You might think you couldn't live without air conditioning in over 40ºC weather. Think again. People all over Spain get by just fine, thanks to a summer lifestyle that focuses on taking life a bit easier. Many businesses change to summer hours and the long lunch hour comes in especially handy during this time of year. The modern trend however is towards air conditioning, both at work and at home.
Why invest in air conditioning?
The reason is simple. If you live in Spain your either working here or retired. As an Expat no matter how long you live and /or work here you never become completely acclimatised to the summers. If your here on holiday then its simpler still. We don’t work hard all year round to come to a warmer climate to feel uncomfortable at night. It’s a well known fact that the more sleep we take on board the better we feel. With temperatures in excess of 24ºC at night air conditioning is a must to ensure a comfortable nights sleep. But stop, air conditioning is more than just a summer necessity, its also the most economical and healthiest form of heating come those harsh winters.
You can buy air conditioning units at major shopping malls, such as Carrefour and Hipercor or at home improvement super stores like Leroy Merlin. However, because sizing & safety is such an important issue, even manufacturers recommend buying from a specialised company.
Safety
It is a well known fact but often overlooked when air conditioning is purchased from shopping malls that installation requires a need for air conditioning knowledge. The standard pressure inside the external unit (compressor) is in excess of 200 PSI. When the unit is operated in cooling mode the pressure reaches 300 - 350 PSI. In heating mode the pressures can reach as high as 500 PSI. This is an incredible amount of operating pressure to entrust into the hands of an inexperienced installer. Consider if you will this pressure comparison. The pressure in a standard car tyre is 30 - 32PSI!!! Now you should have some idea of the dangers you are potentially exposing yourself to without even a mention for the electrical connections which you again entrust either to yourself or an inexperienced installer. Qualitair use Engineers that have passed a recognised apprenticeship in HVAC together with manufacturer annual update training. This ensures that we have highly skilled workers arriving at our customer’s door. Sizing
The type of air conditioning unit that is right for your home depends in part on the size of the space you wish to cool. It also depends on how many windows the space contains, which direction those windows face and whether or not they have awnings over them. In addition, your needs may vary if you have a number of heat producing appliances - ovens, dishwashers, washing machines, driers - close by and according to how many people usually inhabit the area. At Qualitair we take all of these factors into account when deciding which unit is best for a particular room.
Savings
Two main types of air conditioning units are on the market today: standard and inverter. Standard units consume more energy because they are designed to reach a temperature setting then the external unit switches off. Every time the temperature starts to rise, the external unit switches back on again effecting a pricey power surge. Inverter units, on the other hand, maintain a super-low electric current, even after reaching their temperature setting the units run on half the supplied electricity. This allows them to swing back into action without using so much power. In fact, a typical inverter-style air conditioning unit uses 38% less than its standard counterpart, and the most sophisticated inverters might consume up to 44% less electricity. Inverters cost approximately 20% more than standard units, but quickly recoup the short term additional cost. |
