Ways to lower your air conditioning costs in summer

Modern air conditioning systems use high-performance electric compressors to produce cold air; though they are highly efficient, they do consume a lot of electricity, especially on the hottest summer days when you really need that cold air.

Can you lower your air conditioning costs in summer?

Other than sleeping in the refrigerator (which we don’t recommend!) you can:

1. Keep doors and windows closed when the air conditioner is on.

This prevents hot air from outside warming your room. It completely counteracts the air conditioning and makes it work twice as hard; an overworked air conditioning unit means an over-inflated electricity bill!

 2. Turning off the devices you aren’t using.

TVs, computers, printers, phones all of these items heat up and therefore heats the air around them. Again, your air conditioner needs to work harder to cool the air so turn those devices off and watch your electricity bill drop.

3. Close the kitchen door when you’re cooking.

Heat and humidity are two regular by-products of cooking; close those doors and give your air conditioning (and your wallet) a helping hand!

4. Use water humidifiers with air conditioning.

With this type of kit, the air is simultaneously humidified and cooled, thus saving on electricity. Humidity should never exceed 70%; buy yourself a humidity meter to monitor this.

5. Leave the air conditioner on when you leave the house.

This may seem like it will have the opposite effect, but turning off the air conditioner when you leave the house will not save you money. The house will heat up while you’re away and the air conditioner will then need more time and more electricity to cool the house/room down. This will only cost you more money.

If you’re going on vacation turn it off obviously, but if you’re coming back, leave it on.

6. Use passive energy saving methods to help reduce air conditioning costs.

These methods include

• improved glazing
• Sun visors
• improved insulation of walls and roofs
• ventilated facades

These measures might be expensive initially, but they can result in significant (as much as 80%) reductions in the operating costs of heating and cooling in short, you make your money back very quickly.