Can't vouch for the quality of these units, so please don't burn me. Price seems reasonable.
* 2 year warranty
* 6.4kW cooling, 6.3kW heating
* Reverse cycle
* LED display
* Remote control
* Automatic temperature sensing
* Dehumidifying function
* Inbuilt soft start function reduces power load during startup
Agree, my spouse pointed this out to me last night, I said its not the upfront cost that matters when you are buying an AC, its the running cost that kills you. Plus I have one policy - I never buy anything electrical from Aldi. Its going to cost atleast $500- $600 to mount this unit, if it fails on you, who pays for the AC mechanic to come out and remove it and remount the new one. Also keep in mind that Aldi require you to take the faulty item yourself to Silverwater, in Sydney to get it repaired under warranty. For all these reasons, the only thing I buy nowadays from Aldi is canned tomatoes. If the tomatoes in the can are rotten, I'll atleast get the satisfaction of throwing them at the store manager.
Ad says 2 year in-house warranty, so not sure what you mean when you say that Aldi require you to take the faulty unit to Silverwater…
Don't forget the Australian Government increased the requirements of the energy star ratings to further improve the efficiency of air conditioners
http://steplight.com.au/2010/04/06/new-energy-star-labelling…
so in summary you can add 2 stars to the sticker to compare to older models
Edit:
I went to government website to find more info about the AC unit
http://bit.ly/97p7LT
(Link has been shortened)
but it gives an indication of the running cost per year and shows the old and new energy star ratings. It used to be a 4 star but is now a 1 star.
Indicated running costs over 10 years = $1890.
stars means nothing, you should look at the kW usage and calculate the cost per year
Should also factor in $600-700 to have it installed.
I bought one of these about 2 years ago. It hasn't missed a beat. Managed to get it installed for $500.00 (a mate of a mate) and the whole job cost me about $1,000.00 from memory. It is a quiet unit and keeps a a "largish" area comfortable during even the hottest days. Heating is also a bonus during those really cold mornings!
How big would the area be in square metres?
A 6.4kw unit is good for a room around 50 square metres
Really? I have an area of about 50 square metres that I need aircon for and according to the graphs I found, it says I need an 8kw unit! Or are the manufacturer's graphs grossly overated?
I found this tool which is where i worked out 50 square metres http://www.aircomfort.co.uk/calc.php
It is a UK calculator so could give different results if it takes into account their climate.
If you want to spend a few minutes then this tool looks like it will give you the best estimate as it factors in insulation, windows and where you live.
http://www.fairair.com.au/Calculator.Size.aspx
It was about 40 squares (maybe 50) but it also pushed cold air down the hall and into 2 bedrooms. It has been a very good and reliable unit. There was a local company that serviced the units too - if in doubt maybe check who services the units with Aldi, they are usually pretty helpful with that type of stuff.
Looks like it's not an inverter…is it loud when it kicks in?
Issue to consider is if you buy an AC from a retailer and there's a problem after forking out the extra $600 for a basic install, you can have a nightmare of a time getting it fixed, with neither the installer, manufacturer nor retailer taking responsibility and each claiming another party's at fault. And 2 years is a pretty short warranty for a split system (5 years is standard).
The single-star energy rating is under the 2010 revision and isn't that bad against its competitors. Similar-capacity models from decent brands (Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, etc.) have 1 or 2-star scores unless you spend extra on the high-efficiency variants.
That's quite cheap for quite a powerful unit - 6.4kW is approx 2.5 horsepower (in the old measurement).
I can't tell if it's an inverter or not. Appears as though it isn't. Inverters reduce energy consumption by up to 30%, by allowing the outdoor condensor unit to alter its speed/output to match the required indoor unit hanging on your wall.
My office is 80sqm - I recently installed a Fujitsu 2 horsepower inverter unit (5.20kw cooling/6.25kW heating), and it does the job fine. At home I have a 3 horsepower (from memory - 7.2kW cooling/8.00kW heating) Daikin inverter which does the dining, living and kitchen with ease.
Like others have said though, it is a very good price and will be great if it keeps working. However, be wary in buying this unit - you will need to find your own installer, and you may have issues if it break down or you need parts.
6.4 kW is closer to 8.6hp
The inverter only improves efficiency when running at low load; on a sticking hot day when you want it running flat out (my only incentive to consider one of these units) the inverter actually costs about 2% extra (due to voltage drop across the SCRs)
It only runs "flat out" until the room is cooled to the desired level.
Then the load is reduced, unless you left the door open, or have no insulation.
Or a stupid design like lots of west-facing windows - but even that can be fixed, e.g. with sthutters.
How difficult is it to install these yourself? What special equipment needed? (vacuum pump?)
Assuming you already had a 15A power socket in place, and know how to seal a brass thread.
If you need to ask ten it is impossible for you to do it legally.
To legally install the unit you need a licence.
To buy the refrigerant gas (and then put the gas in the unit) you need a refrigerant handling licence.
To get hold of a licence you need to have undertaken training and have the correct qualifications
Even if you could install the unit and buy the gas without a licence it is not as simple as connecting the gas bottle to the air conditioner unit and putting the gas in.
OK, so the refrigerant is not included? I hoped it might be as simple as connecting the hoses, evacuating them, close evac valve, test vacuum thoroughly, and open coolant reservoir valve.
Such a nanny state. You cannot do your own wiring, not even if you follow all Aus standards and get a council building inspector to approve. I wonder if I broke any laws installing my own dishwasher?
I was amazed how much less state nannying there was in the USA, despite the lawyer plague.
OK, so the refrigerant is not included?
I dont think so, I have seen a few units of different brands installed and they have never come with their own refrigerant supply.
Even if they did you still need a licence to do the work.
The only air conditioner you can install yourself is a self contained plug in unit which are the ones mounted in windows.
There are good reasons why the work should be done by qualified people, the refrigerants are not friendly to the enviroment.
Yes, but frankly I don't have that much respect for the law.
Not if it makes me a criminal for doing trivial electrical and plumbing in my own home.
The parliamentary interns writing the laws seem to have the attitude that if their poorly thought-out regulations stop one inbred moron from electrocuting himself, then they are justified.
It should be enough to follow reasonable prescribed standards, IMHO.
How bad are the refrigerants really? I thought they banned CFCs.
Do all those fridges dumped on the verge for council pickup get their coolant removed? House demolitions?
There a plenty that come precharged with gas. After you vacuum pump the lines you release the gas
I agree that it would be good to be able to legally do your own wiring but I can see it leading to problems when other people need to fix or just work near someone's poorly done work.
It might look good at the time but if you have not done it correctly you could end up killing them.
If you had a child who had touched a power point in your house which was poorly installed by the previous resident then I think you would agree with the law more.
How bad are the refrigerants really? I thought they banned CFCs.
The old refrigerants were bad for the ozone layer and the new refrigerants are very strong greenhouse gasses.
One kilogram of the new refrigerants is equivalent to around two tonnes of carbon dioxide.
An average split system air-conditioner has 2kg of refrigerant.
Do all those fridges dumped on the verge for council pickup get their coolant removed? House demolitions?
By law they need to have the gas removed (It is illegal to release the gas into the environment), the council will probably deal with it once they have collected it from you.
By the look of the picture, the unit is a 1 and 1.5 star energy rating. So I guess running costs might be a little higher than more efficient units, something to consider with electricity prices on the rise.