Plan the air-conditioning with the interiors
The most expensive air-conditioning problems are the ones built into a space: no room above the ceiling for the units, no route for piping, outdoor units with nowhere sensible to go, or equipment that can't be reached for service. All of them are easy to avoid if the system is planned while the interior is still on paper.
What we look at first
- How the space is used
- Rooms and zones, occupancy, opening hours, and areas that run round the clock, such as wards or server rooms.
- Zones that need their own control
- Cabins versus open areas, meeting rooms, kitchens and seating in a restaurant, guest rooms and common areas in a hotel.
- Ceilings and interior finish
- False ceiling or exposed slab, ceiling height, lighting layout and how visible the equipment may be.
- Where the outdoor units go
- A roof, terrace or service area with airflow clearance, a firm base and safe access.
- Routes for piping, ducts and drainage
- Shafts, ceiling voids and wall openings for refrigerant lines and ducts, and a drain path for every indoor unit.
- Power and controls
- Electrical supply for the system and where people will control each zone.
Matching the system to the building
Smaller spaces with a few rooms are often served well by cassette or ducted units. Larger floors and buildings with many zones are where VRV / VRF systems are usually discussed, because one connected system can serve every zone with its own control. Very large single volumes such as large retail floors or auditoriums may suit packaged rooftop units ducted into the space below.
The right answer depends on the building and how it is used, which is why the recommendation follows a site visit and a conversation, not a catalogue.
Right-sized design before quotation
Two quotes for the same space can differ simply because one has calculated the cooling load and the other has guessed. Ask how the capacity was arrived at. A properly sized system is more comfortable, and it isn't paying for capacity it doesn't need.
Installation and handover
Good installation is mostly invisible: piping that is properly insulated and supported, drains that fall the right way, units that are level and reachable, and a system that is commissioned and checked before handover. Ask who will do the work. Ours is installed by our own trained technicians.
Think about year two, not just day one
Plan for maintenance from the start: access panels, clear routes to outdoor units, and a service arrangement such as a yearly maintenance contract (AMC). Systems that are looked after regularly give fewer surprises in the hottest months.