ActronAir ESP Plus SRV191E (18.6kW, Single Phase)

SS1P Soft Starter blown again – 3 years and 1 month since we last replaced the soft starter / capacitor on our ESP + system. Given that we don't use the system for heating during winter, surely 3 years is a pretty poor life expectancy for a part that costs $837 + labour to replace. Show details

A great A/C with even better service to match – The unit works well and is very quiet. When there was a problem recently Actron Air offered prompt and very competent service. So glad I bought from a reputable and courteous company. Show details ·  1

EXTREMELY HAPPY – We have had our Actron Air System installed and have been extremely happy with it. It heats and cools the whole house very evenly and copes under high demand in both summer and winter conditions and copes very well with extreme temperature days. It is easy to operate and has multiple settings to suit any needs in any room at one time. Very Very happy with our system. Highly recommend Actron Air Systems. Show details ·  1

Quiet and efficient – I am very happy with our ActronAir Ducted AC system. I was worried about noise at full flow but it is very quiet and its ability to cool all of the house is quick and easy. Once it reaches the set-point it maintains that temp without fuss. I opted for individual zone control and find that this helps to keep the demand in the kid's rooms in check.… Read more ·  1

24 Deg is the constant and it works beautifully to maintain that temp. ABLE Heating and Cooling were flexible, helpful and professional.

Does the job well – We've had our Actron in for a little less than 12 months. We don't use it much as our house is well insulated and catches a great breeze, so it hasn't had a big workout yet. When we have used it though, it works brilliantly. We are a large two level 5 bedroom home, and it cools the whole house quickly on a hot Brisbane day. The condenser unit… Read more

is on our roof above our master bedroom. You can definitely hear it at night so in hindsight I'd position it elsewhere, but it's not too loud.

Great system! – We have been very happy with our Actron system. The system runs quietly (the neighbours' evaporative coolers are far noisier) and cools the house nicely. We are very pleased that we installed this system. The stickers in the control panels keep falling off though which is a pain and it is a bit hungry on power. We'll be interested to see what it is like in the winter for heating.  Show details

Fantastic – Super fast comfortable temperature compared to the ancient costly unit it replaced. It will save me a fortune and make ALL of the house liveable during summer. REALLY happy. Installation by A Grade Air Conditioning who arrived on time, finished the removal and install in 7 hours and cleaned up afterwards.  Show details

DO NOT BUY ACTRON AIR!! – High energy usage contrary to "energy saving performance" claim. VERY noisy. Had to replace soft starter switch and coil at a cost of $900 even though it was used only TWICE in a few years!! How is this possible? Actron is just another company that rips people off. Avoid at all costs!  Show details

Not impressed – Have had this for almost two years and really not that happy. Outside motor is rather noisy, the actron connect app rarely works, uneven air through ducts, nothing really that happy with . The installers aren't even interested in checking it out. Had other brands previously but thought I would try action. Wish I hadn't.  Show details

Can it cope as fit for use – The soft start has melted ,the installer has made modifications the split system dosnt work if the two zones are on at the same time which is bemusing? I think i would like to beleive they v are a good unit but reading other reveiws these softstarts seem to be failing in ther products accross the range ?  Show details

Beware of Digital Scroll compressor technology. It is very energy inefficient and noisy – I researched replacement of my ducted air conditioning units very closely and discovered some very misleading information which I feel obligated to bring to the attention of the market. Actron and some other manufacturers make three different technologies. These technologies vary in the way the compressor regulates the supply of the gas to the… Read more

evaporator to maintain the set temperature. The three technologies have significant differences in power usage efficiency and noise levels.

Actron have the Standard, ESP Plus and ESP Platinum models.

The standard stops the compressor when the temperature is achieved and restarts the compressor when the temperature strays a preset amount from the set temperature. This technology is conventional and the cheapest to purchase. The inefficiency is due to the set temperature usually being set lower (or higher) than it otherwise would be if the temperature was constant. These units are more noisy than inverter technology because the compressor works at 100% capacity when the thermostat demands the gas and due to the compressor cycling.

The inverter technology is the most expensive to purchase but is the most efficient with power consumption and the least noisy. This is due to the compressor running continually but being throttled down with less power consumption once the preset temperature is achieved. Additionally there is no solenoid clicking in and out and the noise from the compressor reduces with the reduction in load.

Despite the claim the ESP Plus has efficiency savings it is the most inefficient, in terms of power consumption, of the three technologies. The ESP Plus is digital scroll technology. The compressor runs at 100% for 100% of the time. Only the supply of the gas is regulated by a solenoid which stops and starts the flow of the gas. This technology may be the most efficient at regulating the flow of the gas to the evaporator but is the most INEFFICIENT when it comes to power consumption. Additionally it is very noisy. With the compressor running continually at 100% and the very noisy solenoid valve cycling every few seconds. I could not believe what I had discovered in my research but it does explain the following.

The neighbours on each side of me have Actron ducted air conditioning. While they appear to be identical units, one is very noisy and the other whisper quiet. Now I have discovered why. One is an ESP Plus with the digital scroll technology and the other ESP Platinum with inverter technology.

No after service care – Air conditioner works great. After service .... There is none. Our unit was very noisy. Our installer got someone out to check it. The service guy admitted it was louder than usual and he would recommend a noise reduction jacket for it. After hearing nothing for months I contacted our installer again. Took him a while to find out that Actron… Read more

decided it wasn't noisy enough for them to supply a noise jacket for free like we were told.... But we could buy one for over $400 dollars. Would never recommend them to anyone. Not because of the unit, that's fine, but because of the lousy non existent after care

sad and sorry – We bought it in 2007 for the price of a brand new small car. Within the first 2 months, it broke down during the hottest period over Christmas. It just blew air, no cold air, just air. It was repaired under warranty. We have had it serviced every year. And has worked well for these proceeding years.Then the other evening when we arrived home… Read more

after work, turning it on, only hot air came out. The company we bought it through is no longer, but I finally found someone who could come out and he states that it is the compressor that is gone. A bill of over $6500 was quoted.

I am devastated and feel gutted. So very disappointed that an expensive unit could fail after 8 years. It is supposedly marketed as made for our Australian conditions. What a joke.

So if you decide to purchase it, put aside a thousand a year in case it needs repair. Better still avoid it.

Update after Two years – We reviewed this Actron Air Plus, after we had it installed. It broke down in less than six months after installation. I must say though after 2 years now...it has been PERFECT. Not an ounce of problems. Very efficient, and keeps the whole house really cool in summer. Wonderful unit. I don't regret purchasing the Actron. Previous review: I… Read more

spent a lot of time researching aircons. Actron appeared to be the best. Our old aircon - Airwell (piece of [censored word removed) couldn't handle the heat!, so we replaced it in Oct 2012 with the 18kw, single phase unit...and boy was it cool. We loved it. Now over here in the West (Perth)...it gets pretty hot. Late Dec during our heatwave of 43 degrees, it broke down. That was a Friday, we contacted our installers Gas & Air, and they said they would need to check with Actron, before sending someone out. That didn't happen til Monday, and I can tell you we were all in a sorry state by then. It was a capacitor problem and it was replaced. Then, last week in February 5th...it broke down again. This time they replaced a capacitor again and the softstart. Up until now, I was happily recommending the units. I was giving glowing reports of how wonderful it was, and kept our house really cool even on the hottest of days. By comparison to the Airwell...well,...they were chalk and cheese. The unit when it is working...is wonderful. Has anyone else experienced this problem with capacitors?

It was fixed fairly quickly again, but it concerns us, we thought we were buying the best on the market!