Find an Air Conditioning Engineer you can trust in Balerno.

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.
 

Air conditioning filters can get dirty over time, especially through heavy use. This can have a major impact on how efficient a unit is, increasing how much energy it uses and reducing how effective it is.

This is why it’s a good idea to service your air conditioning system regularly. Part of this should involve checking, cleaning and replacing your filters, to help your units run as efficiently as possible.

When the summer season is drawing close, that’s when air conditioning systems come in handy and super useful as the weather starts to get increasingly warmer. However as crucial as air conditioners are especially during the warm months in the UK, if they are not given the necessary attention, they can trigger some complications which is definitely not what you’d pray for. When your air conditioning system is not properly maintained, it can lead to an annoying summertime cough that’s likely going to affect both you and your loved ones. When this happens, the good thing is you can actually resolve it with some simple tips. To resolve the issue, simply replace your air conditioning filter or make use of a humidifier.

So now that you know that an improper maintenance of your air conditioning system can make you cough, you’d probably be interested in knowing what you can do to resolve this issue. Now let’s take a closer look at the remedies.

✓ Clean and replace your air conditioning filter

Your AC system blows to keep your house cool and comfortable. Directly beneath the front panel is the fine-meshed filter which works mainly to catch dust so as to make the air free of any dust. Hence, proper cleaning of this filter is essential to maintain efficiency of the operation of the system and also to prevent any health issues. If you’re allergic to dust to this becomes even more unbearable when the filter is no longer functioning as it should. They can be cleaned, but after some time, they should also be replaced as prolonged usage can also affect their efficiency.

✓ Humidifier

These helps to inject moisture into the air. They’re very durable and can work for up to 5 to weeks without needing to be cleaned. To help prevent cough, there’s need for some moisture in the air.

Several individuals think that the the way their air conditioning system works is simply by pumping hot air out of their homes or offices, blowing a cool air in return. This is absolutely wrong! The hot air is, in fact, cycled back in as cold air and this process continues until the thermostats gets dropped down to the required or set temperature. The air conditioning system manages this in a similar way to how the refrigerator manages to stay cold and of course, excluding the insulated box.

The short and simple answer to the question of what gas an air conditioning use is Freon. This is a non inflammable gas which is subjected to the evaporation process over and over again in most refrigerators to keep the temperature at a low level. This same process is repeated in air conditioning systems. Now let’s take a look at how the Freon gas is incorporated in AC systems.

The cold Freon gas is firstly compressed by a compressor in the air conditioner. The gas is then combined with a little quantity of oil in order to lubricate the compressor. When Freon gas is compressed, the pressure is increased which makes it incredibly hot. It then moves through a couple of coils which works to lowering the heat and turning it to liquid. This Freon liquid will then be transmitted via an expansion valve which causes it to cool down until evaporation takes place. The outcome of this is a low pressure cold Freon gas which is then transmitted via another set of coils allowing the gas to collect the heat and lower the air within the room.

The air conditioner now filters the air and clears out the dust, smoke, pollen and other kinds of air pollutants. The system also absorbs excess liquid from the air too which it uses to cool down the system and pump it through a hose.

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.

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

Nothing provides you with more relief during the hot summer months than having a fully functioning air conditioning system at home. If you seek to keep your surrounding cool, then your best bet would be to install an air conditioning system. The system functions mainly by transmitting air over a specific temperature to outside from the inside and then replaces it with the cooled air. The outcome of this is a comfortable, conducive and relaxing environment to live, play or even work. Asides the cooling advantages provided by air conditioning systems, they’re also able to deliver other great benefits like removing pollutants and improving the indoor air quality of your living space. What’s more? They also feature filters which works to keep out both insets and parasites. So when making a purchase decision, most homeowners are usually concerned about the cost of buying and installing these air conditioners. If you’re also interested in knowing the cost, here’s what you need to know.

There are different types of air conditioning units with each having it own unique prices. Let’s have a look.

✓ Portable air conditioning unit - £300 to £600

✓ Fixed air conditioning unit - £800 to £1000

✓ Installation Charges - £130 to £200 per day

The prices of these air conditioning units varies depending on a number of factors. Some examples of these price influencing factors include the height of the ceiling, the exact number of both the doors and windows, construction or design of the property and finally, the number of people it can cover at a go.

You need to determine the air conditioning unit’s size as well as the size of the area. Generally, a ton of AC unit is perfect for cooling an area of about 400 square feet.

Having its usage banned in air conditioning systems and many other refrigeration applications due to the danger it poses to the ozone layer, several companies that are affected by the R22 legislation would possess a policy to identify specific recommended alternatives. If you’re also affected by this new legislation, then you’ve come to the right place. Generally, the alternative that’s selected is usually dependent on the business unit level as well as the business’ energy efficiency requirements.  In this post, we’re going to consider some of the recommended alternatives to the R22 refrigerant. Let’s take a look!

• R140a. This refrigerant is commonly used in industrial refrigeration, residential air conditioning, industrial air conditioning as well as commercial centrifugal compressors.
• R134A. This refrigerant is commonly used in domestic refrigeration, commercial refrigeration, transport refrigeration, residential air conditioning, commercial centrifugal compressors and mobile air conditioning.
• R407C. This is commonly incorporated in industrial refrigeration, residential air conditioning and commercial air conditioning.
• R407A. This type of gas is commonly incorporated in commercial refrigeration, plug ins as well as vending machines.
• MO99 ( R438A). This gas type is common applied in commercial refrigeration, plug ins, vending machines, industrial refrigeration as well as residential air conditioning.
• RS-44b. This is commonly used in all refrigeration systems.

These R22 alternatives are all believed to be environmental friendly having little to no impact on the ozone layer. However, one drawback possessed by of these alternatives is when POE oil is incorporated. This can result in excess moisture which causes acid build up inside the refrigerant lines. What’s more? These refrigerant alternatives also work at a higher pressure which means that it may cause more wear and tear on components.