since Dec 31, 2009 as it became legally required that any system making use of R22 and became faulty must be replaced.

Generally, R22 owners in commercial applications are now responsible for checking for leaks, record keeping as well as labelling of equipment using this type of gas. Failure to comply with these directives can lead to hefty fines.

Existing refrigeration and air conditioning equipment that makes use of R22 can still be used. However, the owner of the equipment will be denied any rights to purchase extra tanks of gas that’ll keep the equipment running. In the event whereby an air conditioning system requires a complete recharge of the R22 refrigerant, according to the law, it’ll be considered obsolete and therefore will have to be replaced. What’s more? As the remaining supplies of R22 starts to decline, the price of getting the refrigerant is expected to skyrocket. As a result, do not be shocked if the cost of purchasing more R22 to keep your current equipment running outweighs the cost of replacing your existing equipment with a new and environmentally approved one.

As R22 is gradually being phased out, there are new ozone friendly alternatives which are being introduced into the refrigerant market. Out of these alternatives, the most common one is the R410A, which is purely a combination of hydrofluorocarbons which does not deplete the ozone layer.

As the heat start to come up especially during the summer months, the swelter will mercifully be kept in check by air conditioning. The technology has made a significant impact on modern life and it can now be considered a norm for all new and modern homes. So if you’re also planning to fit new HVAC air conditioning systems in your home or property, you may also be interested in knowing exactly how it works. In this article, we aim to provide you with an in depth insight into how air conditioning operates. Now let’s take a closer look at the process!

✓ A grille at the bottom of the machine absorbs warm air from the room

✓ The warm air is transmitted over some chiller pipes through which a coolant fluid is circulating. Working in a similar fashion as the chiller cabinet in a refrigerator, this part cools down the transmitted warm air and any excess moisture is duly removed by a dehumidifier.

✓ The air is then transmitted over a heating element which is quite similar to the one present in a fan heater. On a cold day, this part of the unit can be turned up in order to allow the HVAC works as heater.

✓ A fan which is positioned at the top blows the air back through another grilled into the room.

✓ Coolant flows through the the chiller pipes. In the process, it carries heat from the air blowing past the pipes and then it evaporates - converting the cool liquid into a hotter gas. This heat is then transported to the outside of the building from inside the room.

✓ With time, the heat inside the building slowly blows away into the outside air.

It can be quite tricky knowing the right time to purchase and fit an air conditioning system, however if you get the timing right, this can go a long way to help you save both time and money. It’s important to note that different individuals usually have varying needs - like it it’s possible your existing unit just broke down during the summer months or you’re carrying out some renovations during spring.

In general, there’s the need to put a couple of factors into consideration in order to make sure you AC installation is a hassle free experience. The best time to install an air conditioner is actually before the construction of the house. Several high set homes do not possess the space to fit fully ducted air after building. And even if there’s space, accessing the ceiling and down into the floors can be pretty expensive and difficult.

Installing an air conditioning unit earlier would mean less plaster would be required later down the road. A good air conditioning installer or HVAC expert should also advice you on the best location for the unit in order to help you maximize cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. Most importantly, if your AC unit is built into your house’s design, you’ll be able to save more money in the long run. However, you may not be able to fit a unit when constructing or renovation, therefore choosing the right time would be a question of, when is the right time of the year.

Generally, choosing a month in the off-season is actually a much better time to fit an air conditioner, but ensure that it’s the right time. Overall, the best time for an air conditioning unit installation is autumn when the demand is at its lowest. Since retailers are usually overstocked with units after the summer months, you can get yourself some nice discounts

When getting a new air conditioning system, it’s essential to always go for one that’s energy efficient, otherwise you’ll end up paying more money on your heating and cooling bills than necessary. Over the years, a variety of air con units have been developed which ultimately makes it a bit tricky trying to separate the “the boys from the men. Not all are created equal and most home and property owners who do not take the necessary measures and put certain things into consideration when buying a new AC system often go back home with the most visually appealing unit rather than an energy efficient one.

When purchasing a new energy efficient system, there’s a need to look out for some things that can go a long way to help keep your heating bills and your home’s temperature low. Let’s take a look!

• Get the appropriate size for your space. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when buying a new air conditioner is getting the wrong size. A unit that’s too small will have to work overtime to achieve the set temperature for the room and driving up your energy bills, while a unit that’s too large will cool the air pretty easily and quickly but leave it damp and clammy.
• Energy saving setting. Always look out for this feature when buying a new unit. This allows the unit to turn off both the compressor and the fan once the space has been cooled off which in turn helps you conserve energy.
• ENERGY STAR® Certification. When deciding on the best air condition for your home, always look for the blue ENERGY STAR® certification. This implies that the unit has met or exceeded certain higher efficiency standards than other similar models.