Air Conditioning - System Types

There are many different systems available – but how do you know what’s best for you? Of course, the easiest way is to have us assess your individual needs and supply the most appropriate, flexible and cost effective options. But until you do, here’s our guide to the basics:

Single Splits
‘Single split’ air conditioners – the simplest built-in systems – consist of one indoor and one outdoor unit. The indoor unit is located within the space to be conditioned, and can be floor, wall, ducted or ceiling cassette type. This either cools or heats the space, depending upon the requirement. The outdoor unit is usually located externally and either rejects or absorbs heat, according to the room’s demand.

Twin/Triple/Quad Splits
These work on exactly the same principle as a single split, but using two, three or four indoor units – ideal for large rooms where there may be too much load for a single split to deal with. All of the units are operated by the same remote controller and therefore would not normally be applied to multiple rooms.

Multi-Splits
Multi splits work the same as twin, triple or quad splits, except that each indoor unit can have its own remote controller. This allows the user the freedom to set each indoor unit’s temperature or fan speed individually – perfect for applications where there are multiple rooms with the same demand. Note, though, that with this system each indoor unit must be set in the same operational mode (i.e. they must all be cooling or heating). If complete individual control is required, a three-pipe heat recovery VRV/VRF is needed.

VRF/VRV
‘VRF’ stands for ‘variable refrigerant flow’, and ‘VRV’ for ‘variable refrigerant volume’. Both mean essentially the same thing, but the term VRV is used exclusively by the manufacturer Daikin, who pioneered the technology and also patented the name. These systems work on the principle that there is one outdoor unit, serving up to 48 indoor units, and come in either two- or three-pipe forms.

VRF/VRV Heat Pump
The term heat pump in air conditioning simply means that the system as a whole can either cool or heat, depending on the demand. A two pipe system works on the principle that all of the indoor units operate in the same mode, and cooling or heating can be switched by the reversing valve located in the outdoor unit. Each indoor unit can have its own controller and be fully functional – apart from individual mode selection (i.e. whether it is cooling or heating).

VRF/VRV Heat Recovery
The term heat recovery in air conditioning means that heat can be absorbed (recovered) from one area of a building and rejected to another, saving energy.

The system works on the same principle as the two-pipe, except that simultaneous cooling and heating is available. A branch selector box (or more than one box) acts as a reversing valve, not the outdoor unit, which means each indoor unit can be individually controlled to provide complete flexibility of use.