Commercial and residential air conditioning units are both built to serve very different purposes. Discover how they differ in this article!
From office buildings and shopping centres to universities and leisure facilities, air conditioning units have been a staple in all sorts of commercial settings for many years.
But homeowners are only just starting to look into the benefits of investing in one for their properties.
In the height of summer, they help keep our homes cool and comfortable, and for some of us, they’ll become just as important as our boilers in the winter.
With so many different AC units on the market – including both commercial and residential varieties – it can be difficult to know which is best for your space, as they’re all designed with specific purposes in mind.
Here, our experts walk you through the differences between residential and commercial air conditioning to help you decide which is best for you.
So, what are the differences between commercial and residential air conditioning systems?
There are a few key differences between commercial and residential air conditioning units, including:
Size
Commercial air conditioning units are much bigger than those used in residential settings, as they need to cool a much larger space.
Whilst a residential AC unit needs to cool a larger quantity of smaller rooms – usually around 5-10 – a commercial unit will only need to cool 1-2, but they’re much bigger.
Think of a supermarket shop floor, for example. This counts as one room and often is bigger than multiple rooms in your home put together.
To cool such a large area, commercial units also have much bigger fans, evaporators, compressors, and blowers than residential units.
Cost
Being much bigger and more advanced, it probably comes as no surprise that commercial air conditioning units are much more expensive than their residential counterparts.
A commercial HVAC system will also bump up your energy bills, due to the amount of power that’s needed to keep larger spaces cool.
Whereas it’s possible to install your own air conditioning system at home, commercial air conditioning systems should only be installed by an expert. But this can sometimes be pricey.
Not only are you paying for the engineer’s skill and expertise, but you’re also paying to ensure you have a fully functioning, energy-efficient system, too.
Cooling methods
Residential and commercial air conditioners use entirely different cooling methods.
Residential units are typically located in the middle of a property and connected to ducts that run throughout the building and connect to vents in several different rooms.
Commercial units, however, are often installed outdoors on the roof, as they’re too big to be located anywhere indoors. But this means that cooling methods differ massively.
Rooftop air conditioning systems usually combine both cooling and heating systems to easily control the temperature and humidity of the premises throughout the year.
Commercial systems connect heating, ventilation, and cooling systems on all floors of the building, which control not only the temperature but the humidity within the building, too.
Can I use a commercial HVAC system in a residential property?
As we mentioned earlier, both commercial and residential HVAC units are built to serve entirely different purposes, so using commercial AC in residential buildings (and vice versa) isn’t ideal.
Here at J&M Refrigeration, we’re experts in commercial air conditioning, and our team would be more than happy to help you choose the perfect commercial HVAC unit for your premises.
Get in touch!
For more information about the AC units we supply, or for our specialist recommendations, give us a call today on 0121 544 0555 or email us at sales@jamrefrigeration.co.uk and we’ll get back to you shortly.
