Don’t like the builder’s standard Evaporative Cooling System?
A cost effective option I have found to work well is adding a centralised refrigerated unit to the standard ducted heating.
This means both systems share the same controls, fans, ducts and outlets and will also operate for the same zones.
Some builders will allow this as an upgrade while others will want you to install the unit using your own supplier after handover.
Organising Later Installation
If you can’t get the builder to include the cooling system i would recommend you get them to do the following:
- Contact Proposed Cooling Equipment Supplier. Find out duct size, and the power supply that your system will need.
- Upgrade the duct sizes. Cooling systems need large diameter ducts than heating systems.
- Provide electrical power to the site of the external unit.
This preparatory work should cost around $1,000 dollars for a single storey house but will give a much faster and neater final job.
A disadvantage of a central systems is it, like ducted heating, it is less effective in maintaining the required temperature in rooms that are closed off from the return air vent.
More about Heating and Cooling in the ‘anewhouse Selection / Pre-Start Guide’ including 24 pages of Check Lists.
While no Solar system yet offers a complete heating and cooling solution, you can use a combination of products such as highly efficient evaporative cooling powered by solar electricity, to provide a highly effective, self-sufficient system.