Running your air conditioning unit doesn’t have to be expensive. Heating and cooling your home doesn’t mean you will have to be scraping the bottom of your piggy bank each month. There are a few tips and tricks you can use to ensure your air conditioning unit is running efficiently.
Living in Australia means that we are subjected to cold winters and harsh summers. Air conditioning is a must in order for us to be able to live and work comfortably during both seasons. Our air conditioning specialists have put together the top 5 ways you can keep air conditioning expenses down.
1. Upgrade Your Unit
Air conditioning units have come a long way over the years with many earning a fantastic energy rating. If you are using a unit 10 years or older then it may be time to consider upgrading. Older systems can really suck up your energy usage as the unit has to work hard to cool or heat your home. With an older system you may find that it doesn’t work as well as it used to or may be extremely noisey. These are other signs that you need to update your system. If you are unsure if your AC system needs to be updated then seek the services of a professional air conditioning team like Apex Airconditioning. They will be able to assess your system and advise something more eco-friendly if needed.
2. Maintain Your Unit
Ensuring your unit is properly maintained will help to keep energy costs low. A poorly maintained air conditioning unit can use up to 30% more energy than a well maintained unit. Correctly maintaining your unit will not only help keep your energy bill low but will also extend the life of your unit. Maintenance should always be performed by a professional. A specialist will make sure that all parts of your unit are working properly, no cool/hot air is leaking out of the unit and filters are clean. Although your technician will check your filters, this is something that you can do yourself to ensure the unit has the correct air flow it needs.
3. Check Your Temperature
One of the easiest ways to keep your bill costs down is to set your unit at one consistent temperature. This will make sure your air conditioning unit isn’t working harder than it has to, to cool or heat your home. While it may sound a bit strange, the best temperature in summer is 24 Degrees Celsius and 19 Degrees Celsius in winter. Constantly changing the temperature during the day will put extra strain on the unit, making it work harder to cool or heat your room.
The same goes for when you leave the house. While it may seem like turning off the ac is the right thing to do, it will actually make your unit use more energy. When you come home your home with have either warmed up or cooled down, therefore making your unit work hard to get the temperature back to a comfortable level. Leave your ac unit on but turn the heat up a few degrees in summer or down a few degrees in winter.
4. Close Your Blinds
This point mainly applies to summer. To keep the heat down in your house one of the best things you can do is close your blinds. This will really help to keep out the hot sun. You will notice a considerable difference in your room temperature once the sun is kept out. Your air con unit will also not have to try and fight the hot sun that is coming in from the window. This will help keep energy costs down and make you much happier.
5. Use Your Ceiling Fan
This point may sound a bit strange but using fans to circulate air will help your home feel cooler in summer and warmer in winter. A ceiling fan can help make a room feel up to 10 Degrees cooler in summer. While a ceiling fan can help push hot air down making the room feel warmer. This means you can set your air conditioning temperature a few degrees warmer or cooler than normal and have your ceiling fans do the hard work of circulating. If you don’t have ceiling fans then stand fans can still help circulate air as needed.
If you are interested in making your air conditioning unit more energy efficient than Apex Airconditioning can help. Our technicians are fully trained in air conditioning maintenance and installations. Not only can we maintain and install units but we can give you sound advice on which air conditioning unit would best suit your needs.
Contact Apex Airconditioning today to see how we can help keep your energy costs down.