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JTEP Privacy Policy

JTEP is concerned about protecting our customers’ privacy and securely holds onto personal information obtained from them. JTEP adheres to the Privacy Act of 1988 and the privacy principles described therein. The Privacy Act 1988 specifies how personal information is received, recorded, stored and used. JTEP uses personal information obtained to communicate with their customer in such contexts as initial contact, quotations, follow-up, contracts, warranty and/or product information as are appropriate. JTEP has obligations and may need to provide information to legal authorities for public purposes and/or other cases of import. Customers may contact JTEP at any stage to discuss how their information is held. Disclosure of any personal information will be in direct accordance with the policy as stated above and the Privacy Act 1988, as then authorised by the terms and conditions of any relevant contract be they written or verbal between JTEP and their customer. This policy is subject to change and/or amendments over time, [Dated Oct 2021].

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JTEP Terms and Conditions

This document can be sent on request.

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General Questions about Air Conditioning

Q – Do I need heating and cooling in Canberra?

A – Canberra is at an elevation of around 600 metres and is a little over 100 km from the nearest coast (as the crow flies). As such, its climate is drier and cooler than that found in coastal settlements at similar latitudes. Canberra’s summers can, nevertheless, be very hot, and it can get pretty hot at other points in the year too. This will tend to be a dry heat. Canberra can also get pretty cold in winter, spring and autumn (and even, occasionally, in summer). As such, one’s quality of life (and health) in the city is likely to be markedly improved if one has both heating and cooling.

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Q – Will my air conditioning unit require three-phase power?

A – If a unit’s power requirements are 18 kilowatts or above, it will require three-phase power. Note that this threshold applies to individual units, rather than being cumulative. Thus, for example, if one had two 12 kW units, one would still only require single-phase power, even though, taken together, the units would need 24 kW of power.

See also the answer to the question ‘Will my home have single-phase power or will it have three-phase power? Which do I need?’

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Questions about Types of Air Conditioning System

Q – What does the term ‘inverter air conditioning’ mean?

A – An inverter system is able to alter its compressor speed, which alters the volume of refrigerant gas being pumped to the indoor unit, in response to a demand for either heating or cooling. Systems such as these have an initial over-speed period where they will produce a marginally higher capacity of refrigerant gas and send that to the indoor unit for a period of time to help achieve either a lower or increased temperature within the room. When the desired temperature is reached, they will reduce their capacity, so as to maintain that temperature without the unnecessary cycling (stopping and starting) that a normal non-inverter model would do. The power consumption on an inverter unit will increase slightly as it converts A.C. electricity (normal household supply) to D.C. electricity. D.C. is better suited for the operation of inverter air conditioning systems, giving them the ability to run the compressor at a reduced output, dropping the overall electricity usage to below that of a typical non-inverter system.

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Q – What does the term ‘VRF’ or ‘VRV’ mean in relation to air conditioning systems?

A – VRF stands for ‘variable refrigerant flow’ and VRV means ‘variable refrigerant volume’. These types of systems are normally commercial in their application; however they can also be applied very successfully in large homes too. This type of system allows for multiple indoor and outdoor units, and sizes can range from 15 kW through to 500 kW or more. They are deemed to be modular in their design making them extremely flexible for large buildings and/or large applications.

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Q – What is evaporative cooling?

A – These systems are simple, easy and cheap to run water-based air conditioning systems that have no compressors or refrigerant gases. An evaporative cooler creates its cooling effect by evaporating moisture into the air stream within the evaporative cooler, which cools the air stream’s temperature; the air stream is then normally ducted into homes and commercial spaces that require cooling. These systems produce no heat; they are cooling only and can be well partnered with a domestic gas ducted heat system. However they absolutely must have their own duct system (separate to any heating system) as the volumes of air moved are much larger – up to ten times that of a heating system – and therefore cannot be adequately conveyed through heating sized ductwork.

You will not get the same direct temperature control with an evaporative cooling system as you do with refrigerated cooling systems, and the humidity outside of the building on any given day will directly affect the performance (i.e. amount of cooling) you could achieve. For example, in Canberra, which has an atypically warm and dry summer climate with low relative humidity, an evaporative cooling system can lower temperatures inside the home by up to 10-12°C on a favourable day, but if the humidity outside increases (typically just before a storm) then the amount of cooling will be decreased.

Water consumption on an evaporative cooler will vary depending upon the humidity and the temperature outside at the time of day it is operated. They can use from as little as 1-2 litres of water per hour, up to 30 or more litres per hour, the latter of which can be likened to flushing a toilet system three or more times per hour. Nevertheless, evaporative cooling systems overall are very cheap to run, costing approximately 10-15 cents per hour on average (a figure that covers the cost of both power and water).

