If you live in the UK, then it is more than likely that you are worried about or struggling with the cost of living crisis that we are currently experiencing. Household energy bills increased by an unsightly 54% this April, followed by a further 27% increase in October, so it is no wonder that people are hesitant to use their heating this winter where possible.
However, with temperatures expected to be dipping into the minus figures in various places across the nation at times this month, turning the heating on may be unavoidable, both for the sake of your health and to stop the pipes in your home from freezing.
There is, however, a way to heat your home more affordably. How? Ironically, through air conditioning (AC).
How Does It Work?
Contrary to popular belief, air conditioning units can be used to heat a room, as well as cooling them (as they are traditionally associated with and used for). But how is this possible?
There are four main components in an air conditioner that play a part in the process of dispersing cool air into a room.
- Compressor
- Fan
- Condenser Coil
- Evaporator Coil
A fan is used to blow warm air from inside a room over the evaporator coils, which contains a liquid coolant. As this coolant evaporates and turns into a gas, it absorbs heat from the air – to continue cooling the air this must then expel the heat elsewhere and turn back into a liquid.
This is where the compressor comes in; the coolant gas is pushed through the compressor, which pressurises this gas inside the condenser coils, causing it to condense back into a liquid and expel the heat. A separate fan then blows heat away from the condenser coils and outside of your room.
In order to heat your room, then, this process is actually reversed – all that is required as an extra is a reversing valve to allow cold air to be extracted and warm air to be pumped into the room, instead.
Saving You Money
Though air conditioning installation can have a high initial cost, the money it will save you in the long run makes it worth it. With traditional central heating systems, you get an output of 1kW of heat for every 1kW of energy used. As for AC units, they can produce three times as much energy (some even have the ability to produce more!), so you get 3kW of heat for every 1kW of energy used.
This makes them much more efficient, meaning it takes less time to heat your home to the same amount as what your traditional heating would. On top of that, AC units are much better at distributing the heat evenly across multiple rooms and open living spaces.
This works out as the most cost-efficient way to heat your home, rather than spending lots of money on your energy bills or forking out to improve the efficiency of your home’s heat-retention through other means (such as upgrading your insulation or window seals).
Another bonus is that when we experience an incredibly hot summer in the future (as we have been these past few years), you will then have the means to effectively stay cool, as well!
Air Conditioning Service Gloucester
Whether you’re looking to install a domestic or commercial air conditioning system, or require AC maintenance, look no further than Mitchells.
Our team of expert engineers have completed many AC installation jobs over the years and are more than equipped to help you with your needs.
Contact us today to enquire about our services.