What can I buy instead of an AC?

As days grow longer, the warm, muggy and humid weather also makes a comeback and people are often left wondering what is best option to remove moisture from their homes.

Índice Show

How they work: The difference between DH and ACs
Which is a better option?
Air con vs ceiling fans: Which is better?
The case for air conditioners:
The cost of air conditioning
The case for ceiling fans:
The cost of ceiling fans
Working them in tandem:
Air conditioning vs ceiling fans: The pros & cons
Air conditioning vs ceiling fans: Which one is right for you?
What can you use instead of an air conditioner?
How can I cool my house without AC?
What are 3 methods of cooling a home?

Apart from just feeling uncomfortable, excess humidity can encourage the growth of mould, attract pests into the home, and even damage paintwork and windows and furniture coverings. Dehumidifiers (DH’s) and air conditioners both work by using refrigeration processes, however their results do differ. We explain the differences to help you decide when they are best used, and which is right for you.

How they work: The difference between DH and ACs

Dehumidifiers and air conditioners essentially are very similar in how they operate. They extract air from the room and cool it by condensing the air over cold coils which then turn to liquid form. This liquid is reheated and results in warm air which has had humidity removed. An air conditioner will remove this air from the building, where a dehumidifier will expel the dry air back into the room.

Because of the heat transfer in the process, this can increase the temperature in the room by a couple of degrees, depending on how long the dehumidifier is operating and the size of the room. The main thing to remember is that air conditioners remove moisture from the air inside a home AND heat/cool a room to provide comfort. Dehumidifiers on the other hand only extract the moisture from the air to increase comfort.

Which is a better option?

Because dehumidifiers remove humidity but can add warmth to the room, they are best used when the ambient temperature is not already too hot and can be a cost effective alternative to using the air conditioner. If the weather is very hot however only an air conditioner will provide the cooling relief needed, and the heating effect of the warm dry dehumidified air back into the home will likely be unwelcome.

In damp weather dehumidifiers can be a great solution to remove dampness from a house and can be useful after periods of rain, and in cooler months. They are also effective in homes that have limited natural ventilation. It’s also much more cost effective to cool your home by removing humidity than to counteract it by heating or cooling the air, however their effectiveness in keeping you cool is dependent on how hot it is.

Since humidity is not limited to summer months, dehumidifiers can be a worthwhile option to prevent moisture and mould and keep indoors dry during different times of the year, and they can be used in conjunction with an AC system to remove humid air from the home more effectively.

Generally for our customers in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, we recommend investing in a reverse cycle air conditioner for a comprehensive solution to dry the air and keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. For more advice about how to beat the heat this summer, contact H&H Air Conditioning for a HVAC solution that will keep you comfortable.

It’s the age-old debate dividing families and causing drama. No, we’re not talking about controlling the TV remote, but air conditioners versus ceiling fans. Money-conscious homeowners ponder the question every summer as the mercury exceeds 30°C across Australia. Is the extra cost of air conditioning worth the comfort, or are ceiling fans adequate?

Unfortunately, there’s no universal approach to this. On the bright side, however, a bit of research should guide you in the right direction as to which is the better choice for your family and your budget. Who knows, you might even strike a winning balance between both air conditioners and ceiling fans.

Air con vs ceiling fans: Which is better?

Before driving hurriedly down to the appliance store, it’s important to consider the benefits that each cooling method can bring to the table.

The case for air conditioners:

From the old window rattler kind to a ducted unit, to a portable one, to a modern split system one, and to the more exotic evaporative kinds, modern air conditioners have been in our lives for around 100 years. Once installed, air conditioners are a great way to keep cool while sinking back a beer on a Sunday afternoon watching test cricket.

During a heatwave, you will probably notice hermit-like behaviour on your behalf, coming out of your chilled room only for snacks, drinks, and for toilet breaks. It doesn’t have to be like this though. While this scene is common for window and split system air conditioner users – where effectively only one room is chilled – ducted air conditioners have the ability to cool a whole house, and some have ‘zoning’ capabilities where you can make one room cooler than the other. This works especially well for apartment buildings, and chances are in an apartment you already have ducted air conditioning. For the maximum chill factor, you simply cannot beat an air conditioner on a scorching summer’s day.

Shop Online

The cost of air conditioning

The main drawback of air conditioning is the cost. The costs of the unit price, installation, and power usage. As broken down in this article, you can expect the humble split system air conditioner to cost around 35c-45c an hour. Say you run it eight hours a day, for the month of January, at the extreme end you could expect that unit to cost over $100 in power alone! Installation by a licensed technician, maintenance costs, and unit costs also add up here.

Ducted is yet more extreme, running anywhere from $1.48 to $1.94 an hour. Though ducted systems are most commonly found in apartments, and apartments are usually part of an embedded electricity network to get a better deal on power. Being those split systems can run anywhere from $500-$2,000+ in price, and ducted systems into the tens of thousands, you might find you blow your cool over the cost. With air conditioning, you’ll have to weigh up whether the cost-to-benefit ratio is worth it.

