How to measure your home air conditioner energy efficiency
Introducing Energy Rating
If you’re looking to save money, increasing your home air con energy efficiency is a great place to start. Or, if you’re shopping for a new air conditioner for your home, make sure you know the average running costs beforehand. Let’s find out how the Energy Rating Calculator can help you save hundreds of dollars on your power bills.
Understanding home air con energy efficiency
How much energy does it cost you to run a home air conditioner? While many Australian homeowners would say ‘a lot’, it’s actually not as much as refrigerators, dishwashers or washing machines.
However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep a close eye on your air con now that temperatures start to rise. You can make sure you stay on top of your power bills by following these energy efficiency tips and tricks.
What is the Energy Rating Calculator?
The Energy Rating Calculator is part of the Energy Rating program. Initially introduced in NSW and Victoria in 1986, the label was later mandatory across all Australian states. Today, it’s a requirement for all electrical appliances to display it and air conditioners are certainly no exception.
How to read and compare home air con energy efficiency using the Energy Rating tool
Source: Energy Rating Calculator/Department of the Environment and Energy
Look to the stars
Just like any electrical device, air conditioners must display energy stars. Technically, they provide a quick assessment of how much energy a product uses compared to other models. Basically, the more stars it has, the more energy efficient the unit is. Plus any product having more than 6 stars falls under the ‘super-efficiency’ category.
Whilst you can simply compare products using the star scheme, bear in mind that they need to have similar sizes. This way, you will be able to get an accurate result at the end.
Check the capacity output and power input (the energy consumption)
Another thing to consider when comparing is the capacity output, featuring the amount of cooling/heating the model is able to produce. Next, the power input shows how much power is required to generate that particular amount of cooling/heating.
Now it’s time to calculate!
Usually, energy ratings should be displayed on the product itself, so you can compare models while you’re out shopping. However, if you want to know how much a particular air conditioner is really going to cost you, the Energy Rating Calculator can help you.
All you have to do is type in the models you’re considering and you will get an estimate energy usage. That way, you can take the long-term costs into account before making any investment into a new air con unit.
Advantages of the Energy Rating Calculator
- Find out how much a particular air conditioner would cost you to run
- Easily compare different brands and models
- Understand the Energy Rating Label as a whole, for any electrical appliance you plan to buy in the future
- Eventually, choose the model that has the lowest total cost of ownership (considering the upfront costs as well as the running costs over the next 10 years)
Talk to Jaric Group about your home air con energy efficiency
To sum up, the Energy Rating Calculator is a very useful online tool to encourage domestic air con energy efficiency. As a homeowner, not only that you gain knowledge and make a smart choice but you also give yourself the chance to save money on the long run. If you need any air conditioning services, call Jaric Air Conditioning at 1300 452 742 and get personalised advice and solutions for your home.