Last edited 05 Mar 2025

Condensing units

The Sustainable Energy Authority Of Ireland, Accelerated Capital Allowances Eligibility Criteria describes air-cooled condensing units as 'specifically designed to provide cooling to other equipment and systems that incorporate evaporators (and associated expansion valve control systems). Air-cooled condensing units are factory-assembled units that consist of one or more compressors, an air-cooled condenser and interconnecting pipework. They may include liquid receivers, filter driers, oil separators, shut-off valves and related controls, and a weatherproof housing.'

In general condensing unit is a device that controls temperature by compressing a refrigerant from a gas state in to a liquid state, by moving it through a system of condenser coils. The term condensing unit normally relates to cooling systems, as opposed to condensing boilers relating to heating systems. However the term may used interchangeably to describe component parts of both a heating or a cooling systems along with compressors (which are in turn a component part of a condensing unit) For example heat pumps which are used primarily for heating, contain condenser units (also referred to as compressors), whilst air conditioning units used for cooling also contain condensing units.

The Sustainable Energy Authority Of Ireland, Accelerated Capital Allowances Eligibility Criteria describes compressors as 'Refrigeration compressors are products specifically designed to raise the pressure, temperature and energy level of a refrigerant vapour by mechanical means, as part of a vapour-compression, economised vapour-compression or transcritical CO2 refrigeration cycle. Economiser packages consist of a refrigeration compressor, an expansion device, and an economiser that is capable of increasing refrigerant sub-cooling and refrigeration cycle efficiency.'

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