Choosing air conditioning equipment can be very confusing. Cross recommends that when choosing an air conditioning system it is very important for you to consider a few very important factors-

	The capital cost- includes not only the cost of the equipment and it’s installation but also the cost of ancillary requirements such as build work, plant location and size, electrical work, progress time and of course life expectancy of the equipment.
	Energy efficiency [running cost]- this is vital in today’s energy conscious world as air conditioning can often amount to the largest single element of a commercial business’s energy bill. Choosing the most energy efficient system is vital for any business, and very often it can be more cost effective to install a system with a higher initial cost but which provides greater energy efficiency.
	Maintenance costs- often overlooked in initial calculations and can be very costly depending on the complexity of the system, availability of spare parts and the right expertise.
	Environmental issues- these need to be checked, such as equipment compliance with current and future legislation in terms of C0 2 emissions, Ozone depletion and health and safety
	User friendliness- this needs to be assessed in relation to the user of the system. Many systems have standard controls, which are simple in concept yet very difficult in nature.
	Flexibility- the flexibility of the system should be assessed in terms of installation, operation, future expansion and changes, maintenance and contols