What is reverse cycle air conditioner
A reverse cycle air conditioner is basically an air conditioner unit that can heat and cool a room from the same unit. It is like a two in one unit. It is used to cool your home in summer and make it hot in winter. It is one of the wonderful inventions which heats and cools your room with a single unit.
When it is set to cool the surrounding, it works simply like any other air conditioner. But, when it is set to warm up the room, the outdoor condenser unit switches it up. And, it becomes the evaporator and lets out the cold air, which is colder than the surrounding air. After this, the indoor evaporator coil also switches up, turning into a condenser and creating heat by warming your room.
Advantages of a reverse cycle air conditioner
There are lots of advantages to using a reverse cycle air conditioner. Here are they
- The reverse cycle air conditioner warms up our rooms in winter. This is due to its heating technique. It is not like a portable gas or an electric room heater but works very differently than them. These heaters create energy while the reverse cycle air conditioner absorbs the energy from the surroundings, i.e., the warm air from the surrounding, and warms the surrounding in winters. This air conditioner is more energy-efficient than those portable gas or electric heaters. When the air conditioner is set to heating mode, it works just opposite to as it works during cooling. It draws all the heat from the surrounding air and distributes it in the room by making it warm. A refrigerant basically absorbs the heat, which is passed through the external coil. Then this refrigerant is pumped through a compressor into a unit of a fan coil, thereby warming the room by releasing heat into it. This function can be performed in any condition. There is no need for a warmer surrounding for this. So this reverse cycle air conditioner is best in the winter season.
- Reverse cycle air conditioner performs its cooling operation just like a normal air conditioner. It will again be an energy-efficient process by absorbing the heat from the surrounding inside and cool the room by releasing cool air into the room. It could be best in the summers. No need to carry those bulky fans; just switch them on and your room is cooler in summers.
- Reverse cycle air conditioners are extremely efficient. This is the best word describing a reverse cycle air conditioner. It is efficient in every term. The reverse cycle air conditioner is efficient in cooling, efficient heating; as already discussed, it is energy efficient too; it is cost-efficient. The reverse cycle air conditioner is the best for investing as they are comfortable, and no health issues are related to it. Modern air conditioners are day by day becoming more efficient in every other way they possibly can. Also, the electricity cost is going on increasing it is very important to use an efficient air conditioner.
- The reverse cycle air conditioners are more adaptable and flexible. These reverse cycle air conditioners have advanced inverter technology, and they come with a thermostat. This means that they are made to easily adapt to the temperature and conditions of the room. Also, with the inbuilt inverter technology, it comes with more energy-efficient ways to heat and cool your surrounding using electricity. Unlike a normal air conditioner, the inverter technology of a reverse cycle air conditioner works as adjusting the power to make reach the desired temperature faster and then maintain the temperature without any fluctuations with comfort and adaptability.
- Reverse cycle air conditioners are more efficient than portable electric or gas heaters we use during winters. These heaters may be cheap while buying but cost us a lot in the long term. These portable heaters are generally designed to only warm a small area. It is not designed to warm the entire room. You can just sit in front of it for sometime in winters, unlike the reverse cycle air conditioners, which warms up your entire room.
- You only pay once for a single unit that performs two functions while purchasing a reverse cycle air conditioner. You only have to change the switch mode between heating to warm your room in winters and cooling to cool your room in summers. So using a reverse cycle air conditioner can help reduce the heating and cooling expenses in winters and summers.
- Reverse cycle air conditioners purity the air. It doesn’t only heats and cools your room, but its internal unit purifies the air in the surrounding. Many reverse cycle air conditioner units have an inbuilt air purifying system that is used to purify the air of the surrounding. Some units also kill bacteria and viruses. So someone going through a lot of health problems, instead of those gas or electric heaters, these reverse cycle air conditioners are best for them.
- We always see our comfort level before purchasing anything. The comfort level not only in heating or cooling by maintaining the temperature but also operating the noise levels. The reverse cycle air conditioners are now coming with new technologies which are made, keeping in mind your comfort level and are noise efficient.
- Here is one of the perfect advantages to choose reverse cycle air conditioners. They are environment friendly. Some reverse cycle air conditioners produce only one third and some only one-fifth of the greenhouse emissions than the normal electric heaters. Less greenhouse gas emissions mean more energy efficiency. The newer technologies are helping to make these reverse cycle air conditioners environment friendly.
Split system vs reverse cycle air conditioner? Which is better?
The air conditioners many years before were used to be very simple, just decide and install it, but today; you get it in lots of varieties. So it becomes very important to decide which reverse cycle air conditioners would be the best for you.
A ducted reverse cycle air conditioner releases air through vents and ducts, which are present almost in every house in walls, room space, or anywhere. A single ducted reverse cycle air conditioner releases air in a single room, but when you use multiple outlets, you can use it in more than one room very efficiently.
A split system consists of a compressor and 2-3 fan coils. These systems are seen in many houses. This system requires a wall unit to get installed your air conditioner system. Older models of this system are very large and bulky, but nowadays, it is coming in new designs to fit your interior decor and also is becoming lightweight.
Now comes a question of which one is the best. Here are some of the key differences between both the ducted system and the split unit aircon, which may help you decide which one is better.
The design of your room
If you are focused on the interior design of your room and want to choose according to that, then this can help you choose. Some people do not want it to be visible. Such people will choose a ducted air conditioner over a split air conditioner because only the vents are visible in the ducted air conditioner.
At the same time, some people want their air conditioners to feature with their interior decor in their room. Such people can choose reverse cycle split air conditioners. These air conditioners are now coming in new colors and new designs to fit in with your interior decor. Hence, you can decide which to choose ducted or split reverse cycle air conditioners when your preference is your home decor.
The size of your room
The size of your home also becomes a very important factor when choosing between ducted and split reverse cycle air conditioners. Split reverse cycle air conditioners are most suited in small to medium-sized homes. Usually for a 2-3 bedroom house. The reason behind this is a split system is designed to support 2-3 wall units. When you go to a larger compressor, it can support up to 5 wall units, but this may not be economically efficient.
A ducted reverse cycle air conditioner is usually a choice for larger homes. This is because the air is distributed through vents and ducts, running through roof space in a multi-story house. So here you can decide according to the size of your house which reverses cycle air conditioners go the best with your house.
Special features of reverse cycle air conditioner
Special features are one of the factors for going for a reverse cycle air conditioner. Now, if the quality of air is the preference, then a lot of models of the split system provide air purifying and air filtration systems inside the unit. Ducted reverse cycle air conditioners come with special features, too, but advanced air purifying systems are lacking here. So you should take time and analyze all the features of the ducted reverse cycle and split reverse cycle air conditioners and then decide which one would be the best according to your preference.
Pricing
Another important factor in deciding between ducted reverse cycle air conditioners and the split reverse is pricing. In general ducted reverse cycle air conditioners cost more than split ones, but again this varies differently for different sizes and models.