Melbourne will start to heat up and if you have air conditioning installed or are getting split systems installed in time for Summer, follow these hot 5 tips to reduce your energy bills and save money.
With our sweaty days and humid nights during Melbourne’s summertime, air conditioners are a must in households. There is nothing better than coming home from a hot day to an air-conditioned home, the cool air smacking in the face as you walk in the door is a beautiful feeling!
The only downside to the sweet relief your air-conditioning brings you is the power bill coming in the mail. There are ways to keep your air conditioning bills from rising like a midday forecast of 40 degrees though. Follow these simple tips and keep your cool even when reading your power bill!
1. Save When You Sleep
Oh, those hot summer nights…sort of! The night is naturally cooler than the day and if you have had your split systems or ducted air running during the day, they will have kept your home nice and cool. Switch the systems off at night and save a lot of time. Allow fresh air to come through an open window and create a natural breeze to keep you cool in bed.
You do not need the cool temperature set on the daytime airconditioning to sleep at night, your body regulates its temperature very well at night and people are often leaving their air-cons on when they do not have to. That’s at least 7 – 8 hours a night of power you do not need to be paying for (240 hours per month). And it adds up to great savings on your power bills.
2. The Cleaner the Cheaper
Make sure your air-con is regularly cleaned and the filter is clean or replaced when needed. The cleaner the system the more efficient it runs. If it has a dirty filter the unit has to work harder to keep the temperature cooler and that means more power! More power equals more money. Get your system serviced and cleaned to not only reduce your energy bills but extend the lifetime of the air conditioner.
3. Set and Save
The best way to consistently save money on airconditioning is to set your thermostat between 22-26 degrees. Every degree will affect every dollar on your bill, it’s important to keep that in mind when setting your thermostat. Don’t think you need to set it at some low temperature like 17 for the first few hours on a powerful fan setting. Slow and steady works much better for the air conditioner and the overall temp of your home.
This is the most energy-efficient tip to lower your bills, every degree cooler adds 10% extra to your bills. So going from 24 to 19 degrees will add 50% more to your bill! To aid in this, set a timer to automatically turn off your system, this way you can set and forget.
4. Keep the Sun at Bay
Shade your home as much as possible to keep the inside temperature naturally cooler. With shading efforts keeping your home a little cooler, the air-con does not have to work as hard. One of the easiest ways to do this is to keep your curtains or blinds shut. Not only does it keep the sun out, but it also stops the cool air inside your home escaping out the glass.
You can go further by planting trees and shrubbery to provide shade near your windows or immediate shade with outside awnings.
5. Stop the Heat
Whilst you can’t stop the heat outside by turning the sun off, you can turn off heat emitting appliances inside the home. It’s amazing how many appliances stay switched on 24/7 when they have no need to. The combined heat emitted from these household appliances contributes to your homes inside temperature rising. Some examples of what the switch off when not being used are;
- Televisions
- Computers
- Lamps
- Lights
- Gaming systems
- Phone chargers
Led Lighting
The other great way to keep unwanted heat in your home is to switch to LED lighting, it will not only keep your home cooler but also save big money on your power bills!
And finally, avoid cooking inside if you can, the oven and stove top will obviously cause the inside temp up. Enjoy our summer weather and daylight savings with BBQ dinners as much as you can!
Lastly…
We advise you to get a new air-con if you are using an old one. The old ones will not be anywhere near as efficient as the new split system air conditioners or ducted cooling systems are made these days. So, whilst you may think you are saving money by not getting a new one, every summer you are paying much more than you should. Is it really worth it?
