How to save on energy bills this summer with your home air conditioner
When you think about summer, is the first thing that comes to mind a high energy bill? We don’t want that to be your summer thoughts, that’s why our team has put together 7 top tips on how you can save energy this summer in your home.
We know how hot it can get in Maitland and the Hunter Valley over the summer period, so we want you to know how to run your air con efficiently and save money, whilst saving energy.
So, what are the top tips?
Let’s break it down into 7 top tips that will make some easy summer saving for you.
1. You don’t need to be freezing
Your air conditioner doesn’t need to be set to the coldest temperature for you to feel cool. For most, feeling freezing in your house is great through summer, but setting the temperature to around 8°C cooler than what the temperature is outside is how you can save energy whilst staying comfortable.
2. Buy the right sized unit for your home area
Before purchasing an air conditioning unit for your home, it is important to take into consideration the size of the room and where the air will flow through to. Buying a smaller unit is a common mistake as people think this will cut costs, however if it is too small for the space then it will need to be run constantly and will be working overtime.
3. Be proactive and maintain your air conditioner
Maintaining your unit is possibly the best way to ensure that you don’t run into any serious issues with it. There’s nothing worse than getting to summer and your air conditioner not working as well as it should be. A unit that is working as efficiently as possible is going to save energy.
4. Embrace zone cooling
Instead of trying to cool the whole house, a key tip to save energy is to shut off the rooms that have the units in them and for the family to use those rooms to cool down. It doesn’t make sense for rooms to be cool that aren’t in use.
5. Keep the house as dark as possible
Using the blinds and curtains you already have in your home can massively save energy throughout summer. Keeping the house dark and deflecting the heat from the sun coming into your home can keep it at a nice temperature. This also means your aircon isn’t trying to cool a room that is already very hot.
6. Use your air conditioner timer
Our most simple tip on the list is to make use of the timer on your air conditioner. If you are a family who constantly runs your unit, implement using the timer so that it turns off when you are out of the house or are sleeping.
7. Clean your unit
An effective way to save energy and money is by ensuring your air conditioner is clean. It can take up to 15% more energy to make your unit run if it’s not clean and there is dirt caught in the filter. Make sure you aren’t only doing this before the summer season, do it a couple of times throughout the year.
