Ventilation and air conditioning in Bali, designed for humid air
Cooling in Bali is half about temperature and half about moisture. We size fresh air and air conditioning from a load calculation, choose the system type for your operation and install it without the usual dripping, noise and stuffy corners.
- Heat and moisture load calculation per room
- Split, cassette, ducted, VRF or chilled water chosen for the operating pattern
- Fresh air sized for occupancy, not only for comfort cooling
- Condensate, insulation and noise details that survive the rainy season
Why stuffy and cold at the same time happens
A dining room can feel cold near the AC and stuffy in the corner at the same time. The unit cools the air it recirculates, but nobody supplies fresh air, so carbon dioxide and humidity build up while the thermostat is satisfied. In Bali the outside air is warm and wet all year, which makes fresh air the biggest single load, and the one most often left out.
We start every project with a load calculation: people, lighting, equipment, sun on the facade, fresh air and its moisture. Then we choose the system type and the way fresh air enters. The result is a room that is dry, quiet and evenly cool, not an air conditioner running flat out against an open door.
Choosing the system type
| System | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Wall split | Small rooms, offices, villa bedrooms | No fresh air of its own; many outdoor units on the facade |
| Ceiling cassette | Dining rooms, cafés, shops | Needs ceiling depth and a proper condensate route |
| Ducted split | Hidden units, even air distribution | Duct insulation and access for cleaning |
| VRF | Apart-hotels, many rooms on one system | Design of pipe runs, indoor-unit choice, service access |
| Chilled water | Larger hotels and complexes | Plant room, pumps, water treatment, operator skills |
System choice follows the load calculation, the operating hours and the owner's maintenance capacity.
For apart-hotels we compare split and VRF options in our note on air conditioning for apart-hotels. For villas with closed rooms we often add heat-recovery ventilation for fresh air without the humidity.
Send the floor plan with room uses and seating. We reply with a first estimate of cooling capacity and system options.
Details that decide whether it lasts
- Insulation with a vapour barrier on every cold duct and pipe; otherwise the ceiling drips, see condensation.
- Condensate drainage with slope and traps, not a hose into the garden.
- Outdoor units placed for airflow and service, protected from salt where the site is coastal.
- Noise: indoor units and ducts selected for bedrooms and dining rooms, not only for capacity.
Coordinated with everything else
Air conditioning shares the ceiling with the kitchen exhaust, the water pipes and the cable trays, and it shares the air with the kitchen. We draw it in the same Revit model and commission it together with the exhaust, so the dining AC does not blow smoke back into the room.
Questions owners ask us
Split units or VRF for an apart-hotel?
Splits are cheaper to buy; VRF saves facade space and usually runs more efficiently across many rooms. We compare both for your building in the design stage.
Do I need fresh air if I have air conditioning?
Yes. Most AC units recirculate room air. Fresh air has to be supplied separately, sized for the number of people.
Why is there water on my ceiling near the AC?
Usually cold ducts or pipes without continuous vapour-sealed insulation, or a blocked condensate line. An audit finds which.
Do you service the systems after installation?
Yes, through a maintenance contract.
Often ordered together
Heat-recovery ventilation
Fresh air for closed rooms that does not bring Bali humidity and heat inside with it.
Open
Commissioning and air balancing
Every mode tested and airflows measured before handover: the proof that the design works.
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Maintenance after launch
Planned service for hoods, filters, air conditioning and electrical systems after opening.
OpenDescribe the task, we answer on WhatsApp
Two ways to reach an engineer. Either one lands in the same WhatsApp chat.
Write it in your own words
A new restaurant, a kitchen that smokes, a hotel that needs air conditioning, a villa complex at design stage: a few lines are enough to start.