The most effective ways to reduce your air con bill this summer
6 tips to help save energy and money
We all like summer in the Sunshine State! But what we don’t like so much is how much our comfort costs us at the end of the day. In fact, according to last year’s air con statistics, Aussies use their air con 4.3 hours per day on average. This means that they spend a whopping $4.6 billion on keeping cool, whether they’re home or not. So what can you do to improve these numbers and reduce your air con bill overall? We’ve put together for you the best tips and tricks from our many years of experience in the air conditioning industry.
1) Shut down your air con when you are not at home
Australian homeowners are all aware of the need not to waste energy. Yet statistically, we spend around one hour per day cooling the house when nobody is at home. This may seem little but if we multiply it with the 2.3 million households leaving their air con on, it’s a clear area where we can save energy.
Whether you use timers or programmable thermostats, remember to turn off your air conditioner and you’ll save energy and money.
2) Monitor and control your air con energy usage with the Energy Rating Calculator
It’s important to know how to measure your air con energy efficiency, and one effective way to do it is by using the Energy Rating Calculator.
Together with the Energy Rating Label, this is a helpful tool to offer an estimate energy usage, especially when you’re shopping for a new air con unit. Not only can you compare different brands and models, but you can also choose the one having the lowest total cost of ownership.
3) For all-year comfort, choose a reverse cycle air conditioner
As you may know, a reverse cycle system doesn’t just cool your home in summer but it also keeps you warm in winter. But did you know that reverse cycle air conditioners are about 2.5 times more efficient than electric bar radiators or fan heaters?
Reverse cycle air conditioners are also very friendly to the environment, producing much less greenhouse gas emissions than other multi-purpose devices. This is because a reverse cycle air conditioner uses R32 refrigerant with 66% lower global warming potential factor than the common refrigerant type (R410A).
4) Make sure your home is properly insulated
Another important thing to think about to reduce your air con bill is your house insulation. On average, 50% of the energy we use to cool our homes can leak out without insulation. This means your air conditioner needs to work much harder to reach and maintain the set point temperature on your thermostat.
That is why we recommend you have your home’s walls and ceilings properly insulated. Also, if you have unused pet doors, consider sealing them so that the heat can’t sneak in along with Fido!
5) Reduce your air con bill with a smartphone app
There are seemingly endless ways smartphones help us with our daily activities, and to reduce your air con bill is yet another one of them.
In other words, you can easily adjust any room temperature straight from your phone. Tado Smart AC Control, Air Touch control app, AirPatrol Wi-Fi, Melissa Climate or Ambi Climate are just some of the smart apps to choose from. And with their unique features leading to energy savings of up to 40%, you may never want to use the traditional air conditioner controller again!
6) Don’t forget about seasonal routine maintenance
Lastly, remember that correct air con maintenance contributes to the wellbeing of your air con system. That is because air conditioners, same as all other home appliances, require regular maintenance for optimal performance.
For example, if the air con unit becomes clogged with dust particles, pollen or other impurities, it has to work much harder to cool the room. This coupled with poor air con maintenance can add between 5-20% to your energy costs.
Changing your air con filters should also be part of your cleaning routine. Ideally, you should clean them every month in peak summer and winter season because of their intense usage. For the rest of the year, though, cleaning them at the beginning of each season can be enough.
Contact Jaric Electrical for more ways to reduce your air con bill
Remember that small changes can have a big impact on air conditioning energy consumption. Call Jaric Air Conditioning at 1300 452 742 or contact us online and one of our friendly experts will happily answer your questions.
