I feel the heat and don't like it; I guess you'd expect me to be used to it by now having been born and raised in Australia, but no...it gets hot, I melt, then get grumpy.
- G-dog -
In the part of Australia I live summer temperatures can rise to 48°C (118°F) for days on end and night time temperatures can stay above 35°C for weeks and weeks. Roads, concrete and buildings heat up which radiates outwards making things worse and me way more grumpy. Fortunately, I have air conditioning in my houses and vehicles otherwise...I could not be held responsible for what I may do.
Ok I'm only joking, I tolerate the heat, go to work, sleep (usually) and generally function in the heat as normal. But it's unpleasant and I prefer to be cool.
My cars are generally known as refrigerators by those who ride in them extensive and regular use of the air conditioners, I figure, why be hot when I can be cool, and people tend to complain when their nipples become hard and erect - If it's happening to the right person, I don't complain though of course.
In my houses I have air conditioning also and they cope really well usually but with our weather shifting a little more humid now more often the air conditioning I have is struggling to maintain a comfortable temperature.
Ducted evaporative
I have ducted evaporative systems. They work by evaporation and push cooler air into the house and the warmer air out.
There's a square unit on the roof with a water reservoir in it. When turned on, a pump pulls the water up to the top and trickles it down over the pads on each of the four sides. A large laterally mounted fan operates to suck ambient air in through the water-soaked pads and push it down into the insulated duct-work to the ceiling-outlets and into the house. For it to work efficiently there needs to be up to two square metres of open windows or doors as the cool air pushing in displaces the warmer air in the house when needs to escape. The cool air floods the rooms and then pushes out the small gap in the slightly open windows or doors.
This system works well with the insulation in my houses to keep things cool in days up to around 32°C. It will cool the air coming through the water-soaked pads down to about 10°C below the water temperature being trickled onto the pads - 32°C outside equals 22°C inside, approximately. If it's hotter than that, or humid, the effectiveness is lessened and I get hot and grumpy.
Another downside to this system is that it doesn't heat.
Winters here are fairly mild, nights get down to 1°C to 3°C at their coldest and days can be around 10°C to 18°C so it's not super cold. Heaters are required though and I have gas units that heat my houses adequately.
Both of these systems are reasonably cost effective to run at about 0.04c an hour for the evaporative cooling and 0.20c to 0.25c per hour for the gas heating.
Ducted reverse-cycle
I've been thinking about a new system in one of my houses for a little while; it's the house I live in and I figure, with the weather changing, I want to ensure I'm more comfortable. My only option to consider was a ducted reverse-cycle system which is both heating and cooling in the one unit - I'm not going to play around with lesser systems.
The system makes use of a refrigerated cycle and the exchange of the refrigerant (R32) from gas to liquid, (high pressure to low pressure) to remove heat from the interior of the house, or put it in. (If you google refrigeration cycle diagram you'll see how it works.) In the case of reverse-cycle units no door or window space should be open for it to operate as it's a closed cycle meaning the hot or cold air coming in to the house returns to the condenser via a return duct in the ceiling.
These systems are able to maintain constant temperatures and are not affected by humidity. Yes, there's different types required for different temperature conditions like for areas that get down to well below 0°C temperatures, but in my area a standard system will easily be able to maintain the temperature I set in a range between 16°C and up to 28°C so a comfortable temperature for any weather conditions.
I'm looking at a zoned system and an upgraded control unit which means I'll be able to turn on or off any of the bedrooms or the two living areas and dining area independently of one another, and also adjust the percentage of air flow to each of those zones as well. Furthermore, I'll be able to turn on and operate all of the features of the system using my phone meaning I can turn it on when I leave work for a cool or warm house when I come home which mitigates the risk of grumpiness.
Cost of installation and running
I obtained two quotes, both very similar, and have decided the local South Australian company will get my business.
I'm also going for equipment that is made by the company selling and servicing it, the Japanese company called Daikin, rather than the Chinese rubbish that get's built and branded for the various air conditioning companies around the world in one central factory. It's going to cost a little more, but I'm ok with that.
My system, is designed for the square metre house area and configuration specifically and I'm getting a 12.5kW unit rather than the 10kW which would work but probably struggle a little. I've upgraded the insulated ducting that will go in also as it'll make the whole system more efficient. The addition of the zone motors to open and close zones/rooms as required and the AirTouch 2+ controller will make my system efficient and user-friendly.
The cost of operation is about 0.25c per hour however because I have a solar array on my house the running cost will be nothing, or close to nothing, in the daytime hours. My electricity bill will increase though, a small price for my grumpiness decreasing though.
Purchase and installation isn't the cheapest thing ever. The quote came back at $10,960 incl. GST and that includes everything for the system to operate, the installation and the complete removal of the evaporative system and gas heating system already in place. Over and above, I'll need to get a little Gyprok (drywall) replaced and flushed which I'll have done professionally before I paint it myself.
It probably sounds like a lot of money, but what price could be put on a non-grumpy G-dog?
I haven't decided to go ahead yet but when I do the work will be done in about two or three weeks time so come the hottest part of the year (February and March) I'll be nice and cool...and non-grumpy...Let's just call it less grumpy.
Have you ever had to consider your air conditioning set up? I know a lot of people live in countries where it gets very cold and have had some experience, through my brother 
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
The image in this post is me