Yes. In most apartments, air conditioning can be an excellent way to keep the space comfortable throughout both summer and winter. The more important question is usually not whether you can air condition an apartment, but which system will work best for your particular apartment.
That is where we find apartment installations can be quite different from installing air conditioning in a freestanding home.
When we assess an apartment, we are looking at more than the size of the room. We need to consider where the indoor unit can go, where we can position the outdoor unit, how pipework and drainage can be run, how much direct sun the apartment receives, noise considerations and any strata requirements that may apply.
After more than 50 years serving the Central Coast, we have worked with plenty of properties where space and installation options are limited. In many cases, there is a very practical air conditioning solution. It simply needs to be designed around the apartment rather than treating it like a smaller version of a house.
What Air Conditioner Would We Recommend for an Apartment?
For most existing one and two-bedroom apartments, we would usually look at a split system first. A wall-mounted split system gives us a lot of flexibility. We can select the capacity to suit the room, position the indoor unit to distribute air effectively and install the outdoor condenser in an approved location without needing ductwork through the entire apartment.
If your living room and kitchen form one open-plan area, for example, one correctly sized split system may be all you need to make the main living space considerably more comfortable. Bedrooms can be treated separately where required.
The mistake we try to avoid is simply installing the biggest unit that will fit. Bigger does not automatically mean better. We size an air conditioner according to the space it actually has to heat and cool.
Floor area matters, but so do:
- Ceiling height
- Window size and orientation
- Afternoon sun
- Insulation
- Apartment level
- Number of occupants
- Heat generated by appliances
- How adjoining rooms connect to the conditioned area
An air conditioner that is too small can run continuously trying to reach temperature. A system that is unnecessarily large can also perform poorly. Good apartment air conditioning starts with getting the capacity right.
Which Air Conditioning Brand Is Best for an Apartment?
This is a question we get regularly, and our answer is not simply whichever brand has the biggest promotion at the time.
We supply and install Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Fujitsu because they are established air conditioning manufacturers with product ranges we are comfortable recommending, installing and servicing.
They are all capable of doing an excellent job in an apartment. However, there are situations where we may favour one over another.
Daikin: An Excellent All-Round Apartment Option
Daikin is another brand we install regularly and are very comfortable recommending. Its split-system range gives us plenty of options across different room sizes, and Daikin places a strong emphasis on energy efficiency, quiet operation and air filtration.
For an apartment owner who wants a proven premium system and a broad choice of capacities and features, Daikin is often a very straightforward recommendation.
Daikin also gives us considerably more flexibility as projects become larger or more complex. While that may not matter in a small one-bedroom apartment, it can become useful in larger apartments or properties where several areas need to be conditioned.
You can read more about the Daikin air conditioning systems we supply and install on our Daikin page.
Fujitsu: Worth Considering for Multi-Room Apartments
Fujitsu is another brand we work with across both split and ducted air conditioning, but one area that can be particularly relevant to apartments is multi-split air conditioning. A multi-split system connects several indoor air conditioners to a single outdoor unit. That can solve a very real apartment problem.
If you want air conditioning in a living room and several bedrooms, there may simply not be enough appropriate balcony or external space for three or four separate condensers. Subject to the particular apartment and installation requirements, a multi-split system can give us a way to air condition several rooms while reducing the number of outdoor units required.
Fujitsu offers multi-room systems designed for this type of application, so it is a brand we may consider where the layout calls for it.
You can explore our Fujitsu air conditioning range for more information.
Mitsubishi Electric: For Quiet Apartment Split Systems
If we are installing a split system in a bedroom or apartment where noise is particularly important, Mitsubishi Electric is often high on our list.
We regularly recommend Mitsubishi Electric for room-by-room applications because quiet operation is one of the areas where the brand has built a strong reputation.
That matters more in an apartment than many people initially realise. Your bed, sofa, dining area and air conditioner can all be relatively close together, so a few decibels can make a noticeable difference.
