Stay Cool This Summer: Your Guide to Evaporative and Refrigerated Cooling

What are the main advantages of evaporative cooling?

• Affordability: Evaporative coolers are generally cheaper to buy and run than refrigerated air conditioners. Models with inverter-drive motors often offer variable speed control, which results in even lower running costs.
• Effective cooling: They provide more effective cooling than ceiling or portable fans. Provided there’s no excessive humidity levels.
• Low-disturbance: They run quietly and require minimal maintenance.
• Fresh, clean air: Evaporative coolers circulate outside air and filter harmful dust particles and allergens – ideal for those with airborne allergies or respiratory conditions.
• Energy-efficient: They only rely on electricity to power the fan and water pump, which results in lower power bills than refrigerated cooling.
• Eco-friendly: Evaporative coolers use a more natural process of mechanical cooling than refrigerated coolers, which results in lower emissions.

How much do they cost to run?

Evaporative coolers use electricity and water. Actual running costs will depend on the model’s cooling capacity and the fan speed you select.

As a guide, Sustainability Australia states that cooling a small room such as a bedroom (12sqm) with an evaporative cooler costs around $5 a year to run; and around $65 a year for a ducted evaporative cooler in a home measuring around 160sqm.

What you need to know about evaporative cooling:

• • Better suited to dry conditions: Evaporative coolers work best in hot, dry areas. The more humid, the more moisture is in the air, which results in a slightly warmer home compared to refrigerated cooling.
  • Regular cleaning: To maximise the unit’s cooling potential, maintaining regular cleaning of the wet pads, blades and other accessories will offer best results.
  • Needs a constant water source: Evaporative coolers must be connected to a reliable water source to run.
  • Cool runnings: Evaporative systems won’t lower your indoor temperature as much as a refrigerated system therefore if you’re after that crisp cool feeling refrigerated may be the better option.

How is refrigerated cooling different?

Refrigerated cooling systems draw in the hot air in a room and cool it using refrigerant gases to deliver cool air back to the room.

They are made up of two parts; an outdoor condenser unit (where the refrigeration effect occurs) and the indoor unit that emits cool air into your room.

Different styles are available; ducted, whole-home refrigerated cooling, which delivers cool air to every room in your home through vents, and zoned ducted systems, which provide cooling where you need it in order to reduce running costs. You’ll also find window- and wall-mounted styles for single rooms.

A key benefit of refrigerated cooling is that it can be zoned to accommodate different areas of your home plus you can also find systems that both heat and cool your home to provide year-round comfort.

What are the main advantages of refrigerated cooling?

• All-weather cooling: Unlike evaporative coolers, which offer medium cooling on humid days, a refrigerated system will provide powerful cooling whether it’s muggy or dry outside.
• Precise temperature control: With refrigerated cooling you can set a specific temperature for your home and are able to reduce your indoor temperature by up to 12 degrees from the outside temperature. Many systems also have an energy-saving function that will automatically switch the system off when the desired temperature is reached to lower running costs. If you choose a zoned, refrigerated cooling system, you can select different temperatures for the various rooms of your home.
• Year-round comfort: Selecting a reverse-cycle model that offers both heating and cooling allows you to maintain a comfortable interior temperature all year round.

How much do they cost to run?

The running costs for refrigerated cooling are generally higher than that of evaporative cooling. These costs will vary according to the unit’s size and capacity, the temperature setting and the way in which it is used. As a guide, Sustainability Australia lists a comparison of the approximate costs for a range of different room sizes.

What you need to know about refrigerated cooling:

• Costs more to buy and run: The initial outlay for a refrigerated cooler is higher than an evaporative cooler. They also cost more to run.
• Noise: As it’s a hardworking unit, the outdoor condenser can occasionally produce noise. However, carefully placing the unit away from windows keeps any noise to a minimum.
• Recirculated air: With this type of system, the air inside your home is recirculated, regular cleaning of filters will maintain crisp and fresh indoor air quality.
• Windows and doors need to be closed: In order to keep the cooled, refrigerated air inside your home, maintaining closed doors and windows will offer best results and keeping blinds closed and shaded will ensure the system cools at optimal rate.