It is without a doubt that owning an air-conditioning system will mean an increase in your monthly electricity bill. However, did you know that you can in fact minimize the cost of the electricity bill with simple changes that will not affect the comfort of your room?
Here are some useful tips that will help to increase air-conditioning efficiency and reduce energy consumption altogether:
1. Choose the right cooling capacity
The most important factor you need to consider before buying an air-conditioning unit is its cooling capacity. Choosing the right capacity will depend solely on the actual size of the room. An underpowered air-conditioning system would mean that the compressor will have to work much harder to keep the room cold and that will result in an increase in electrical costs.
Choosing a higher cooling capacity is not the right choice for a small room either as it will not function efficiently although it may take a much shorter time to cool the room. However, this also increases the humidity of the room which will in turn, affect the lifespan of your air-conditioning unit.
Other factors that will need to be taken into consideration would be ceiling height, direct sunlight and the number of occupants.
2. Maintaining an optimal temperature
The ideal temperature for comfort and save energy ranges between 22℃ - 25℃.
3. Ensure your air-conditioning unit is always clean (on the inside and out)
Don’t let your air-conditioning unit run on a dirty filter! This actually decreases its efficiency and increases electrical costs instead. A dirty air filter slows down the airflow and causes your air-conditioning system to work harder. Therefore, increasing in energy consumption. Cleaning the entire system every once in a while and maintaining a once a year maintenance is crucial to ensure the longevity of your air-conditioning system.
4. Choose an inverter air-conditioning system
The inverter technology has a similar concept of an accelerating car, allowing your air-conditioning unit to increase or decrease its speed when required. If a compressor is running continuously at a constant speed, it would naturally consume less energy to reach a stable temperature. It is estimated that the overall electrical consumption can be reduced up to a staggering 30%-40%!
5. Additional tips
The use of a ceiling fan can in fact aid the cooling capacity of an air-conditioning unit which would in turn, help to reduce the cost of electricity. It is said that the aid of a ceiling fan can reduce the cost of electrical energy by at least 5%-10%.
