These versions for room cooling are very inexpensive to purchase and are available both as fixed installations and as mobile versions. They tend to consist of a few components –– the fan as well as a water tank and an evaporation mat. The latter is humidified via the tank. The fan pushes air through and the water evaporates. This then cools the ambient air. The major drawback of this is the high level of moisture brought into the room. In addition, the appliance quickly loses its effect when the water tank is empty.
Viessmann air conditioners for your home – an overview
Request a consultationProlonged periods of heat, poor air quality and the need for a healthy indoor environment are raising interest in air conditioning systems. For many, it is not just about cooling rooms in the summer months, but also about a high level of thermal comfort. Humidity plays just as important a role as filtered air –– free of viruses, allergens and other pollutants. Learn more about the benefits of air conditioners, the different application areas and their operation in the following overview.
Benefits of a Viessmann air conditioner in summary
Quickly and easily improve indoor air quality
Unlike many mobile appliances and simple fans, the warm indoor room air is not only swirled or enriched with moisture. A Viessmann air conditioner creates a pleasant room climate. Not only is cooling fast, but the air is dehumidified and purified at the same time. This ensures a high degree of comfort and maximum convenience. An air conditioner also purifies the air of disruptive factors such as allergens, viruses and other pollutants.
Compact heating and cooling
With an air conditioner, you can not only actively cool rooms but also heat them in spring and autumn and/or support existing heat generators and energy solutions, or even replace them in their entirety at times. Spring and autumn mornings and evenings can still be very chilly. This is where an air conditioner in the home can be used effectively as a booster heater.
The air conditioner as a flexible system for different application areas
Viessmann air conditioners are ideal for hybridising your home, for example to supplement a photovoltaic system. This way, you increase the level of self-consumption of power produced on site, as most solar radiation overlaps with the highest demand for cooling. In combination with other energy solutions, you can also save on fossil fuels, especially if you supplement and support an existing gas or oil heating system. The multi split air conditioner also offers the benefit of flexible combination of several indoor units along with simultaneous cooling in several areas of your home.
How does an air conditioner work?
In principle, an air conditioner is about extracting heat, i.e. thermal energy, from the indoor air and transporting it to the outside. Under normal conditions, heat flows from the high to the low temperature level. On hot days, however, when it is even warmer outside than in, we prefer the opposite: heat should flow outside to the higher temperature level so that it is cooler and more comfortable inside. The basis for this is a refrigerant circuit, similar to an air source heat pump, only in reverse. This process makes it possible to route the energy from the inside to the outside. An important prerequisite for this is that the refrigerant used in an air conditioner evaporates at room temperature.
Refrigerant circuit briefly explained
First of all, let us clarify that Viessmann's range includes split air conditioners. These consist of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit contains the fan and the evaporator. All other components can be found in the outdoor unit.
- The fan draws in the warm air and guides it past the heat exchanger.
- The heat exchanger contains the liquid refrigerant.
- The refrigerant absorbs the thermal energy from the indoor air and evaporates.
- The room cools down noticeably.
- The refrigerant flows through the compressor. The pressure increases, as does the temperature of the now gaseous refrigerant.
- The thermal energy –– heat in the form of the warm, gaseous medium –– is routed to the outside.
- The pressure and temperature of the refrigerant drop back to the initial level. The medium liquefies and the cycle can begin again.
What is cooling capacity?
Cooling capacity is the counterpart to heating output and can be calculated accordingly. In essence, this performance parameter describes how much thermal energy an air conditioner or other cooling unit can absorb and dissipate in a given time in order to cool the room or rooms. At best, the system will be designed so that the output corresponds to all internal and external heat sources. These include large window areas or other glass surfaces through which a relatively large amount of sunlight can enter the room. In addition, even rather moderate insulation of the outer shell influences the heat load in a house during the summer months. Other factors are the number of people in the room or building and how much heat is emitted by electrical appliances. This must be taken into account when calculating the cooling load in accordance with VDI 2078. In addition, the perceived temperature also plays a key role in the assessment and design of the system. The cooling capacity is indicated in watts or kilowatts.
What are the different types of air conditioner and air conditioning units?
