Air conditioners both cool and heat indoor spaces by removing water from the air through condensation or evaporation process depending on whether they are used for heating or cooling. However, if not properly maintained and handled, these systems tend to lose efficiency over time which results in unnecessary utility costs where you can take advantage of the following tips to keep your unit in top condition.
Here are ten easy ways to help you save on air conditioning Sydney costs while helping the environment at the same time.
- Keep your windows and doors shut when the aircon is on. This will prevent hot outdoor air from coming in, so less energy has to be used to cool it down again. It also saves money by preventing cold air from escaping out of your home or office building.
- Get a unit with inverter technology if possible, which means that instead of fluctuating between full power and no power like other models, your AC can provide constant but reduced levels of cooling even as you open/shut doors and windows around the house/office to let people in/out without blowing all this extra hot/cold air around. This saves you money and prevents premature wear and tear to your system.
- Clean the air filter regularly, especially during times of higher demand such as summer months when everyone is cranking up their ACs to max capacity.
- Don’t put lamps or TVs next to your thermostat because they give off heat that will confuse it into thinking that the room is warmer than it is, so it’ll turn on your AC for longer than necessary. If possible, try not to have any heat-emitting appliances within a few feet of where the thermostat is located either.
- Try not to use other energy-intensive appliances during days when everyone else has the AC switched on full blast – washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers are all likely to require more energy than your AC needs during these times.
- If you live in or near a city with hot weather, try not to sit next to an outdoor wall where the sun is directly hitting it – the heat radiating off will be absorbed by your room rather than reflected away as intended by the design of most buildings. Having plants close to your home may help deflect some of this radiation too.
- Make sure that you’re getting good value for money on your electricity tariff (if you can) – using higher-rated appliances (such as A+++ rated fridges vs C rated ones) may reduce running costs further still during summer months because they use less power.
- Choose a location for your thermostat away from other appliances or furniture – this helps to ensure as accurate as a possible reading of the temperate in the room so that you don’t have to keep fiddling with it and potentially overriding its settings.
- Don’t try and cool down too many rooms at once if you’re only running one AC unit – instead, just turn on all other appliances such as fridges and TVs and close off some of the rooms until they’ve reached the desired temperature. Turning them off again when they’ve cooled enough saves money because turning them back on again uses energy unless you leave them on stand-by mode which wastes power by keeping electronics online even when not being actively used.
- On that note, try to purchase Energy Star certified appliances wherever possible – these are more energy-efficient than the majority of other products out there on the market. Keep them turned off when you’re not using them or put them on stand-by mode to make sure they aren’t wasting power; if it’s a permanent inconvenience for you (such as with your fridge), consider having 2 separate units instead of one larger one so that they can be used independently without wastefulness.
Takeaway
There are several things the average person can do to help make their air conditioning unit more efficient. Some of these include cleaning or replacing filters, keeping vents clean and dust-free, and making sure the thermostat is properly calibrated for summertime use. With some effort on the part of homeowners, it is possible to slash energy usage when running the AC.
Several things the average person can do to help make their air conditioning unit more efficient. Some of these include cleaning or replacing filters, keeping vents clean and dust-free, and making sure the thermostat is properly calibrated for summertime use. With some effort on the part of homeowners, it is possible to slash energy usage when running the AC.
