Free for commercial use WITH ATTRIBUTION license – Dan LeFebvre
With the cost of living crisis raging throughout UK homes, people are looking to save money at any opportunity. Contrary to popular belief, you can continue to use your air conditioning unit whilst keeping your costs low.
Air conditioning units are one of the most efficient ways of heating and cooling your home. The great thing about AC systems is that they shut down after they have met the temperature setting. Then, they restart with the temperature changes again, meaning that the system isn’t running all the time, saving you money.
The running cost of your air conditioner depends on its size and the room it’s operating in. A 2.5kW unit in a small room will cost 10p an hour to run, a 3.5kW unit in a medium-sized room will cost 14p an hour, and a 5kW unit in a large room will cost 20p an hour. Your costs, however, can be reduced.
By implementing solutions to increase the efficiency of your machine, you can save money on your monthly bills. We have collated the 15 best air conditioning energy-saving tips to achieve this goal.
Factors Impacting Efficiency
When you are looking to save money on your air conditioning usage, you need to understand what affects the efficiency of your system. This knowledge will allow you to optimise your usage and reduce your energy bill. Consider these four main factors:
- The model’s efficiency rating
Every AC unit has an energy efficiency rating (EER) that tells users how effective the system is. It displays how much energy the unit uses compared to how much air it can circulate.
- The thermostat you have installed
You need to ensure that you have a thermostat that can adequately regulate your air conditioning system. An old, faulty or inefficient thermostat can harm your system or decrease its effectiveness.
- How your machine is installed
Installing your machine correctly dramatically impacts how it circulates air around your home. As cool air sinks, you should install your unit near the ceiling. However, leave a border around it to allow air to pass freely through the vents.
- Servicing, Maintenance And Repair
Servicing and repairing air conditioning systems not only help them perform better but also improve their effectiveness and efficiency. A trained professional should service your unit twice a year and conduct any repairs required. This will prevent damage to the unit and protect you from harm.
Our Top Air Conditioning Energy-Saving Tips
To keep your costs down this year, here are our top 15 energy-saving tips.
1. Block Sun Rays
The easiest way to save money on your air conditioning bill is to reduce the need for it. One of the biggest culprits for increasing your home’s temperature is the sun. If the sun’s rays catch your window, they can have a greenhouse effect on the affected rooms. Look to block them out by closing curtains and blinds or installing shutters and porch overhangs that keep your windows out of direct sunlight.
2. Check Your Light Bulbs
Another key contributor to heat in your home is inefficient light bulbs. Whilst also producing light, the bulbs waste energy by radiating heat into your rooms, increasing your air conditioner’s workload. Energy Saving and LED bulbs use little energy and produce less heat, eliminating the need to use your AC to cool your rooms. Or, you can turn off the bulbs altogether.
3. Avoid Using The Oven
As you might expect, your oven produces more heat than any other appliance in your home, so try to restrict how much you use it. If it is hot outside, consider a barbeque. Or you can try and eat colder foods. An induction stove solely applies heat to the pan and does not emit it into the surrounding area, making it a good alternative.
4. Rearrange Your Furniture
When planning their rooms, people often forget that furniture can block AC vents, restricting airflow. Check whether any of your vents are obstructed and rearrange your furniture accordingly to improve the effectiveness of your AC.
5. Set Your Thermostat As High As You Can
As a general rule, limiting your use of air conditioning will save you the most money. Try to keep the temperature on your thermostat as high as you can bear, as it will reduce your AC’s energy usage and help your unit maintain a steady temperature.
6. Install A Programmable Thermostat
Often, your energy usage can rise when you forget to regulate temperatures with your thermostat. A programmable thermostat provides automatic scheduling to control your air conditioning, and you can turn it off or lower it when you do not need it.
7. Install Proper Insulation and Double-Glazed Windows
One of the biggest factors driving up your AC usage and energy bill is poor insulation. Poorly insulated homes cannot control heat transfers in and out, meaning they struggle to keep heat in during the colder months and heat up easily in the summer.
Proper insulation and double-glazed windows regulate your home’s temperature, lowering the burden on your AC unit. Your machine can be on to a lower setting, or off entirely, to save you money on your energy bill.
8. Monitor Your Humidity Levels
Humidity directly impacts the comfort of a room. Imagine you walk into a bathroom just after someone has finished having a hot shower. There is condensation on the mirror, and the room is stuffy, causing you to sweat. That’s a result of the high humidity and is the exact effect we want to reduce. A dehumidifier reduces the water in the air and cools your room.
9. Turn Down Your Air Conditioning At Night
There is little point in having air conditioning running when you are inactive or out of the house. Whenever there’s no one in, turn off the AC.
At night it is trickier. Cold bedrooms are ideal for sleeping, meaning that air conditioning is crucial. However, you could invest in thinner blankets or a duvet with a lower tog rating, allowing you to run your air conditioning on a lower setting and save money.
10. Combine Air Conditioning With A Fan
One of the main issues people face with air conditioning is a lack of circulation, perhaps due to the layout of their rooms. A ceiling or plugin fan can improve this circulation and boost cooling efficiency without turning up your AC unit and using more energy. Plus, they will drive hot air away.
11. Don’t Close Vents
A big misconception about saving energy with your air conditioning is the belief that closing the vents in rooms you are not using will improve the cooling in the room you are using. However, that is not strictly true. Your system is designed to service your whole home and shutting the occasional vent may increase its efficiency, but closing too many will impact its overall effectiveness. Try closing the blinds in unused rooms and closing the door to maintain a regulated temperature.
12. Keep Your Unit Cool
A hot unit is an inefficient unit. When the external part of your AC system is in direct sunlight, it risks overheating and underperforming. If you are installing a unit for the first time, try placing it in some natural shade. If your existing unit is already in the sun, cover it or install a parasol to keep it in the shade.
13. Service Your Unit
Over time, AC units lose efficiency, especially if they are not well-maintained. A regular service, in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations, will save you money on your electricity bills, and keep your unit working for longer. During a service, an engineer will clean the filters to improve airflow and ensure that the machine performs as expected.
14. Repair Any Faults
A faulty unit will work poorly, cost more money to run and potentially be a hazard. You need to enlist the help of a specialist to repair any faults. Please don’t try to repair the machine yourself; you may damage it further or harm yourself.
15. Employ Qualified Engineers
Servicing and repair work should only be completed by a trained professional. Trying to do it on your own puts yourself and the machine at risk. It is always best to see a qualified expert.
Our Professional Air Conditioning
Having a professional team install your air conditioning unit is the best way to optimise its performance and save money on your electricity bill. And that’s exactly what PRA Air Conditioning does for people.
Not only can we provide the best air conditioning energy-saving tips, but we have a team of NVQ-qualified professionals who can install, service and repair air conditioning and HVAC units for home and commercial use. Our leading technical engineer has over 40 years of experience supplying and installing these units, and we can serve clients in multiple environments.
To learn about our air conditioning solutions and how we can fit them into your premises, speak to our experts today.