Shop Online

The case for ceiling fans:

The humble ceiling fan – where would we be without it? Sweating profusely, probably. Ceiling fans are a staple in many Australian homes, and for good reason. Their fuss-free operation that whisks hot air up and cools air down is beloved by Aussies in summer, and fans are such a staple that many people don’t pay any attention to them. A common sight in the north of Australia is to have airy, open houses with more fans than you can poke a stick at operating at all hours of the day.

Though, there are fairly prominent shortfalls in using ceiling fans. The most obvious is that they don’t actually cool the environment; they just push cool air around, which can eventually wick your sweat away. It’s no surprise that when you enter a fanned room, you don’t feel the chilled presence like with an air conditioner.

Another shortfall of the ceiling is the obvious risk of blades swirling above your head. If your roof is rather short, then stretching your hands above your head can be a perilous task. Getting your fingers whacked in a fan isn’t a great feeling. Furthermore, some fans are just downright noisy! Some fans on their maximum level feel like your whole house is about to take off! Air cons on the other hand usually hum away in a dull monotone or with no noise at all. The main drawbacks of ceiling fans are pretty stated; is that enough to make you not a fan of ceiling fans?

Shop Online

The cost of ceiling fans

On the plus side, the main benefit of ceiling fans is their supremely low cost to run. They can cost as little as 2c-3c per hour to run, which makes them an obvious choice from a cost perspective. This allows you to run them for longer, and at less cost than an air conditioner. A ceiling fan can cost 20 times less to run than a split system air conditioner, but is the sacrifice of a completely chilled room or house worth it? You’ll have to decide that for yourself.

Shop Online

Working them in tandem:

One way to fan out a nasty power bill is to use both air conditioning and ceiling fans in tandem to achieve maximum comfort. We know that the propensity for maximum chill with air conditioners can’t be beaten and neither can the cost-effectiveness of ceiling fans. So, we have a conundrum, but you can strategically run both to save on power bills, yet achieve adequate comfort levels. One effective way of doing this is to run the air conditioner for a short period when you enter your home or room, then once it’s cool enough, you can simply switch to the ceiling fan to circulate the colder air. This eliminates the hardest work needed from both air conditioners and fans. Work smarter, not harder!

Air conditioning vs ceiling fans: The pros & cons

If you’re still confuddled, then taking a quick look at the benefits and drawbacks of each cooling method can be particularly helpful.

ProsConsAir conditioners

Very effective at cooling spaces
Actually cools a space rather than indirectly cooling your body
The effects of AC are felt much quicker
Can be set to maintain a specific temperature
Reverse cycle units can also keep you warm in winter

More expensive option in terms of running cost
Can use as much as 2,200 Watts per hour
Require regular maintenance in order to keep the filters clean and functioning
Can break, and will most likely be expensive to fix
Can dry out the air being conditioned, which can have adverse health effects
Inefficient in open spaces

Ceiling fans

Cheaper to run than air conditioning
Uses only about 65 Watts per hour
Doesn’t require maintenance, and is unlikely to break or malfunction
Efficient in more open spaces
Doesn’t dry out the air

Don’t actually cool space, rather push air around the room, which then indirectly cools your body
You basically need to stand directly under a fan to feel its full benefit
Limited temperature control
Generally doesn’t have the power to reach every corner of the room

Air conditioning vs ceiling fans: Which one is right for you?

Looking at each method’s respective pros and cons, it becomes clear that your options are:

A low risk/low reward method in the ceiling fan: It’ll be cheaper to run with no ongoing maintenance costs, and you’re unlikely to have to spend big bucks on fixing a broken fan.
A high risk/high reward method in the air conditioning: An air conditioner will be much more effective at cooling you down and making you comfortable, however, it’ll require more money spent on energy, ongoing maintenance efforts, and potentially hefty expenses if your unit breaks.
A lower-risk/medium-reward method in combining both: This is done by combining the benefits of both an air conditioner and ceiling fan at a lower cost than air conditioning alone, but with more adequate levels of cooling than ceiling fans alone. Your mileage may vary with this method.

At the end of the day – that long, sweltering summer’s day – your decision will really depend on how bothered you are by the heat. If you constantly find yourself unable to stand daytime temperatures then your best choice is definitely the air conditioning, but if you’re not too bothered by the hot weather and don’t fancy larger energy bills, you might want to stick to using your ceiling fan.

However, if you don’t fit neatly into either of those categories, you could always try using both – a combination of the two on medium intensity can prove to be more efficient and effective than the use of either one on its highest setting. Overall, you have three main options; try them all if you can and see what yields the best results for you.

Compare Electricity Providers

Original Author: Veronika Hleborodova

Luciana Davies

Content Producer

Luciana Davies is a specialist on Australia’s consumer shopping industry and has over four years of experience as a copywriter and assistant editor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in International Relations and English Literature and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Queensland.