For someone wanting a quality split system for a bedroom or main living area, Mitsubishi Electric is therefore one of the brands we would usually consider.
Can You Install Ducted Air Conditioning in an Apartment?
Sometimes, but it is not our automatic recommendation.Ducted air conditioning requires suitable ceiling space for the indoor unit and ductwork. Many existing apartments simply do not give us enough room to install it properly.
In a larger apartment, penthouse or a property designed with sufficient ceiling space, ducted air conditioning can be an excellent solution. It gives you discreet outlets and the ability to condition several areas from one central system.
But if we arrive at a typical established apartment, we are generally going to investigate split or multi-split air conditioning before assuming ducted is the right answer.
That is one of the biggest changes we would make to the advice in the original version of this article. The system has to suit the building.
Where Does the Outdoor Unit Go?
This is often the first practical question we need to answer on an apartment job. A split-system air conditioner needs an outdoor condenser, and in an apartment we cannot simply put that unit wherever we want.
Depending on the building, an appropriate position may be on a balcony or another approved external area. We need sufficient airflow around the condenser, safe service access and a practical route between the indoor and outdoor equipment.
We also think about the people living around you. The outdoor unit needs to be positioned sensibly so that noise and hot discharge air do not create unnecessary problems for neighbouring apartments.
On the Central Coast, we also pay attention to coastal exposure. Salt-laden air can be hard on outdoor equipment, regardless of brand. Where possible, good condenser positioning combined with regular maintenance can make an important difference to the life of the system.
What About Portable Air Conditioners?
A portable air conditioner can be useful when permanent installation simply is not possible, particularly for renters. However, we would not generally put a portable unit in the same category as a professionally installed split system.
A refrigerated portable air conditioner still needs somewhere to discharge its hot exhaust air, normally through a window or suitable opening. It also tends to be noisier and less efficient than a correctly sized split system.
If you own the apartment and permanent air conditioning is permitted, we would generally explore the split-system options first.
Is Reverse-Cycle Air Conditioning Worth It in an Apartment?
For many of our customers, yes. A reverse-cycle system gives you cooling during a hot Central Coast summer and efficient heating during winter from the same unit.
Apartments can also have some characteristics that make good temperature control particularly valuable. A west-facing apartment with large windows, for example, can absorb heat for hours during the afternoon. Even when the temperature outside begins to drop, the walls, floors and furniture can continue radiating that accumulated heat back into the apartment.
We see this regularly. It is why opening a window at the end of a hot day does not always solve the problem. The right air conditioner lets you actively control the indoor temperature instead.
What We Look at Before Recommending Apartment Air Conditioning
When we assess an apartment, our recommendation comes down to a combination of the building and how you actually live in the space.
We want to know which rooms you use most, whether you need cooling overnight, which direction the windows face, what outdoor space is available and whether one indoor unit can effectively serve the area or whether several rooms need separate temperature control.
Then we look at the practical installation. Where can we put the condenser? Where can the drain go? Can the required pipework be run neatly? Are there strata restrictions? Is there enough space for ductwork, or is a split system going to give you a better result?
Apartments may also have specific requirements covering the position of condensers, pipework, drainage, appearance and noise. We recommend sorting this out early. Once we know where equipment is permitted, we can design the installation around those restrictions rather than getting all the way to installation day and discovering the planned condenser position is not allowed.
Only once we understand those things do we recommend the system and brand. That is the difference between simply buying an air conditioner and having an air conditioning system properly selected for your apartment.
Talk to Our Installers About Your Apartment
If you are trying to work out whether air conditioning will work in your apartment, you do not need to choose the brand, capacity and system type yourself.
Our team at Central Coast Air Conditioning can assess the apartment, talk through what you want to achieve and recommend the solution we would use for that space.
We install and service Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Fujitsu systems across the Central Coast, so our recommendation is based on what suits the apartment rather than being tied to one manufacturer.
Speak with our team about air conditioning installation for your apartment and we can recommend the right way to approach it.
Phone: 02 4365 2677
Email: info@centralcoastair.com.au