ceiling fans and A/C

[tcocaro]

Howdy all,

I am based in sydney and developing a few townhouses in Queensland (Chermside) and currently arranging for internal selections and getting confused over 2 items ceiling fans and A/C.

I know that each state has its differences e.g. in canberra its a must to have ducted gas heating something a sydney resident might miss but for the life of me i cannot understand why (on the surface atleast) brisbanites or queenslanders in general;

a) love ceiling fans even on new developments
b) and ontop of the celeing fans have split systems 1 in the master and the other in the living?

this has me baffled, can some-one please confirm if brisbane people "expect" to have ceiling fans in new developments and also if its expected to have a/c in the master bedroom?

In sydney ceiling fans are linked to older properties without A/C - cannot understand why you would want fans + A/C and to top it off why a seperate unit in the master? do people sleep through the day??? whats going on can some1 fill me in?

In short if its expected i will have 2x split a/c (master/living) + fans but i just want to know if its needed/expected and why the hell im doing it for

Thanks in advance,

Tim

 

[RichardC]

I'm in the tropics and a big fan of both fans and aircon. We always have the fan on low with the aircon, and in milder weather you can use the fan only.

In Bris I'd go for reverse cycle heating. Surprisingly efficient I hear.

 

[Gemini]

Fans PLUS A/Con

The thing that people who live in a different climate don't realise is that because you don't personally feel the heat or the cold yourself at the moment, it is hard to imagine just how it is for the areas you are wondering about. I was packing to go to UK and Europe last Xmas and couldn't bear to even handle (touch) the clothes I knew I had to get packing to take to cope with winter in the UK where it would be snowing and freezing. I was trying to pack whilst in Brisbane in December with 35 degree days and 20+ degree nights, and the warm clothes just felt *****ly and hot to touch, and hard to imagine wearing them.

In Qld we like to have fans on only for all year except maybe May - August, just to move the air around and create an illusion of a "cool breeze" blowing, and thru parts of Oct - Mar you also need aircon. You say you can't understand why we need it in the bedroom, well the summer nights can be 25 degrees, coupled with 80+% humidity and that makes it impossible to sleep for most of us. I don't own a heater, tho pretty much most of the split system aircons come reverse cycle anyway.

A fan in an outdoor area, deck or bbq area, makes a huge difference in the hot weather, making it bearabe to eat outdoors. We always put one or two into the deck ceilings on houses we build too.

In hot climates fans are a must in all bedrooms, lounge and preferably dining areas as well. Use split systems for master and lounge as a minimum if building. In some of our cheaper old duplexes and houses we use box systems in the master and lounge.

Cheers,
Gemini

 

[dave99]

Fans move around the air and make the aircon more efficient.

I reckon for a warm climate like Queensland, the fan would reduce the cost of running the aircon quite a lot.

- Dave99

 

[AnneDe]

Hi tcocaro,

Brisbane is well known for their 'Queenslander' type houses which are usually high set on stilts, have timber walls, wide verandahs and high ceilings. They were designed to catch breezes through open windows, thus improving airflow. This would contribute to a natural cooling inside the house during the heat of summer.

Generally modern houses and townhouses in Brisbane today don't have the same design features that helped the traditional 'Queenslander' house to stay cooler during summer's heat.

To compensate for possible lack of airflow, fans are a good substitute. Most houses is QLD will have one fan or many fans, either ceiling or free standing.

Airconditioners are sometimes replacing fans as they are fast losing their 'luxury' tag and acquiring the 'must have' label. There is now an expectation that 'aircon' will make a house or dwelling in QLD more liveable during summer.

Overall, fans will still be used in dwellings with or without airconditioners being on at the same time.

Hope that explains it a bit more.

Cheers,
AnneDe

 

[sue78]

Hello,

We have just developed a house and put celing fans in every room and in addition an air cond in the lounge and master.

We used stainless steel 4 blade fans with clipper lights and it actually looks very smart and modern.

The reasons

1) is do not over capitalize and celing fans is a much cheaper alternative to a/c

2) a/c doesn't increase the value of the property but will get your a lil better rental return so you only need it for the main areas i.e master and lounge

3) although qld is hot, in the afternoons there's usually a nice breeze and ceiling fan is more than adequate.

4) some people don't like a/c's because it gives you dry throat. i don't mind the a/c during the day but i can't sleep with a/c on. i only us eit to cool the room then when i am about to sleep i switch it off and switch on the ceiling fan. even my 14mth old baby sleeps better with the fan.

I paid $79.95 for the fans from bunnings and the electrical work was approx $100 each which is much cheaper compared to a/c. I also got a really good deal on A/C if you're interested. 1HP is $300 and 1.5 HP is $320 installation is $350 and electrical is $80 a wall bracker is additional $50

He will give youa discount on installation and electrical if you install mor ethan 1 aircond.

I installed 1 X 1 HP and 1 X 1.5 Hp for $1440.00 which I thought was pretty good deal. The A/C's are quite nice too with LCD display. They're reverse cycle too

 

[sailor]

I couldn't possibly cope without fans in every room, and on the balcony. With the intense heat and build-up before the storms in summer, we would melt without some breezes. I have aircon in the bedroom, and use it regularly during the summer when the air is still and temps are around 32 degrees at night. I don't know anyone in Cairns who doesn't have fans in every room, and when I lived in Brisbane for 15 years, we had fans there as well.

 

[wylie]

I would have to say that I believe split system or ducted air conditioning does increase the value of a property. We have put a/c in our last two houses, first house we put in a split system and this house we went ducted. We don't use it a whole lot, but on the days when it gets up around 30 and over we put it on. I'm a bit of a greenie, so when my oldest son asks for it to go on when we get to 23, I tell him to open some more windows and take deeper breaths

A/c certainly is pushed in real estate ads and most people know it is expensive to install, so these days, it is becoming a must have, or at least a very desirable thing.

Personally, we don't have fans as we live on top of a hill so the breeze is usually enough, but on a 35 degree day, the breeze is too hot to cool anyone and a fan will just push around the 35 degree heat, so that is when a/c is king.

Hubby lived in Mt Isa for several years. He wants us to take the kids for a look but I have resisted so far. The only way I'd even contemplate would be middle of winter, when the temps drop to about 30 I don't know how cool it gets in winter, but I couldn't live somewhere that hot, with or without a/c.

Wylie

 

[RichardC]

Anyone building north of the tropic, fans and air con are a must in every bed room. Simple!!!!!

 

[LynnH]

Hi Tim

Don't know how close your townhouses are to Prince Charles Hospital, but we have an IP at Greenslopes quite close to the hospital. It had ceiling fans when we purchased and we put in 2 R/C split systems. Both tenants have worked at the hospital and sleep at all sorts of odd hours. Current tenant has been there 3 years and has told us how much she appreciates the air con.

Hope this info is of some help.

LynnH