3 tips to reducing your summer air conditioning cost
Summer in Australia is no easy feat, the hot days that carry over into painful hot nights kicking sheets and blankets off the bed, it’s not something anyone enjoys, but don’t get caught up in leaving your air conditioning on overnight! It can cost you a fortune and is not good for anyone!
Here we have provided you with 3 simple and easy tips to improve your comfort and reduce the air conditioning cost in your home.
Tip 1: Don’t set it lower than needed.
This is something everyone has been guilty of doing at some point, “I’ll just set the air conditioning a few degrees colder, it will be fine!”. Doing this is actually making it harder for your air conditioner to keep your home cool and is increasing the workload of your air conditioner, which will increase your electricity cost. There are ideal temperatures for all over Australia for cooling in summer and winter:
South Australia, Adelaide – 24 – 25 degrees Celsius
Tasmania, Hobart – 28 degrees Celsius
Nth QLD, Nth WA, NT & Central Australia – 21 – 23 degrees Celsius
South East QLD & North East NSW – 25 degrees Celsius
South West WA – 23 – 24 degrees Celsius
South East NSW, North East VIC & ACT – 26 – 27degrees Celsius
South VIC – 24 degrees Celsius
The information above is giving a summary of the general indication for what temperature you should be setting your air conditioner to during the summer period. If you are living in the cooler climates of australia it is suggested to keep your cooling slightly warmer while those living in the warmer climates can set their air conditioner a little cooler. This will help your air conditioner maintain a consistent temperature while keeping your air conditioning cost down.
Tip 2: Service! Service! Service!
You service your car, lawn mower, stove, gas heating, why wouldn’t you want to service your air conditioner? Servicing can go a very long way for you and your air conditioning. Practising this will help extend the life of your air conditioner and could potentially save you hundreds of dollars on your air conditioning costs.
Another easy step which many can do themselves at home, is cleaning the filters and wiping over your air conditioning unit 1 to 2 times a season. Also do not forget the unit outdoors, leaves, dirt and other various debris can get stuck in and around the unit making it very hard to expel all the hot air produced by the indoor unit and in turn force your outdoor unit to work harder increasing your air conditioning cost.
Tip 3: Do your research!
Do you have the correct air conditioner for your home? Air conditioner cooling capacity is a crucial part of cooling your home for summer. You could potentially have an air conditioner that cannot keep up with the amount of cooling capacity needed for your home, this can affect your energy cost greatly. It is recommended to have at least 80 watts of output per square meter of your intended room for cooling or heating. If you are trying to cool a large open space living dining area with a lounge and hallway you need to keep in mind what your air conditioner can actually cool. A room you may have set at 24 degrees on the remote could actually be at 28 degrees, this is also true if you have a room that is too small for the air conditioner you are using. This does not mean you should reduce the temperature on the remote, this means you need to get your home measured and assessed to see what capacity air conditioner you need to keep your home cool and comfortable through the heat of summer.
Bonus tip: Insulation!
This should be a seasonal routine for the handy man/ woman of the household. Check for leaks around all of your windows, doors and garage doors. Make sure you seal any gaps with caulk or put a self adhesive foam door and window seal. Both of these are very cheap and inexpensive for any homeowner to reduce the cost of their air conditioning cost. You can also go one step further and check the insulation in your roof. If the insulation is old or worn out, your air conditioner is also trying to cool all the heat coming in from your roof! Make sure you have a look and take the appropriate steps to ensure your ceiling is properly insulated.
Keeping your home cool in the summer while keeping the air conditioning cost down can be a hard task. Now you should be properly equipped with the right bases of knowledge to be able to seek out help and implement strategies to reduce the cost of your air conditioning over summer!
