Before you buy an evaporative cooling system, it’s important to know how much it’ll cost. This information may help you make a wise decision. Are you located in Australia? Are you thinking about putting an Evaporative Cooling system in your home? If that’s the case, you’ve probably compared it to the other choices available and decided that this one would be advantageous to you in a variety of ways.
The cost of evaporative coolers is calculated by the volume of water that can potentially be evaporated, and you’ll have to pay for it. However, you could care about how much you may have to spend on evaporation. When discussing pricing before installation, remember to factor in the cost of the equipment as well as any installation fees that may apply.
What is Evaporative Cooling Systems?
An evaporative cooling system is a device that’s used to help lower the temperature of an environment. It uses several components, including pads, tubes and fans. Evaporative cooling isn’t truly creating cold air, but it does work with the surrounding environment to keep temperatures steady at a comfortable level.
Evaporative cooling systems are generally composed of many different parts that work together in order for this process to take place effectively. The most common materials include steel or plastic tubing, aluminium or PVC water distribution tubes, polyethylene pad material and furnace filters.
How do Evaporative Coolers Work?
The process of how these devices work may be confusing if you’re new to them, so allow us to simplify things and explain.
First, water is pumped through a tube and then into the pads that are made from nylon or polyester mesh. The bottom of these materials is very porous, which increases their ability to absorb water when it’s pumped into them. What you’ll get is a wet pad that may stay moist even when exposed to air. This pad provides evaporative cooling for your home by pushing hot dry air through it in order to lower its temperature. It does this by taking in heated air at high speeds. Once the hot air has passed through the wet filter, it heats up again and cools down since moisture was added to it during passing through the filter pads.
Evaporative cooling systems work well during the process of cooking in your home. They also work well in bathrooms, workshops and garages where there is no access to central air conditioning.
Evaporative Cooling Prices
While many types of systems, especially portable coolers, may be set up quickly, you might feel more comfortable obtaining outside assistance for certain models. The cost of the cooler, as well as any labour expenses for someone to put one in, may be considered. This is typically about $80 to $120 per hour. The amount of time it takes varies on a number of things, such as the type and accessibility of installation.
The cooling requirements of each property are unique. As a result, various manufacturers offer different sizes of Evaporative Cooling Systems. The initial cost of an Evaporative Cooling system for a smaller standalone home may be less than $2650. The reason for this is that small homes need smaller systems. Even the most advanced Evaporative Cooling technologies that are larger intended for bigger houses with many rooms may be somewhat less than $3000 to $5000. This is why evaporative cooling systems like these are cost-effective when compared to ducted reverse-cycle heating systems, which may cost more.
Evaporative Cooling systems are environmentally friendly. They have many uses in residential homes, hotels, churches, schools and more. It may cost you less to install one compared to the money you save on electricity bills once it’s set up.
Installation of an Evaporative Cooling System
The cost of Evaporative Cooling installation may be lower because it is simple to build. The time needed for an installation may also be shorter, saving you money on labour hours. After that, the vents are run through the roof space to the rooms that need to be cooled. The costs charged by installers vary depending on a variety of circumstances, as follows:
- House size
- The number of vents to be installed may be determined by the design.
- Installation location complexity
- If you want them to remove the existing system, you’ll have to spend more. However, because vents would have already been in place, the overall cost may go down.
In a nutshell, the cost of installing an Evaporative Cooling system varies depending on a number of factors. As a result, it is more advantageous to obtain an accurate quote from an installation service. On top of that, you may anticipate paying around $80 per hour for labour costs associated with the installation of an Evaporative Cooling
How an Evaporative Cooler Works
Evaporative coolers are made up of a strong fan, absorbent filter pads, a water pump, and the essential liquid that is changed to cool air. You can either operate the fan only, which draws air directly from the outdoors for ventilation or set your air conditioner thermostat to cool.
The air conditioning system’s cooling mode is activated when the fan turns on. The warm air drawn through these now cold filter pads evaporates the cold water, dropping the air temperature, which is then pushed through a series of ducts and dispersed into your house via vents positioned in the ceiling.
Fresh air enters your house constantly, so it may have a means for the stale air to leave. That’s why you need lots of doors and windows wide open. This creates the ideal wind through your home to cool down your family during hot summer days.
Advantages of Evaporative Coolers
There are a couple of important advantages to an evaporative cooler, such as:
- The most cost-effective whole-house cooling system
- It’s very cost-effective to keep your entire home cool.
- Evaporative cooling is eco-friendly because it doesn’t utilize refrigerants with known hazardous chemicals like HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) or HFCs (hydrofluorocarbon).
- There’s no need for an enormous outdoor unit.
- There are various choices for you to operate on just the cooling or just the fan.
- Fresh, filtered, moist air is provided by this machine, making it ideal for allergy sufferers in a natural setting.
- Cooling at night is comfortable and effective.
