Gallery – New builds & extensions

West Sussex, masonry home

Full home automation system with air heating and cooling MVHR system throughout.

If you are involved in the building of a new property you have many options and choices available to you. And this is true for the climate control and air conditioning too. When retrofitting air conditioning, your choices tend to be more limited, but in a new build in the early stages, the air conditioning world is your oyster. So it is worth considering all your options carefully. New builds tend to be much more airtight than older homes, and they often have a good level of insulation installed as standard. This can be great for keeping the heat in, but not so good in the stifling summer weather.

There are a number of things to consider:

• What is your budget?
• What do you want from your climate control system – heating, cooling, ventilation?
• What is your energy source?
• How many and which rooms do you wish to heat and cool?
• What do you use these rooms for?
• What sort of system do you like the look of – wall mounted, ceiling, radiators, ducted or ‘invisible’?

Talking to an experienced air conditioning company early on can help you choose a great system that will deliver year-round temperature control and the best energy efficiency.

The size of the space is important and needs to be compatible with the capacity of the air conditioning solution. You need to get this right to get the most out of your system and to make it effective and energy efficient. If you want the system to last well and have minimal impact, in terms of energy and noise, it needs to be appropriate to the use and features of the room. It will help to think about the placement of the system in terms of both aesthetic and practical requirements.

There are plenty of smart options available now. From a simple app on your phone that allows you turn your system on and off remotely, to Alexa systems “Alexa, turn air conditioning on to 21 degrees”, all the way through to comprehensive heat recovery systems.

Be sure to ask about the external fittings as well as the interior ones. Proper ductwork and attention to detail in the fixtures and fittings can make a difference to how long a system lasts and how noisy it is as well as how it looks.

There is a wide choice of systems available from single room to split, to more centrally run ones.  This correlates to a choice of:

• Wall units – a full range of attractive wall units (in all colours) are available. These can be positioning on the wall or in a hidden cupboard
• Floor unit – a similar size to a radiator, these are mounted on the wall at low level
• Concealed ducted units (with a grill) – these can be hidden in ceilings, wardrobes and the like providing cooling and heating with the utmost discretion!
• Mechanical, ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) – a central system that recovers heat and brings in fresh filtered air

Many of our new build customers come to us looking for an ‘invisible’ system. The earlier in the build we are involved in the build process, the easier it is to give our customers exactly what they are looking for. Ducted systems are popular. With some good design we can manage climate control highly discreetly through well-located vents. Ask us for more information.

Make the most of the options available to you by getting advice and insight on heating and cooling systems as early in the build as possible. But whatever stage you are at, we’re happy to advise.