Domestic air conditioning has grown quietly and steadily, and according to Tony Neilsen, marketing manager at FG Eurofred, that is the way it is likely to continue – not spectacularly but steadily.
The best indoor unit would be a chassis style unit, mounted at floor level and surrounded by a well- made cabinet with a grille on the top, or a ducted unit supplying clean, conditioned air to unobtrusive grilles in the ceiling or on the wall.

EVERY year there are articles predicting that the domestic air conditioning market is about to take off, as it has done in many parts of continental Europe, but has failed to do here, mainly because we do not have the climate or pricing structure.

However, while there may not have been a discernable take off, during the past decade or so, domestic air conditioning has grown quietly and steadily, and that is the way it is likely to continue - not spectacularly but steadily.

Most of this will be in the new-build sector for houses, and new-build and refurbishment for luxury apartments.

There are two reasons for believing this. Firstly, it is much easier and much more cost effective to install air conditioning when a home is being built or an old apartment block is being completely refurbished.

Secondly, air conditioning in homes is still looked on as a luxury that developers can use to make their up-market properties more attractive to potential buyers. These days, people expect central heating, fully fitted kitchens, dishwashers and even, sometimes, fridges, freezers and washing machines to be included in the price of their new homes. Even at the low end of the market, many of these items come as standard, but including air conditioning can still set a luxury home apart.

In time, of course, this inclusion could drift down towards the lower end of the market, as in Europe and in the USA. There was a time when central heating was an up-market luxury, but no one would dream of trying to sell a home without it these days. Just a few years ago, air conditioning was an optional extra for luxury cars; now it is often fitted as standard, even at the economy end.

Another boost to this market is likely to come from increased interest in heat pumps.

Heat pump air conditioning units used to be, and in many cases still are, sold primarily on their ability to cool, with an ability to heat that could supplement the main wet system. Improvements to the technology means that these units are now being sold on their ability to heat for most of the year and also cool when needed. The explosion of conservatories all over the country has proved fertile ground for floor standing heat pump units, such as the Fujitsu ABY and AGYV units, which can heat the new room in winter, without the hassle of extending the wet system, and cool in the warmer days of summer.

Even some housing associations are now installing heat pump air conditioning units as their primary heating source, particularly in areas where gas is not available.

Some manufacturers are now marketing units solely for the heating market, which they claim are 30-50% more efficient than gas boilers. These just plug into the hot water and heating system like an ordinary wall hung boiler. As gas and oil become scarcer and more expensive, I believe these types of units are destined to take over. Being electric, they can also take advantage of lower carbon and renewable energy sources as they come on line, eg solar, wind, nuclear etc. While this is fine for heat pumps, it does not do much to spread the gospel of ac as a whole.

There is still a huge marketing job that needs doing if we are to make inroads into the domestic sector, and the one thing that would do the most to further this is a big increase in the number of multi-skilled specialist domestic installers.

Most contractors are used to installing equipment in new-build developments, or as part of a refurbishment, in the knowledge that the floor coverings are not fitted yet and that, once their job is completed, other tradesmen will be in to finish and decorate.

When contractors are asked to retrofit air conditioning into existing domestic premises, it is usually the up-market end of the housing stock that they have to deal with.

This means expensive carpets, high spec decoration and even family pets and the householder's favourite vase. All these things have to be managed and the house left clean, tidy and as well decorated as it was before.

Householders do not want to employ lots of different firms; they want to deal with just one company - preferably just one person. That means that installers, as well as their normal skills, also need the skills of a builder, an electrician and a decorator; or at least develop very close relationships with tradesmen they trust.

Developers of new homes will also require multi-skilling more and more. They want a simple, centrally controlled and integrated environmental system that allows air conditioning, heat pumps, gas and electric central heating and, increasingly, heat recovery systems. Again, they will want to deal with one company to do this efficiently.

In other words, what the domestic market needs is specialist contractors, offering a complete service. There is no point in giving someone a quotation for 75% of the job; you need to quote for 100% of the job.

It is also useful if these installers have a shop or showroom where potential customers can go to see how the units look and how they operate.

One thing we must ensure is that any business from this area comes to properly qualified air conditioning installers, not plumbers and heating engineers.

In my view, wherever refrigerant pipework is being installed you need a specialist air conditioning and refrigeration engineer.

One of the things that we as an industry have to ensure, if the domestic market is to thrive, is the design of the equipment. Cassettes are generally unsuitable for domestic installation and, let's face it, many wall and ceiling hung units look more at home in offices and shops than in living rooms.

The best indoor unit would be a chassis style unit, mounted at floor level and surrounded by a well made cabinet with a grille on the top - like old fashioned radiator housing - or a ducted unit supplying clean, conditioned air to unobtrusive grilles in the ceiling or on the wall. These both eliminate the problem of draughts associated with some wall-hung models.

In the end, it is the economy and the weather that will have the biggest effects.

While the trend towards spending more on existing homes, rather than moving, is likely to keep the top end buoyant, to convince people further down the housing ladder that they need to part with the cost of a family holiday to pay for an ac system, will require a good few uncomfortably hot days. So, roll on a good summer - I think the domestic ac market really needs it, this year more than most.



Installer at home with Airstage

THE Fujitsu Airstage J Series VRF has proven to be one of the most popular inverter driven ac systems for hotels, luxury flats and domestic installations, particularly with the installer.

One of the reasons for this popularity is that the powerful and versatile outdoor unit measures just 900mm by 900mm by 370mm, so it can be sited practically anywhere; a useful trait when, often, because of aesthetics or planning regulations, the only outside space available is a balcony, an outside stairwell or under a window. Its comparatively light weight of only 97kg also makes the unit easy to handle.

This two-pipe heat pump unit can connect to up to eight indoor units, including cassettes, compact cassettes, wall mounts and ducted units. While the overall system can be controlled by a group remote controller, each room can be heated or cooled to different required temperatures, regulated by individual wired or wireless remote controllers.

The unit's DC inverter scroll compressor, using R410A as a refrigerant, operates on a single phase electricity supply, making it suitable for a normal domestic electricity circuit. It also means the J series has excellent full and part load efficiency ratings, producing 15.2kW nominal cooling capacity, with a maximum connected capacity of 22.8kW (150%).

FG Eurofred Ltd

0208 731 3450