Summer is (almost) upon us.
The warm weather has begun the annual struggle of waking in the middle of the night unable to cool down and dragging yourself around the house when it’s even too hot to venture outside.
When our temperatures begin to soar, it is the easy choice for us to turn on our air conditioners. While it seems like an excellent idea at the time, many of us reap the consequences when we receive our power bill, and it’s much more than we expected.
Rather than suffering through the summer heat, we just recommend implementing these simple tips to save you money on your air conditioner for the next few months.
1. Pick the right-sized air conditioner from the beginning.
One of the common mistakes is for people to rush in and buy the air conditioner that is most powerful.
Why buy an air conditioner that could service a two-storey home if you live in a two-bedroom apartment? Not only is it a complete waste of energy, but will cost you more when you first buy.
When buying, consider the rooms that you want to cool and their size to pick the most appropriate product.
We recommend Mitsubishi Electric or Fujitsu air conditioners, which are very trustworthy brands. They are incredibly reliable and can also save you power with their efficient energy systems.
Also, just before or after installing the air conditioner, think about how the furniture is positioned in your room. You would be surprised to learn how much furniture can block the circulation around a space. For instance, if you have the back of your lounge facing the air conditioner, then so much of the air is spent cooling the back of the lounge and not you!’
2.Temperature is key.
For the average home, having your air conditioner set at about 24-26°C is most suitable. But, many people fall into the trap of keeping it that way all day and night.
During the night, you can turn the temperature up just a few degrees, which means the unbearable heat isn’t getting to you, but energy is being saved, too.
Also, be mindful about leaving the air conditioner on when you leave the house. Some people develop the habit of keeping their air conditioner turned on when they are out, so it remains the same temperature when they get home.
There is no harm in closing all the blinds and door when you leave to keep the air contained, and switching off the air conditioner. Sure, it may be a little warmer when you first get back, but it’s not worth the waste in money.
3. Service it annually.
This one is a big tip. Air conditioners can become incredibly inefficient if they aren’t serviced regularly, and so every month money is wasted.
We recommend hiring a professional to take a look at it and check what little fixes can be made.
As stated earlier, this doesn’t need to happen every month. As long as you have a qualified service person attend to the air conditioner one a year, then all systems should be running smoothly.
4. Check that no air is escaping.
From when we were kids, it has been drilled into us to shut doors around the house to air condition the rooms you want.
There’s also more to the story.
Many people lose air due to leakages around their home from cracks and openings at windows and doors. There’re a number of ways you can check where the air is being lost in the home, but the real question is – how do you fix it?
It is often recommended to add caulk or weatherstripping around doors and windows that are not appropriately sealed.
Caulk is a product used for items that don’t move around the house, such as windowsills or door frames. Whereas, weatherstripping seals the movable doors and windows themselves.
These are just a few of our suggestions to saving power and money for the coming summer months. If you want to get ready for the onset of warm weather, get in touch with Fuse Contracting today to install, service, or repair your air conditioner in Brisbane!
