It’s that time of the year when many of us turn to our air conditioners for relief from the sweltering heat and sticky humidity- that is until the energy bill arrives. In this month’s Bright Solution’s Newsletter, we share a 5 Air-Conditioner Hacks to help you continue to keep the temperatures down, along with your electricity bill.

1. Preventative Maintenance
Taking the time to service and maintain your air-con can save you money by increasing the unit’s efficiency. The most important maintenance task to ensure your air-con is working properly is to clean the filters on the indoor head unit. A clogged filter blocks airflow through the unit and reduces its efficiency and ability cool the air by up to 15%. Filters can be easily removed and cleaned using a vacuum cleaner or washed with warm soapy water and left to dry away from direct sunlight

2. Ready Set Cold
Generally, the best temperature to set your air-con unit is around 24°C. This is when the system is the most energy (and cost!) efficient. Some air-con units also have a ‘dehumidify’ option, which helps the unit to remove the humidity in the air which makes the room easier to cool. For this setting, choose the water drop symbol rather than the snowflake symbol.

3. Getting into the Flow
Reducing the ambient room temperature, before you even turn on your air-con unit, can help your air-con be more energy efficient as it requires less energy to cool the room. Opening a window to let the warm air out and let cool air in can make a big difference. Using ceiling fans can also help as they are super effective at making a room feel 4-5 degrees cooler which helps speed up cooling and decreases costs.

4. Close the Curtains
The summer days are long and the sun is exceptionally hot for most parts of the day. Direct sunlight coming in through windows can cause room temperatures to sky rocket. This means that when it’s time to cool down the room, your air-con unit will require extra energy to work hard and reduce that temperature to something more bearable. Pulling down the blinds or closing the curtains is an easy and cheap way to reduce heat gain and also cut down energy consumption.

5. Insulate
When running your air-con, make sure you close all your doors and windows and try seal air ducts, like under doorways, to help keep the cool air in. Leaking cold air means that your air-con has to work harder and longer to cool and maintain temperature which means more energy used and more money out of your pocket.

At Bright Solutions Electrical  we are here to help and can assist you with the removal or replacement of new split system air-conditioners. If you require any assistance with your air conditioner or would like a quote for a new one, please feel free to give us a call on 3349 6056.