Aussies are serious about keeping cool. We blast the aircon when it’s baking hot outside and rarely move from the fan when humidity strikes.
But if your air conditioning unit isn’t up to scratch, or you’re not cooling your house efficiently, you can end up with a hefty electricity bill at the end of the quarter.
As a nation, we spend around $4.6 billion on air conditioning each year. The average person leaves their aircon on for around 4 hours per day during the summer months and one in four (26%) leave it running for up to an hour while they aren’t at home.
By making a few simple tweaks to your aircon usage, you could be shaving up to $187 off your quarterly energy bill. Here’s how:
If a summer scorcher is on the way, pre-cool your house the night before to minimise the strain on your aircon. Keep the blinds drawn – this can reduce the temperature of a room by as much as three or four degrees. It also helps to leave the tops of windows open, and keep fans circulating to “flush out” hot air.
Make sure you close the windows once it heats up – you don’t want all that cool air to go to waste.
Depending on the design of your property, some cooling options may be more effective than others. The better insulated and shaded a house is, the smaller and cheaper to run your cooling unit should be.
If you’re not sure where to start, the Alliance Climate Control team can help you find the best cooling solution for your needs based on your house, lifestyle and budget. Cooling options include a ducted system, a wall-mounted split system or a multi wall-mount split system.
Cooling systems can vary significantly when it comes to their energy efficiency. Aircons are included in the Energy Rating System, which rates products from one to six based on the amount of energy they consume.
Make sure you check your unit’s rating before making any installations to prevent any nasty surprises next time your bill arrives.
Your aircon doesn’t need to be kept at arctic temperatures to be effective. In fact, setting your aircon just one degree higher than you normally would can reduce your cooling costs by 10%.
The most optimal setting for your aircon is 25 degrees. This is enough to lower your room temperature without running up a huge bill, yet most Aussies tend to keep their unit at 22 degrees.
With the average Aussie electricity bill costing around $623, adjusting your aircon to an economical temperature can save you as much as $187 off your next bill.
A quarter of the population leave the aircon on for up to an hour while they’re not at home and this wastage is costing us $222 million each year.
By properly insulating your home, you can ensure it retains cool air after switching off your unit. Keep doors and windows closed and draw the blinds before you step out.
With a quality cooling system and a few tricks up your sleeve, keeping the heat out this summer is easier than you think.
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