New air conditioning technology

Look for these features before you choose a new air con

Air conditioner technology never stands still. Manufacturers are always investing in new features designed to give your family a more comfortable experience at home, all year round.

From touch screen remote controls all the way to human presence sensors, they’re creating new features all the time to make your life easier and more comfortable.

The Jaric Air Conditioning team have put together this summary of the new and improved air conditioning technology becoming available in the latest air con models.

1) Air con motion sensors/human presence sensors

This function detects whether someone is physically in the room so that the unit keeps working at its optimal capacity. The latest models will direct their air flow towards the sensed person based on their movements, avoiding energy waste to other areas of the room.

You’ll find the most advanced technology in smart air conditioner sensors, which are connected with the wearable devices such as smart phones or smart watches placed on the human body. After receiving feedback, the air conditioner automatically adjusts itself in order to reach the desired thermal comfort. For instance, rapid cool down can be achieved within 2 minutes after a person enters a room.

What’s also worth knowing is that within the first hours of operation, the total compressor power consumption of the air conditioner improved with smart motion sensors is much less than the one using on-off control.

2) Smart Sleep mode

This features gradually adjusts the temperature to a comfortable level for sleeping, so that the air conditioner doesn’t work as hard and as loud, saving you money and energy…while you sleep!

The philosophy behind this tech is that the system will set your ideal room temperature until you fall asleep and then, instead of switching off, will go up half a degree per hour in order to maintain your thermal comfort.

What’s more, if your air con has a built-in intelligent motion sensor, it will work even more effectively. This is where the innovation comes in. The newest technologies detect movements in the room during the night (such as disturbed sleep), and will break the sleep mode routine and bring the temperature of the room back to a comfortable 23-24°C. Then when the device senses that you have returned to a comfortable sleep, it will gradually increase the temperature while keeping the energy efficiency to an optimal level.

Not only does the system optimise the temperature for your body’s natural sleep cycle, it also achieves the goal of energy conservation and environmental protection.

3) Adjustable or oscillating air con louvres

Now, this is what we call a flexible and adaptable system! Unlike fixed blades, adjustable air con louvres can be pointed up for cool air and down for warm, using a remote control. These devices also have left and right adjustability, directing the air flow in your preferred direction.

A new and improved version uses a human activity sensor. Detecting the exact location and movements of the person in the room, the system automatically adjusts its blades to start cooling at maximum efficiency.

4) Demand Response Enabling Device (DRED) or PeakSmart

We’ve saved the best for last. There has been a lot of talk about “DRED” lately and it’s something that you might be (very!) interested in.

On average, cooling and heating take about 38% of your household’s energy use. So in order to reduce this power consumption, more and more new air conditioner models now feature DREDs (Demand Response Enabling Devices).

Australia’s power infrastructure can mostly cope with variations, but sometimes there are so-called “spikes” such as extremely hot days, when the major effort is avoiding power outages. The Demand Response Enabling Device (also called PeakSmart) basically allows participating energy companies to remotely control registered air conditioners in periods of peak electricity demand. This reduces both the strain on the grid and your household power consumption, without greatly affecting your air conditioner’s performance.

There are just a few companies providing this kind of service by installing a signal receiver into the DRED-enabled air conditioner. Queensland’s own Energex and Ergon also pay incentives to customers who opt out for DRED-enabled air conditioners. That’s pretty tempting!

Contact Jaric Electrical for more about air conditioning technology

Now that you know a little about the latest air conditioning technology, we’d be happy to help you evaluate your budget, lifestyle and preferences to see which new air con suits you.

Call Jaric Air Conditioning at 1300 452 742 or contact us online and one of our friendly experts will happily answer your questions.