5 things our air con expert would never do

Your air conditioner can really eat up your energy usage when the warmer weather hits, but there are a number of ways to cool it on your power bill if you take steps to use your air con as efficiently as possible.

We asked CHOICE air con expert Chris Barnes to share his top five tips when using the air conditioner. If you use your air con regularly, these tips will help you enjoy the cool without worrying more than necessary about the costs.

1. Don’t overdo it

It can be tempting to blast the air con to an icy cold chill when the weather outside is roasting. But if you’re making it so cold that you now need to add a jumper to your ensemble, then you’re probably doing it wrong.

“The bigger the difference between the outdoor and indoor temperature, the more it will cost you,” says Chris.

“For a reasonable balance of cost and comfort, you should try to keep the temperature difference to around 8°C, so if it’s a 32°C day, set your air con to around 24°C,” he says.

That doesn’t mean you should be sweltering in 37°C when it hits the mid-40s outside, but you do need to consider the implications of that extra cooling on your energy bill and by extension, the environment.

“Every degree cooled by more than 8°C will add 10% to your running costs, which can really add up across the summer,” he warns.

It’s also important to understand that setting the temperature lower doesn’t actually make the room get colder faster. It’ll cool down just as quickly if you set a more sensible target (though if you set the temperature too low, it will have to continue working to try to reach it and use more electricity as a result).

“If fast cooling is what you need, try the “powerful” or “jet” setting, if your air con has that feature – this blasts out cold air at maximum settings. It’s noisy and may be less efficient, but it is faster,” Chris says.

2. Don’t neglect the cleaning

Some cleaning jobs are more obvious than others, and cleaning your air conditioner is a task that’s easy to overlook.

“A lot of people are probably not even aware that they need to clean their air conditioner, and that doesn’t simply mean wiping down the outside,” says Chris.

Opening up the unit to clean the filters and outlet at least once a year will help your system run more efficiently, and help improve your air quality at home.

“Regular cleaning and an occasional service will go a long way towards making sure your air con runs well and keeps you cool throughout the summer,” he says.

Staying on top of the cleaning will also help reduce your running costs.

“It’s estimated that a clogged filter can increase energy consumption by 5–15%, so staying on top of the cleaning will also save you money,” Chris says.

3. Don’t forget the fans

On a hot day, it can be tempting to reach for that air con remote right away, but you may be neglecting a simpler option – the humble fan.

Fans are not only cheap to buy, they’re also cost-effective to run. Running a fan on low for eight hours a day and on maximum speed for two hours a day throughout the summer will cost around $15 or less for many fans.

On the other hand, an air conditioner will cost between $150 and $1160 a year to run in an average climate zone, depending on the unit size.

“While fans won’t actually lower the temperature of the room on their own, they can help your body cool down,” Chris says. In other words, a fan won’t make the room cooler but it will make you feel more comfortable.

Fans can also be used to enhance the efficacy of your air con.

“A ceiling fan can help move cool air from an air con (installed high) down to the living area (ground level), which can make your room feel cooler,” he says. “You might even be able to set the air conditioner to a milder temperature, and save on some power.”

4. Don’t try to cool the whole neighbourhood

When my children were young I seemed to spend most of every hot day in summer reminding them to close doors to keep the cool air in. And we won’t talk about the time I found my daughter’s bedroom window wide open while the wall-mounted air con unit struggled valiantly against the 40°C outdoor temperature.

As a kid, you probably rolled your eyes when your parents nagged you to shut the window and close the door, but it turns out they were right.

“To keep the cool air in and the hot air out you need to make sure the house is sealed properly,” says Chris.

“Use insulation strips around windows and under doors. Keep unused pet doors shut and close off parts of the house you’re not using,” he says.

It may not be the most glamorous option, but you can even use towels to stop gaps under the door. When UK-based consumer organisation Which? conducted an experiment to compare draught excluders, they found a simple towel outperformed the shop-bought options.

Of course, you will need to put it back into place each time you open the door but as a cheap and temporary solution, it’s definitely effective.

5. Don’t make the air con battle the oven

Or the dishwasher, or any of the other home appliances that generate a lot of heat.

Sometimes you can’t avoid using them on a hot day, but there are ways to help reduce the effect they have on your air conditioner’s efforts to cool things down.

As well as looking for more energy-efficient appliances when you’re buying something new, you can change the way you run them.

“Running your dishwasher overnight by either switching it on as you go to bed or using the timer function to delay the cycle means you won’t be adding extra heat to the kitchen while you’re attempting to cool things down,” says Chris.

“You can also try using a slow cooker or air fryer rather than a conventional oven, as these sorts of appliances won’t heat up your kitchen as much as an oven,” he says. “Microwaves can be effective for things like steaming vegetables or cooking rice, so you won’t have to use the cooktop.”

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Margaret Rafferty

Margaret Rafferty joined CHOICE in 2018 as a Content editor and since then has filled the roles of Commissioning editor, Managing editor and now Editorial consultant. Margaret has written on a wide variety of topics and enjoys making complex subjects easy to understand. With over 20 years of media experience, Margaret brings a strong storytelling background to CHOICE. She works closely with people across the organisation to help tell stories that make a positive difference to people and is passionate about uncovering bad practices and helping Australians to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services. LinkedIn

Margaret Rafferty joined CHOICE in 2018 as a Content editor and since then has filled the roles of Commissioning editor, Managing editor and now Editorial consultant. Margaret has written on a wide variety of topics and enjoys making complex subjects easy to understand. With over 20 years of media experience, Margaret brings a strong storytelling background to CHOICE. She works closely with people across the organisation to help tell stories that make a positive difference to people and is passionate about uncovering bad practices and helping Australians to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services. LinkedIn