A Comparison: Refrigerated vs Evaporative Cooling System
When you’re hot, tired, and frustrated, finding cool relief becomes a top priority. And one of the best ways to beat the heat? A high-quality air conditioning system. But with so many options available on the market, how do you know which one to choose?
Here’s the first step: start by eliminating inefficient styles and brands, and choose the top two most sought-after ACs: refrigerated and evaporative cooling. But which one should you choose? Let’s compare them below.
What Is an Evaporative Cooling System?
As the name implies, an evaporative cooling system relies on water evaporation. Through this cooling process, warm air passes through the unit’s moistened pads. After passing through the pads, the warm air cools through evaporation and disperses cool air throughout the room.
This process eliminates the use of artificial refrigerants. And this is one of the most beneficial aspects of evaporative cooling systems; air is not recycled, it draws n fresh air, then filters and cools it using water.
What Is a Refrigerated Cooling System?
A refrigerated cooling system works by cooling the air with refrigerant gases through an indoor fan coil and outdoor condenser unit. In contrast to evaporative systems, refrigerated systems recycle or recirculate the air. As a result, home insulation becomes an essential component in keeping your house cool.
Unlike Evaporative Cooling, you are able to set a temperature which you want the air to be cooled to.
The Differences between the Two
Because they both rely on the principle of heat transfer, the main difference between refrigerated and evaporative cooling systems is the heat transfer process.
On the one hand, evaporative cooling use soak or filter pads before pumping the cool air into your home. On the other hand, refrigerated cooling systems use specialised refrigerants for the overall cooling process.
What are their advantages?
Knowing the pros and cons of every cooling system before making your purchase decisions is essential. And we start by learning the benefits.
Evaporative Cooling System
Here are two advantages that an evaporative cooling system can provide you:
Benefit #1: Affordable Installation and Maintenance Costs
Because evaporative depend on fewer working parts (e.g., fans and water pumps) to reach optimum efficiency, it costs less than a refrigerated air conditioners which uses refrigerants to generate colder air.
Aside from evaporative system parts, installation charges are low because of its simple design. However, it doesn’t have the exact costs as the cost can vary based on these factors:
- Size of the House;
- Number of Vents;
- Amount of Ductwork required
Benefit #2: Doesn’t Dry the Air
Evaporative Cooling doesn’t draw moisture from the air like Refrigerated Cooling which some people prefer.
Refrigerated Cooling System
There are numerous advantages to using a refrigerated cooling system, but here are the top two benefits.
Benefit #1: All-Year-Round Comfort
Compared to evaporative cooling, a refrigerated cooling system ensures that you can efficiently regulate the room temperature. Ducted refrigerated air conditioning is compatible with Zoning and Temperature sensors, so you adjust the temperature in each room and turn off zones you’re not using.
Benefit #2: Comfortable in all Climates
Refrigerated cooling systems are known for their streamlined efficiency in cooling your homes in various climates. This makes them ideal for Australia’s unpredictable weather.
That is to say, whether dry or wet, the performance of your refrigerated cooling system will not be affected, and it will continue to keep your space cool.
The Disadvantages of Using These Cooling Systems
After learning about the benefits of cooling systems, it’s time to learn about their drawbacks, so you know how to deal with them.
Evaporative Cooling System
Although they require little maintenance, this cooling system has some disadvantages. One of them is unsuitable for humid weather (changes thermal comfort in this kind of weather).
For this reason, some people with Evaporative Cooling will also install a Split System into one or more of their rooms for when it’s a humid day. So they can enjoy the low running costs and breeze-like feeling of Evaporative Cooling but be prepared for those occasional hot days.
Refrigerated Cooling System
Like the evaporative system, refrigerated cooling also has disadvantages, one of which is costly to purchase and install.
It is also more expensive to run, but allows you to have full control over your indoor climate.
The Bottomline
Each cooling system has advantages and disadvantages; it is up to you to determine which works best for you, your preferences and budget. However, if you’re still unsure what to do, let GASMAN’s team of experts assist you. Call us on 1800 GASMAN today.
Did you know?…
Gasman has now joined Martin Plumbing Group? For more information, including costs and price comparisons, visit our product pages:
More info – Ducted Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning
More info – Evaporative Cooling