There are a number of different solutions for cooling a building or a room. These range from simple fans with cooling function, as a mobile air conditioning unit or permanently installed, through to monoblock air conditioning units and split air conditioners that form a complete system with several indoor units. Appliances and systems achieve lower or higher performance values depending on how sophisticated the technology is. In addition, split air conditioners in particular come with additional functions.
The monoblock design has the entire refrigerant circuit running in a single unit. This configuration requires a hose that leads to the outside via a window or a slot in the door. The condensate that is produced during the cooling process, as well as the heated extract air, are routed to the outside via the hose. Monoblock air conditioning units can also dehumidify the air and purify it via a filter. A major disadvantage of this design is that operation is comparatively loud. In addition, the opening for the condensate hose needs to be thoroughly sealed.
The split design is characterised by the system consisting of an indoor and an outdoor unit. This means that the refrigerant circuit is distributed between the two units. The compressor is accommodated in the outdoor unit. This has the benefit of very quiet operation. The two units are only connected by thin pipes through the external wall. In addition, a split air conditioner is equipped with an inverter motor that enables demand-oriented output adjustment. This in turn leads to very efficient operation and power savings. The split design also makes it possible for several indoor units in a house to be connected to a single outdoor unit. This is called a multi split air conditioner. Due to the numerous benefits, Viessmann only offers split air conditioners in its range of products.
Tips for buying an air conditioner for your home
Before the purchase comes the decision. You will receive support from our heating contractor partners. They will conduct an on-site appointment where you can clarify all relevant key points with the expert. A good way to prepare for this appointment is to clarify a few questions for yourself beforehand. Consider the following overview as a checklist that covers the most important aspects of buying an air conditioner. Please bear in mind that a list like cannot cover everything. Only a personal consultation will help you find a solution for cooling and ventilation that is tailored to your needs.
- What will the air conditioner or air conditioning unit be used for?
- Do you just need cooling for your rooms, or heating as well?
- How large is/are the room or rooms to be cooled? Is it individual rooms or a complete building?
- When and how often will the system be used? Is it likely to be needed for a holiday home or another property that is only used temporarily?
- Do you already have an air conditioner or a mobile air conditioning unit and do you want to integrate it into the new system?
- Is there a photovoltaic system and is there a need to increase self-consumption?
- Should the new Viessmann air conditioner be combined with an existing heat generator or should a new complete solution be planned straight away?
For precise planning, key data such as the size of the living space or building will play just as much a role as the number of people living in the household, location as much as solar radiation and also what maximum temperatures can be expected during the summer. The selected heating contractor will discuss all of these factors with you and together you will create the optimal solution.
Retrofitting an air conditioner
Vitoclima Viessmann air conditioners are suitable for both new build and modernisation projects. Retrofitting presents no problem. Planning is especially important. The type, size and above all the output must match the existing building and your living conditions. In addition to the above questions, existing cooling measures, heat or power generators must be given special consideration during the planning.
Application areas for split air conditioners as a decisive factor
When deciding whether to equip individual rooms or your entire home with an air conditioner, the question of where the system will be used is important for planning purposes. That's because the output and combinations possible depend on the application area. For example, you can plan an air conditioner for a roof space where it may become unpleasantly hot during the summer months. It is also possible to use an air conditioner in a bedroom to ensure a comfortable sleep during tropically hot summer nights. You still have the option to equip your entire home with an air conditioner. The multi split system, for example, is ideal for this. Discuss with your local expert where the cooling demand is highest and whether there are any retrofit options that can be considered now for later implementation.
Air conditioning and its associated costs
Air conditioners are characterised by their comparatively low investment costs. If the system has been planned properly and individually matched, the running costs will also be low. The important element here is that it can fully capitalise on its benefits when combined with other heat generators. This is especially true if an air conditioner also takes care of heating. This is ideal in spring and autumn. This means that the rest of the system can remain safely switched off during the milder months of spring and autumn.
The aforementioned combination, with a photovoltaic system and a power storage unit, such as the Vitocharge VX3, is particularly efficient. Electricity from your own roof will also reduce the costs for an air conditioner.