How to choose the best air con for your home office

4 top tips to reduce your home office air con running costs

More and more people are choosing to work from home at the moment. And with summer bearing down on us in Brisbane and South East Queensland, you’re probably thinking about installing an air conditioner to ensure you can work comfortably.

While there are no specific air con models developed exclusively for home office use, there are a few tips you can bear in mind in order to select a suitable unit.

Here’s what to look for when you’re choosing the right air conditioner for your home office.

1) Choose an air con unit that’s correctly sized for your home office

When deciding on the right air con unit for your home office, there’s more to think about than simply the room’s area.

You might find that your home office size sits right on the margin between different size air con units. That’s where it pays to think about some of the other variables of your particular space.

For example, what are the insulation properties of your home? Is it made of bricks, or weatherboard? Do you have insulation installed in the ceiling?

Is your home office located on the bottom floor of your home (where the storeys above will tend to help insulate it), or is the office on the top floor, where the sun will have a greater effect?

Getting the complete picture can help you select a more efficient air con unit.

2) Help your air conditioner to perform at its best

An air con works hardest when it’s getting a room down (or up, in winter) to your desired temperature. It then works more efficiently (and therefore more cost effectively) when it’s simply maintaining the room’s temperature at say 24 degrees.

How can this help you “help” your air con to work better? Think about the way you use your home office air con. It could be more efficient to start the air con earlier in the morning when it’s cooler, so that the unit doesn’t have to work as hard to cool the room. Then, the air con can simply maintain that temperature throughout the working day without using maximum power.

Choosing a model with an inverter is also a smart way to reduce energy costs. These types of air conditioners will ramp up and down, depending on the load – so they don’t use as much power.

3) Choose an air con brand that has good energy ratings

When you’re selecting a brand of air con, remember that not all models and manufacturers are the same. Like many things, with air conditioners you do get what you pay for. A cheap air con may save you a few dollars at the time of purchase, but will likely end up costing you more over time thanks to its lower efficiency and higher running costs.

To put energy ratings into perspective…

Energy ratings are important, and must be measured and comply with Australian Standards, so you can be sure that the ratings on the labels are correct when choosing between higher quality brands.

Having said that as a rule of thumb, there is not much difference between units with half an energy star difference. So as discussed in point #1 about room size, if going up in size to a unit that is best suited to the size of your room means losing half a star rating, then this should take precedence when making your decision.

4) Set up your home workspace efficiently

It might sound basic, but closing your home office door actually makes a considerable difference to your air con running costs. That way the unit won’t be working hard, trying to cool your entire home!

If you’re stepping out of the office during the day (perhaps to pick up the kids from school), more often than not it may be more efficient to close the office door and leave the air con running. That way, it can run efficiently and maintain the temperature while you’re gone, and won’t have to work as hard re-cooling the room when you return and switch it back on.

Talk to Jaric Group for expert advice on home office air con

With a little planning and forethought, you can make sure that your home office air conditioner works at its best while minimising your running costs. To find out more, get in touch with us online or call Jaric on 1300 452 742.