Are you struggling to manage the cost of keeping your home cool in the hot Aussie summers? Even with good ducted air conditioning, it is normal to see a rise in your electrical bill when you are cooling your home, but there are ways to minimise that cost. These tips are also going to work with ducted, split or single unit air conditioning.
Tip 1 – Keep it at 24°C in the summer
It is tempting to set the temperature really low but that makes it work overtime and as well as costing money can cause damage to your system. Setting at 24°C for the summer still keeps it cooler than what is happening outside.
Tip 2 – Start it early
The best way to get ahead of the heat is to have it start early in the morning. A lot of people think they save m penny by turning it on at noon when it gets to its hottest outside so that it is on for less time. But the opposite is true, it takes less to give it time to build up to its maximum efficiency. It does not have to work as hard to maintain a cool comfortable temperature.
Tip 3 – Close your windows, curtains and doors
Keep your doors closed inside the home so that the cool air stays in the rooms you want it to, and also keep your windows closed and your curtains or blinds shut. It keeps the room temperature cooler when the sun is beating down.
Tip 4 – Use the timer on your ducted system
When you have good ducted air conditioning you can use the timer system on it to set your system working best to suit when you are in the house and need it. If you wake at 6 am and you can set the timer for 5 am in the kitchen area so it is cool when you wake up. Choose the rooms that get cooled according to whether you are using them!
Tip 5 – Cook outside!
There is a reason we Aussies love a good BBQ and apart from an excuse to grill meat, it is also a way to avoid making your home hotter than you can handle. Avoid turning on the oven and other appliances that generate heat.
Tip 6 – Reverse-cycle
Reverse-cycle gives you more control over the cool air in the home and it means you can also warm the place in the winter as well as cool in the summer.
Tip 7 – Get a yearly service
Whether you have good ducted air conditioning or another kind of system it is a good idea to have a qualified technician come around annually to clean the filter, check the system and carry out other maintenance checks. It keeps your system running more efficiently saving money, keeping the place cooler and it helps it last longer.
Summary
With some good choices when it comes to your air conditioning, when you use it and how well you look after it, you can keep your home cool in the summer at a price you can manage.