Are you on the lookout for the best aircon brand? You’ve probably noticed that it’s hard to find an exact price (including fitting) online. There’s a reason for that: the full range of factors that affect the overall cost means that professionals cannot provide an accurate quote without first surveying your building. Anyone offering a quote without seeing your premises is putting your project at risk – what do you do when they turn-up and decide they need to charge more?
Getting an exact price might be impossible without a quote, but you can get a rough idea by understanding the factors that affect the cost, and this will help you have an informed conversation with your air con professional. Let’s take a look:
(Want to skip straight to the quote? Contact Infiniti Air today and receive your FREE on-site quote within 48 hours)
Factor 1: The Type of Air Con
The type of air con you purchase will have an impact on both the initial purchase price and your ongoing costs (see our section on efficiency below). An evaporative aircon will be cheaper to install than a split-system, and both will be cheaper than a ducted system.
However, your choice shouldn’t just come down to price. If you want to cool an entire building, for example, then evaporative or split systems will be ineffective – a ducted system would be a far more efficient option. Your air conditioning professional should be able to advise you on the best products for your desired outcome.
Factor 2: The Size of Unit You Purchase
Bigger air conditioning units can cool larger areas and more rooms, but they also cost more upfront. Additionally, your electricity usage will be higher – a 14kW split-system cooling several rooms will use far more power than a small 2.6kW one-room setup.
Factor 3: Installation Requirements
After the purchase cost of the equipment itself, the installation is the next biggest factor in the up-front cost. Different systems have different requirements which may result in an easier or harder installation. Evaporative systems, for example, require a source of water, while ducted systems require ducting put in place between the air conditioning system and the rooms that you are cooling. The ease with which these can be put in place will vary between installation and often increase the cost.
Factor 4: The Efficiency of Your System
Once your air conditioning has been installed, your main expenditure will be running costs. The efficiency of your system can have a big effect on these costs – more efficient systems will use less electricity to produce the same amount of cooling than less efficient models.
For example, you might need to run model A six hours per day to keep your building cool, but model B might require just five hours to maintain the same temperature. Assuming a 14kW system and a peak electricity cost of $0.50 per kWh, choosing model A could cost you more than $2,500 per year in extra electricity.
| Electricity Use | Peak electricity cost | Hours per day to cool building | Cost per day | Cost per year | Saving vs other model | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model A | 14kW | $0.50 per kWh | 6 hours | $42 | $15,330 | n/a | ||
| Model B | 14kW | $0.50 per kWh | 5 hours | $35 | $12,775 | $2,555 | ||
Perth residents and businesses that expect to use their air conditioning a lot will save money by investing in a more efficient system.
Factor 5: When You Use It
Your ongoing running costs may vary considerably depending on the time of day – many electricity plans charge different amounts for peak and off-peak usage. For businesses, it’s likely that most usage will be at peak times, while home usage tends to vary. If you’re just putting your AC on for a couple of hours when you get home from work your costs are going to be far lower than if you’re running it all afternoon.
Factor 6: The Rooms You’re Trying to Cool
The room you’re trying to cool also have a big effect on your running costs. Larger rooms, of course, have more air that needs to be cooled, so you’ll either need a more powerful AC or you’ll need the one that you’ll switch on for more extended hours to get the temperature you desire.
Another factor is how quickly your room warms up; if your room has many north-facing windows, for example, you’d expect it to get warmer and stay warmer due to the large amount of sunlight it receives. Another room on the opposite side of the house might naturally stay much cooler.
Factor 7: Your Air Conditioning Professional
The final factor affecting price is the who. While it may be tempting to save a few dollars by either doing some of the work yourself or hiring an inexperienced fitter, the best results and support come from engaging professional teams with years of experience.
Infiniti Air has more than 21 years’ experience fitting a wide range of air conditioning systems. In addition to the warranties you receive with our high-end products, we also guarantee our own work, so you’re protected in the event that anything goes wrong:
- Five years’ warranty on parts & labour
- Five years’ warranty on zones & labour
- Two years’ warranty on Wi-Fi
- Ten years’ warranty on workmanship
- Our personal guarantee that we offer Perth’s most efficient air conditioning
Do you need a quote for an air conditioning system? Contact us today for a FREE on-site quote with a 48-hour turnaround time.