How to Choose Between a Wall Head, a Floor Console and a Bulkhead Unit

 Most people choose an air conditioner by brand and capacity and let the installer decide what the indoor unit looks like. That's usually a wall mounted head, because that's what everyone fits.

There are three common indoor unit types for a single room, and they suit different rooms. The choice affects comfort, noise and how the room looks for the next decade.

The wall head, and why it's the default

A high wall split head mounts near the ceiling and throws air out and across the room. It's the cheapest of the three, the quickest to install and the most widely stocked, which is most of why it's everywhere.

It works well in a standard room with a clear wall and decent ceiling height. Cold air falls, so throwing it out high lets it mix on the way down.

Where it struggles is a room with no suitable wall, a raked ceiling, or furniture and joinery filling the upper wall space. It's also the most visible of the three, which matters more to some people than others.

The floor console, and the rooms it suits

A floor console sits low on the wall, roughly where a heater would, and discharges at floor level.

This suits rooms with no usable high wall. Rooms with windows running up to the ceiling, rooms with raked ceilings where a head would sit awkwardly, and older homes where cutting into a high VJ wall isn't appealing.

It also has an advantage in heating. Warm air rises, so a unit discharging at floor level heats a room more evenly than one near the ceiling. In a Brisbane home that's a minor benefit, but it's real in a house where someone actually uses the heating.

The trade off is floor space. The unit takes up a section of wall at skirting height, and furniture has to stay clear of it.

The bulkhead unit, and what it buys you

A bulkhead or ducted mini unit sits hidden above a ceiling or inside a built bulkhead, with a grille as the only visible part.

This is the option people choose when they don't want to see the air conditioner. It's common over a wardrobe, in a hallway serving two rooms, or in a renovation where a bulkhead was being built anyway.

It costs more, needs somewhere to hide the unit, and needs access for servicing. That last part gets forgotten. A unit concealed with no manhole is expensive to maintain for as long as the house stands.

Think about where you sit and sleep

The airflow pattern is the practical difference between these.

A wall head above a bed puts you in the airstream. A floor console near a desk does the same at a different height. A bulkhead grille in the wrong spot blows down onto a dining table.

Walk the room and work out where people actually sit, sleep and stand before anyone picks a position. It's a five minute conversation that prevents a decade of adjusting louvres.

Think about the furniture that isn't there yet as well. A room being renovated usually ends up with the bed or the sofa somewhere different from where it sits during the quote.

Noise differs between them

All three can be quiet and all three can be irritating depending on selection and installation.

Wall heads have the fan in the room with you. Bulkhead units have the fan above the ceiling, which usually means less noise in the space, though a poorly installed one transmits through the ceiling. Floor consoles sit close to where people are, so the low speed sound rating matters.

Air conditioners are covered by mandatory energy efficiency requirements in Australia, and non ducted systems must display a Zoned Energy Rating Label, which also means the published specifications are a reasonable basis for comparing models on sound as well as efficiency.

Match the type to the room, not the house

There's no requirement for every room to have the same type.

A wall head in the living room, a floor console in a bedroom with high windows and a bulkhead in a renovated area is a perfectly sensible combination. What matters is that each room got the type that suits it.

Check the servicing implications before you commit

Every one of these needs the filters cleaned and the coil and blower serviced periodically.

A wall head is easy. A floor console is easy. A bulkhead unit depends entirely on whether anyone left a way in. Ask where the access panel will be and confirm it's somewhere a technician can actually use.

When you're planning an air conditioning unit installation in Brisbane, ask the installer to recommend a type per room rather than quoting wall heads throughout by default.

 

Frequently asked questions

Is a floor console better than a wall head? 

In rooms with no usable high wall, or where heating matters, often yes. In a standard room a wall head generally performs well and costs less.

Are bulkhead units quieter?

Usually, because the fan sits above the ceiling rather than in the room. Installation quality matters, since a poorly mounted unit transmits noise through the ceiling.

Can I mix types in one house? 

Yes, and it's often the better answer. Each room can take the type that suits it.

Which type is cheapest? 

Wall heads, generally, both to buy and to install. Bulkhead units cost the most because of the concealment and the extra work.

Do concealed units need special access? 

They need a service panel or manhole. Without one, every future service costs more than it should.