Air Conditioning

Where the outdoor condenser goes affects efficiency, noise and your neighbours. Here's how to get the siting right before it's bolted to the wall.

Rattling, buzzing, hissing or grinding from your aircon? Here's what each noise usually means, what you can safely check yourself, and when it's a licensed tech's job.

Evaporative cooling wins in dry heat and struggles in humidity. Here is how each whole-home system works, what drives the running cost, and how to pick.

A fixed split or ducted system is wired back to your switchboard, not plugged into a power point. Here is what happens on the electrical side of an install: dedicated circuits, isolators, switchboard capacity and who is legally allowed to do the work.

You almost never need a new thermostat to get app control on the aircon you already own. Here is what actually works on an Australian split system, what it saves, and where DIY stops.

Shade the glass, move air across your skin, and time your ventilation. What actually cools a room without an air conditioner, and where the limits are.

Reverse cycle is usually the cheapest of the three to run, and the reason is physics. Here is how heat pumps, gas and electric heaters compare on running cost, comfort and who is licensed to install them.

Ask any installer which split system is best and you will usually get a shrug and a question back: best for what, and best in whose hands? The honest answer…

So the aircon is running, the fan is humming, air is coming out of the vents, and the room still will not cool down. Before you start pricing up a…

Most aircon faults are just a machine left to choke on dust. Here is the simple monthly and seasonal maintenance routine, plus the jobs you should never touch yourself.