Evaporative cooling systems use a cooling pad (filter medium) and a fan to achieve the evaporation process. These pads are currently made of a cellulose material (a treated cardboard-type material) that would normally last up to ten years in a good water area such as Canberra and its immediate surrounding districts. However, this is dependent upon your getting your system serviced at intervals as suggested by your manufacturer.

Differing yet again from a refrigerated air conditioning system, an evaporative must operate with at least some windows and doors open, as the air coming in from the evaporative cooling system must be allowed to gain some heat whilst inside the home (thereby lowering the temperature) and then exit the house once it has passed across the room. Normally speaking, one sliding door and one window are sufficient openings to achieve this, though larger systems could require more. As an alternative to keeping windows/doors open an air relief vent can be installed.

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Q – What is gas ducted heating?

A – These are a gas appliance with ductwork connected, conveying heat through a home or building. They have a flue (an exhaust system) running to outside air. They come in a number of different star (efficiency) ratings which are determined by government authorities. They also come in various sizes and capacities, to suit most applications. They have a controlling thermostat inside the home to set the temperature you require. Some systems can come with more than one thermostat; such systems can be zoned (for an explanation of zoning, see the answer to the question ‘What is zoning?’). It is possible to fit a refrigerated cooling system (known as add-on cooling) to your gas ducted heating system; the gas system selected by your installer will be specific to this application and the ductwork must be sized accordingly for air conditioning if add-on cooling is to be added either now or later.

Gas ducted heating systems with add-on cooling are extremely popular in Canberra because they work well in our cold Canberra winters. Gas ducted systems have been around for fifty or more years, and grew quickly in their popularity locally when natural gas arrived in Canberra. They have grown from the early, basic systems of the 1960s and 1970s into the very efficient and flexible systems you can find available today.

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Q – What is add-on cooling?

A – These are refrigerated cooling systems that connect up with a gas ducted heating system to offer both heat and cool through one system of ductwork. A cooling coil is installed into the ductwork of the gas ducted heating system. The cooling coil is then connected via a system of pipes and cables to an outdoor unit, also known as a condenser unit. The thermostat on the gas heating system can be switched between heat and cool; it is from this thermostat that both systems are controlled. As mentioned, add-on cooling is a refrigerated system which means it uses power to cool (and not natural gas). The power operates a compressor, which in turn pumps the cooled refrigerant gas up to the coil located in the ductwork (adjacent to the heater). The fan on the gas ducted heating system then provides the necessary airflow to push the cooled air via a system of ductwork into the house. Because this is a refrigerated system, it must be operated in a closed environment – windows and doors must be shut.

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Q – What is reverse cycle ducted air conditioning?

A – Like gas ducted heating with add-on cooling, these systems have been around for many years and are a very popular choice today when it comes to heating and cooling your home. Reverse cycle is the process of taking heat energy from the outside air (that may feel cold to us) and through a refrigerant gas, turning it into useful heat that is pumped indoors via a coil and a fan (usually located in a roof space) and then transferred into the home through a system of ductwork. When cooling, the reverse of this happens; the system takes heat energy from inside the house, transferring it via the refrigerant gas to the outside where the fan blows it out into the surrounding air.

These systems are comprised of an indoor component (known as a fan coil) and an outdoor component (known as a condenser unit). Whilst the components are heating the inside of the house, the outdoor unit could start to freeze (dependent both upon the outdoor air temperature and the humidity levels at the time). This allows water to be released and is a normal part of the process, referred to as the ‘de-ice cycle’. The reverse of this is true when the components are cooling indoors. The indoor fan coil will collect water, known as condensate, and this needs to be piped via a condensate drain to outside of the building.

Changing between heating and cooling is referred to as changing ‘mode’. Heating mode is normally depicted on the controller using a sun symbol, while cooling mode is frequently represented by a snow/frost flake. Other modes that are common to reverse cycle equipment are ‘fan only operation’, usually pictured by a fan symbol on the controller, and ‘auto operation’ usually nominated by a capital ‘A’ in a circle. Whilst the auto operation setting is selected, the system will opt between heating or cooling depending upon the temperature within the home – too hot and it will go into cooling mode, too cool to start with and it will run in heating mode. Some systems can have one extra mode – ‘de-humidify’ – frequently identified by a water droplet. This function is there mainly for hot humid climates such as Queensland and Northern Territory. Whilst in this mode the moisture contained in the air is removed from the house.