- Suitable for outdoor living when doors and windows are open
- Energy Efficiency
- A versatile option that complements gas ducted heating.
Disadvantages of Evaporative Coolers
There are a couple of important disadvantages to an evaporative cooler, such as:
- Ineffective during days with low ambient humidity levels (Melbourne experiences five or more humid days each year)
- Evaporative Cooling does not have a temperature limit, rather, it is adjusted by varying the Fan Speed to reduce heat intake.
- The system cannot be zoned like ducted air-conditioning.
- It’s not possible to use the same vents as a heating system.
Does an Evaporative Cooling System Work?
The most frequently asked question is, “Does evaporative truly work? Is it effective at cooling you down?” Let’s go through it.
The humidity of the air has a significant impact on the performance of an Evaporative Cooler. On hot, dry days, it’s fantastic. But when the temperature is more than 38C and humid, the system begins to struggle.
Fortunately, in Australia, there are just a few of these steamy days (approximately 4-5 per year). This is why these systems aren’t constructed for places like NSW and Queensland. In extremely dry areas, such as much of Australia’s interior, evaporative cooler air conditioners are ideal since they not only remove moisture from the air but also add humidity to it.
Is Evaporative Cooling Cost-Effective?
The answer to the question “Is evaporative cooling cost-effective?” is, yes, it can be. We could remember that installation costs are likely to influence the price of running an Evaporative Cooler significantly. As a consequence, it’s more profitable to work with an installation company because they may charge you less for labour and keep more of their profits. On average, an evaporative system runs at around $1 per hour (but this may vary). Compared with other cooling choices like ducted reverse cycle air conditioning which run between $2-4 per hour (or more), this makes Evaporative Cooling among the cheapest ways to cool your house in Australia.
A room air conditioner or split system is fitted into your wall. The evaporative cooler is placed within an existing room, rather than being installed in the wall of your house. An evaporative cooling unit includes its own water tank to store cold water. It’s vital that you have one before you install this machine near your home. Try not to turn on the system until there’s enough water inside it because it can’t pull in the air if there isn’t any liquid to draw from.
Advantages of having a room air conditioner or split system installed into your wall: It’s cleaner and neater as there are no hoses on show outside windows and doors. An Air Conditioner is built directly into the wall so you’ll hardly ever need to vacuum dirt or dust off the outside of the unit. You can operate your split system or room air conditioner with remote control, unlike an evaporative cooler which you need to get up every time to change its settings.
Do Evaporative Coolers Use a Lot of Electricity?
Yes, they do. A lot of power is used when you run an evaporative cooling system due to the fact that it uses a fan to pull in air from outside and then cools it before sending it into your house.
If an existing ducted reverse-cycle heating unit is being used in place of an evaporative cooler, this can be turned off when the outside conditions are not so hot so you only use electricity for cooling during hotter days.
It’s difficult to predict exactly how much it may cost because the price also varies depending on where you live and which Evaporative Cooler is installed. With a standard installation, most units have a maximum power usage of around 500 watts (1/5 HP), unless you choose a commercial unit that can use up to 1.5 kW (3/5 HP).
How Much does Evaporative Cooling Cost?
One of the most commonly asked questions is, “How much may it cost me to run an evaporative cooler?” The running costs demand that you look at how much power your unit uses as well as which climate zone you live in.
In a very hot area with an Evaporative Cooler system installed, expect to pay around $90-$150 per quarter for electricity costs. If you live in a milder place and have a split system room air conditioner installed, expect to spend closer to $100-$200 per year on energy bills because these units attract less power from the grid than an evaporative cooling system does.
When looking into the prices of evaporative coolers, it’s important you take into consideration which type of Evaporative Cooling Unit you could buy. A standard evaporative cooler costs around $500+ to purchase and install, whereas a split system room air conditioner can cost anywhere between $1200-$1400 for the same job.
Is an Evaporative Cooler Effective in Cold Climates?
Another very common question that gets asked is, “Can I use my evaporative cooler in colder weather?” The answer to this one is no because Evaporative Coolers are designed for hot and dry places only. They can’t function correctly when temperatures drop under 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) so they’re not at all suitable for cool or cold climate areas. You need to choose a reverse-cycle heating unit if you live somewhere chilly.
Evaporative cooling systems need to be installed near an existing cold water supply, which could ideally be around 20 metres away. A hose is then run between the cold water source and the Evaporative Cooler to give it a continuous flow of liquid for drawing in. This hose may eventually need replacing as its life span isn’t very long because it’s constantly exposed to heat and humidity which cause deterioration.
Water droplets are sprayed into the air using tiny holes at the base of each blade. The humidity level outside your house drops when these small particles are sucked out by wind passing through the unit or you can simply activate a built-in fan if you’re inside. The cooled air is then pushed into your home and circulated until the temperature reaches that of the required setting.
