Your air conditioner can increase your energy bill by up to 50%. However, you can reduce energy costs by making minor adjustments in your home. Follow these air conditioning tips to lower energy consumption and increase your comfort.
Bigger is Not Necessarily Better
It is a common misconception that installing a larger air conditioner than a room needs will yield better air conditioning, due to the tremendous power of the over sized air conditioner.
While the large air conditioner will have tremendous power, it will not yield better air conditioning. This is because the oversized air conditioner will cool the room(s) in question very fast. In turn, the air conditioner will thus attain the thermostat-set temperature even before the dehumidification is achieved, leaving a room that dump and uncomfortable. Therefore, one should install a properly sized air conditioner. To this end, ensure that the sizing bit is handled by a professional with experience.
Fan Setting
If your home runs a central air conditioning system, you should set the fan to switch off together with the compressor. This is to mean that you should not use the central fan of the system for the air circulation function, but rather use individual fans in the rooms. This setting can be achieved by setting the system’s central fan to auto.
Whole-House Fan Vs Air-Conditioning
Whole-house fans function by pulling warm air up the attic. Their use is particularly effective when moderate cooling is required such as during the cooler part of the day. Therefore, during such periods, one can opt to run the more efficient cooling fan rather than the air conditioner, with the results being very much the same.
Other Air Conditioning Tips
- Set the temperature points on the thermostat to be the highest possible for you to remain comfortable. In doing so, you reduce the temperature difference (between indoor and outdoor air temperature) that your air conditioning unit needs to overcome to keep your rooms cools. This reduces the energy required to keep your house cooled and reduces your overall costs.
- Start your air conditioner at the final thermostat temperature point you want so as to ensure that you do not over-cool your home. This excessive cooling will cost you more while at the same time will be unnecessary.
- Place heat emitting appliances as far away from the thermostat as possible.
- When using a window air conditioner, use room fans to spread the cool air faster in the house rather than depending on the air conditioning unit alone.
Long-term air conditioning saving can be achieved by using energy efficient air conditioners. These are marked by EnergyGuide and ENERGY STAR® labels. Additionally, if your climatic conditions allow for the use of whole house fans, opt for these systems over evaporative coolers as they are more energy efficient.