Reverse cycle systems have a large air intake grille and one or more outlets located in each room. They work with windows and doors closed, whether they are operating in heating or in cooling mode. Frequently, these sorts of systems are zoned, so you can turn areas on or off depending upon your needs at the time (for more information on zoning, see the answer to the question ‘What is zoning?’).

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Q – What is the difference between the terms ‘heat pump’ and ‘reverse cycle’?

A – The name ‘heat pump’ refers to the pumping of available heat from the outside air via a refrigerant gas – which turns it into useful heat – to inside a dwelling or business. However, both ‘heat pump’ air conditioning systems and ‘reverse cycle’ air conditioning systems heat in this fashion. Furthermore, most heat pump systems can be used – like reverse cycle systems – both for heating and for cooling. In fact, heat pump systems and reverse cycle systems are essentially synonymous.

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Q – What is a wall mounted air conditioning unit?

A – These are a very popular choice; they are practical, economical and efficient when compared to ducted systems. They are designed to heat or cool the room in which they are installed, they will not air condition a whole home from one room alone. Like a ducted reverse cycle system, they have an indoor and an outdoor component, and they operate in the same manner as such a system. One reason they are more efficient than such a system is that the air flow out of the unit and back to the unit all happens at the same location and therefore there are no ductwork-related efficiency losses.

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Questions about Air Conditioning Servicing/Maintenance

Q – What maintenance is required on my air conditioning system?

A – Air conditioners do require preventative maintenance for longer and more efficient life. They have air intake filters that must be cleaned and/or replaced periodically. This applies to any type of refrigerated air conditioning system, from ducted to wall units. The filters protect the fan and the evaporator coil on the indoor units from becoming blocked with dust and dirt. The filter material in a ducted system should be replaced periodically or when there are signs of wear. They can be washed or vacuumed for cleaning purposes, but you must ensure you clean from the dirty side only and do not draw the debris further into the filter material. The outdoor unit has a coil too, but its coil does not have a filter. The outdoor unit’s coil (which is usually more accessible for cleaning than the indoor’s) therefore needs to be cleaned as part of a specialised maintenance programme. Filters in wall-hung air conditioning systems should be cleaned at approximately 3-6 monthly intervals, or when the filter clean light comes up on the controller as a reminder. You may clean these filters with a vacuum or wash with a mild detergent – the latter is normally the best for these as they are smaller and can usually be done in a laundry sink quite easily. The outdoor unit should be kept clear of any loose rubbish, and no materials should be stacked or stored around or in front of an outdoor unit as inadequate airflow around these outdoor units will cause their failure to function and/or reduce the operational capacity.

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Q – Must a technician maintain an air conditioning system?

A – Yes, aside from the cleaning of filters (see answer to previous question), a qualified service technician or refrigeration mechanic should be the only person to carry out the maintenance of an air conditioning system. The level or depth of service depends on the style of air conditioner – some require a higher level of maintenance than others. Domestic air conditioners are designed to require less preventative maintenance – they have sealed motor bearings on the fans, direct drive fan motors and hermetically sealed compressors.

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Q – What’s involved in air conditioning service?

A – As mentioned in the answer to ‘What maintenance is required on my air conditioning system?’, air conditioning units require regular service. When you have a system installed, you are provided with information on the maintenance of your system. Such information will include an explanation of the basic service needs of your system and how you can meet those needs. With a ducted system, we recommend you replace the filter media approximately every 3-4 years. If there are signs of damage to the filter, it should be replaced earlier than this. Remember that this filter protects your system, and so it is important for you to care for it. With a wall mounted air conditioning system, we recommend you have the fan on the indoor unit cleaned thoroughly at least every five years, and that you clean the filter every three months. We provide a full after-sales service on all purchases made.

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Questions about Aspects of Air Conditioning Systems

Q – Should my outdoor unit go on a wall bracket?

A – Generally speaking, for certain sized systems we will recommend the outdoor unit go up onto a wall bracket. This keeps the unit clear of the ground and reduces insect problems from affecting the unit. It also helps prevent rubbish, dirt and leaves from fouling around the unit.

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Q – What is zoning?

A – You can have an automatic zone damper installed in your ductwork to open and close off zones of your home that you may wish to isolate (the zones will be areas, such as particular rooms or groups of rooms, that you will be able to specify when planning your home’s air conditioning system with us). This will allow you to heat some areas of your house whilst not heating other areas, or cool some areas of your house whilst not cooling others. It is also possible to have some zones heating whilst others cool, but this is uncommon in residential applications, as systems capable of doing that are expensive.

