HVAC. BTUs. KWs. There are a lot of acronyms you’ll need to become familiar with when researching your air conditioning options (click here to get up to speed with some of the more important terms).
And today, we’ve got another one to add to the pile – and this is one that you’re going to want to pay attention to!
VRV/VRF (the two are interchangeable – more on that below) is one of the most important acronyms in the air conditioning business at the moment. If you don’t know what these are, you might find yourself:
- Wasting electricity
- Paying more on your power bills
- Losing money
So, what does it stand for, and what does it do?
What should I look for when buying a new HVAC system?
What does VRF mean on A/C, and what makes it so great?
“What does VRF air conditioning system installation offer compared to conventional air conditioning? And is it VRV or VRF?”
VRV (Variable Refrigerant Volume) and VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) are just different names for the same technology. The only caveat is that the term VRV is copyrighted by Daikin, but many other brands offer the same system – and call it VRF.
It’s all about saving money
Air conditioning systems are energy-hungry devices, and require a lot of power – and an unsuitable system can simultaneously drive up your electricity bill.
Surprisingly though, a lot of that power usage isn’t incurred while bringing your indoor temperature down from, say 35ºC to a more reasonable figure. You’d be surprised how much power your system eats up keeping it there!
And that’s what VRV/VRF technology is designed to prevent.
Instead of running at full blast when all it’s doing is just maintaining a comfortable temperature, VRV/VRF technology reduces the amount of coolant flowing through the system, thereby bringing down the amount of electricity spent cooling your home.
In some cases, this feature can cut electricity usage by 50% or more!
Consistent temperature control
While the savings are the main draw when it comes to VRV and VRF systems, they aren’t the only ones – did you know that this technology also lends itself to more consistent temperature control?
Just think about how some other ducted heating and cooling systems in Melbourne work:
- When you turn the system on, it runs at full power
- Your home is brought down to your target temperature
- When your home is the target temperature, your system shuts down
- Your home warms up again
- Your system turns back on to once again reach the desired temperature
You see the problem here?
On top of wearing out your system, this stop-start operation just isn’t very comfortable, especially when you remember that most non-VRV/VRF systems automatically kick into high gear – something that can get pretty uncomfortable after a while!
VRV/VRF technology saves you from the constant stopping and starting. Not only that, but once you reach your target temperature, it dials things back so you won’t have to worry about being blasted with cold air.
Which VRF system is the best?
Originally designed for those large-scale units you see cooling shopping centres and office towers, it’s been long enough that this technology is filtering down to smaller-scale home air conditioning systems.
So you’re probably wondering which VRV/VRF system is the best for heating and cooling installation in Melbourne.
If you ask us, rather than focusing on the implementation, the better question to ask is whether or not the system you’re looking at features this technology, or can support it – while we mentioned that it’s making its way to consumer-grade systems, it isn’t quite ubiquitous yet!
What else should I look for when choosing a HVAC system?
VRV and VRF technology are rapidly becoming some of the most important features to look for in a new ducted split system in Melbourne.
However, they aren’t the only ones.
If you want to get the most out of your cooling system, it’s crucial that you also think about other
SEER ratings: what SEER rating should I get?
In addition to the standard energy star ratings, each air conditioning unit also has its own SEER rating.
Standing for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, SEER ratings are set out by AS/NZS 3823.4:2014 Amendment 1 and is calculated using the following formula:
Cooling output in summer / energy used during summer
The higher the number, the better, though as a general rule, a SEER rating higher than 13 is a good starting point.
Choose a reputable, trustworthy brand
Choosing a specific brand to cool your home isn’t the big make-or-break thing that a lot of people assume it is. However, there’s a caveat: this is assuming that you narrow your choices down to trustworthy, reputable brands to begin with.
There are a couple of reasons why you should be choosy:
- Warranty – it can be hard to make a claim when your brand doesn’t have a locally-based team
- Features – extras like VRV/VRF may not have filtered down to lower-tier brands yet
- Quality – higher-end brands just have better quality systems
- Experience – it’s easier to find spare parts and specialists that know what they’re doing with the bigger brands
It doesn’t really matter whether you go for Mitsubishi Electric or Daikin ducted heating and cooling, so long as it ticks these boxes!
Call Alpha Air to keeping your home comfortable
Call Alpha Air for heating and cooling, Melbourne!
Clean, cool air is the key to a more comfortable home life, especially during the summer. And that starts by getting in touch with an experienced air conditioning team that knows their stuff and
While our city is home to many different teams that offer HVAC services, when it comes to heating and cooling installation, Melbourne homeowners don’t have to look any further than Alpha Air.
And it isn’t just installation jobs, either – we also offer ducted reverse cycle air conditioning service for existing systems, including both systems with and without VRV/VRF technology.
Find out how we can help you today – give our cooling team a call today on 1300 854 525, or click here to arrange a quote.
