Globally, air conditioners are increasing popularity. One estimate put global air condition sales at close to 140 million units by 2020. Air conditioning technology is also rapidly advancing to meet the demands of consumers, as well the demands of growing urban populations and rising temperatures. Very soon Australians will begin either going to look for new air conditioning systems or start turning their current ones back on. If you are one of those Australians looking to either upgrade your current air conditioning or buy a brand new one, you may be interested in knowing some of the new trends in air conditioning systems
One of the biggest trends sweeping homeowners, in general, is home automation. The ability to remotely control various appliances in your home with a smartphone app or a remote control has proven to be very popular with a lot of homeowners. When it comes to appliances, one of the first things most homeowners choose to automate is their air conditioning system. There are a bunch of reasons for this. Firstly, there are convenience factors. An automated air conditioning system can be controlled through smartphone apps or remote controls all from the comfort of your couch. Plus, you can set schedules with your air conditioning. For example, you can set your air conditioning to turn off at certain times or raise the temperature at certain times of the day. Secondly, automated air conditioning systems are more energy efficient than regular air conditioning systems. The reason for this is that you can remotely control the air conditioning system, which lets you save energy. When you go off to work in the mornings, you usually leave your air conditioner running so that your house is cool for you when you get home. The problem with this approach is that it wastes a huge amount of energy. Likewise, a lot of people mistakenly leave their air conditioning on when they meant to turn it off. Because you can control your air conditioner remotely, you can turn it off when you leave your house, and then turn it on when you are getting ready to leave work and come back home. This way you can come home to a cool house without leaving your air conditioning on all day. Also, if you think you left your air conditioning on when you meant to turn it off, you can simply look at your smartphone and turn off your air conditioning while at work.
Ductless air conditioning systems are becoming more popular due to convenience factors and the fact that ductless air conditioning systems are more energy efficient. Traditional air conditioning systems rely on duct systems to transfer air throughout the house. Ductless air conditioning systems are similar in that they contain both inside and outside units, but unlike regular air conditioning systems, ductless air conditioning systems do not rely on duct systems to deliver the air throughout the house (as you probably guessed from the name). Instead, ductless air conditioners simply pull air from the outside, cool it, and then pump it into the house. If you are wondering why ductless air conditioning systems are more efficient, the answer is quite simple. In regular air conditioning systems, as the air moves through the ducts, some of the cold air is lost. But, because ductless air conditioning systems take air directly from the outside and bring it in, there is no lost air. Another advantage of ductless air conditioning systems is that they allow a person to only cool specific rooms. With regular air conditioning systems, you essentially pay to cool your entire house. But, with ductless air conditioning systems, you can choose to only cool rooms that people actually use; this ends up saving you money on your monthly energy bill. Finally, because there is no need to deal with ductwork, it is much easier and cheaper to install a ductless air conditioning system.
Companies are always trying to make their air conditioners more energy efficient. As energy prices go up (especially in Australia) and as more and more people become environmentally conscious, companies are going to try and make their air conditioners, even more, energy efficient. At the recent 2017 AHR expo (air conditioning, heating, and refrigerating exposition) air conditioner manufacturers showcased some of the new technologies that will help them make air conditioners, even more, energy efficient. For example, air conditioning companies have come up with new fluid cooling technology that will air conditioners more efficient when it comes to cooling air and quieter. This may not seem like a big deal at the moment, but in the near future, this could lead to great savings for you and others who rely on air conditioning.
Lots of people have begun to worry about the possibility of indoor air pollution. Lots of people spend most of their day (many spend upwards of 90%) inside. People like this are not getting enough fresh air. The air they breathe is full of dust particles and other allergens. So, in response to these concerns, some air conditioning companies have begun to experiment with adding purification technology into their air conditioners. Leading brands like Panasonic and Daikin have adopted this technology in some of their models. Their models can purify the air and help keep the air smelling fresh and clean. While air purifier and air conditioner combos are not widespread yet, look for them to become a lot more popular a few years down the line.
So, these are 4 major trends in air conditioning technology. If you are buying an air conditioner this year, you might not see much of this new technology. But, if you hold off on buying a new air conditioning system for a few years, you will probably be shocked at all the new technology and new features available to you. If you are in the market for an air conditioner, you might be interested in our air conditioner buying guide.