There are two ways of setting up zoning. One way is to have all your zones as controlled zones. This means that, for each and every zone, you can control whether or not the zone is to have heating/cooling applied to it. Note, however, that in such a system, the air conditioning will not turn on if you do not select at least one zone to be air conditioned. This is necessary because, if an air conditioning system were to be running but to have nowhere to input its heating/cooling, that might damage the system.

The other way to set zoning up is to have a common zone plus controlled zones. The common zone will always be heated/cooled when the air conditioning is set to heat or cool; it is only for zones other than this common zone that you will be able to choose whether or not you want the air conditioning system’s input when that system is on. In such a zoning arrangement, it is possible to have the air conditioning on and to have all of the controlled zones off, as, owing to the common zone, having all the controlled zones off would not leave the air conditioning system with nowhere to send its heating or cooling.

Zones other than the common zone are usually numbered. Thus a house with two zones might have a ‘common zone’ and a ‘zone 1’ (or, if it only had controlled zones, it would instead have a ‘zone 1’ and a ‘zone 2’), while a house with three zones might have a ‘common zone’, a ‘zone 1’ and a ‘zone 2’ (or, if it only had controlled zones, it would instead have a ‘zone 1’, ‘zone 2’ and ‘zone 3’).

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Q – What is a ‘return air’?

A – A return air duct is the main intake supplying air back to the air conditioner.

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Q – Where should my return air on my ducted system go?

A – For ducted air conditioning systems domestically installed, we recommend the return air go at either a high or a low level, dependent upon variable circumstances and available space. If the system is installed mostly for heating purposes, then it is better to have the return air at a lower level, because then it is always drawing back and warming up the coolest air (hot air naturally rises). The complete opposite of this is true if the system is to be used mostly for cooling purposes – a high level return air intake is best then.

The volume of air returning to an air conditioning system is generally high, and the velocity of the airflow will increase within close proximity of a return air intake, so it is advisable to keep these intakes away from seating areas. Generally, a hallway is a great place for return air systems to be installed.

It used to be that gas ducted heating systems had their return air intake at low level because the discharging velocities of airflow were too low, and so the air could not be pushed successfully from the ceiling down to the floor, but that problem does not exist today, as unit development over the years has meant that units available on the market today can provide higher airflows than used to be available. Thus the return air intake location now can be at either high or low level. Exactly the same is true of ducted air conditioning systems. In fact, having the return air intake grille mounted in the ceiling can help reduce internal noise, as the grille can be larger in size (and having a larger grille reduces air noise). It also saves you losing precious cupboard space.

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General Questions about Electrical Work

Q – Will my home have single-phase power or will it have three-phase power? Which do I need?

A – Most builders provide single-phase power by default, but will install three-phase power on request. Some builders (an example being Rawson Homes) instead by default provide three-phase power. Three-phase power is necessary if you wish to install devices that have power requirements of 18 kilowatts or above. This includes some air-conditioning units and some charging stations for electric cars. Compared to single-phase, it does cost somewhat more to have three-phase power installed on a new build, though the price difference is notably less than the cost of retrospectively upgrading from single-phase to three-phase power.

See also the answer to the question ‘Will my air conditioning unit require three-phase power?’

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Q – Can JTEP help me install single-phase power, install three-phase power or upgrade existing single-phase power to three-phase power?

A – We can arrange any of these things.

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Q – My switchboard is old and I fear it may not be compliant with contemporary standards; can JTEP help me upgrade it?

A – Yes we can arrange this for you.

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Questions about Smoke Alarms

Q – What is the life span of a smoke alarm?

A – Around ten years. Thereafter it should be replaced.

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Q – Are smoke alarms legally required in the Australian Capital Territory?

A – All homes built since September 1994 in the A.C.T. are required to have mains-powered smoke alarms (with a back-up battery), regardless of whether owner-occupied or rented (homes built prior to that are permitted to have smoke alarms that are solely battery-powered). See also this A.C.T. government webpage on smoke alarms: https://esa.act.gov.au/be-emergency-ready/smoke-alarms

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Q – Are smoke alarms legally required in New South Wales?

A – As of the 1st May 2006, all residents of New South Wales (regardless of whether home owners or tenants) must by law have at least one working smoke alarm on each storey of their place of residence (irrespective of property type or age). Anyone found to be violating this law will be fined. For more information, see the relevant NSW government webpage: http://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=290

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Question about this Website

Q – Who took the photographs on the JTEP website? Who designed the JTEP website?

A – A relative of the director of JTEP took all of the website’s photographs, as well as designing the website. Excluding depictions of logos, which are the property of the various companies to which they belong, the relative in question reserves all rights to the material on this website, remaining the copyright holder for this material and licensing it to JTEP.

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