Air conditioning units have found their way into a number of offices, doctor’s surgeries, shops and private households, providing high-quality air inside, comfortable temperatures and good humidity levels. The price of energy is going up year on year. We’ve compiled a list of the most important energy saving tips to help you get the best performance out of your air conditioning unit with the least amount of energy.
Here’s how to get the most out of your air conditioning unit:
- Assess exactly how much energy your unit uses: You can work out the unit’s energy consumption according to the size of the room and the internal heat sources. You shouldn’t choose a unit that uses too much energy as this can lead to higher running costs. The best thing to do is to let a specialist work out the cooling load.
- Close doors and windows: Keep your windows and doors shut, otherwise the air conditioning unit won’t have an effect. An open window or door lets a continuous flow of non-air conditioned warm air flow into the room and makes the air conditioning unit run for longer, in turn leading to an excessively high power consumption.
- Difference in temperature: Do not cool the room temperature down to lower than 8°C below the outside temperature. Setting your air conditioning unit within these temperature limits is not only good for your body but also for your energy consumption.
- Shade from outside: Shading the window from the outside with an awning, shutters or blinds reduces direct and indirect sunlight and will lower the room temperature by a few degrees. This means the air conditioning unit won’t have to run continuously at full power.
- Only ventilate at night: Even though, in cities, the air barely cools down because of the vast amounts of heat stored, it’s still advisable to leave the windows closed during the day and only let the air in early in the morning or late at night.
- Switch off sources of heat: There are probably other sources of heat in your room, such as lights, computers, printers, ovens, etc., which increase the heating load. Turn these appliances off when you’re not using them. For example, if you have cooked a dish in the oven, this can quickly add 2000W of heat into the room. Using the oven during the day will increase the air conditioning unit’s energy consumption.
- Energy efficiency labelling: The Energy label is mostly known for household appliances. It was initiated by the EU to classify these appliances in 7 categories (from A to G) in relation to their energy consumption. Those appliances with the best energy efficiency are awarded an A label, those with the lowest energy efficiency a G label. If you are planning on buying an appliance, make sure you consider the energy efficiency rating. This could save you a great deal in the running cost over its lifetime.
- Set the unit to the right room temperature: Make sure you set the unit to a comfortable room temperature, even if the gap between the outside and inside temperatures is less than 8°C. Using the remote control to put the room temperature up by 1°C means a saving of 5 % and helps reduce energy costs.
- Only cool the air when necessary: It goes without saying that the air conditioning unit should run only when you are using the room. Programming switch-on times according to your personal usage profile can help.
- Allow the air to circulate well around units: The outside unit and the inside unit both need space for the air to circulate. Inside units may be restricted by curtains, furniture or plants, for example, or by a dirty filter. Check and clean the filter of your indoor unit regularly. Make sure the heat exchanger on your outside unit isn’t blocked with dust and that plants aren’t preventing the air from being circulated without obstruction. If the air circulation is constricted to excess, this can lead to an increase in power consumption.
- Service the air conditioning unit: The unit should be checked by a specialist once a year. He/she will check if all the functions are present, confirming that the unit is running to its full power potential.
- Confusing the temperature sensors: Make sure that the temperature sensors on the wall or on the unit are not influenced by other heat sources. This will significantly increase the running time and you will find the room too cold.
- High room humidity: Avoid doing things that will raise the humidity in the room, such as having long, hot showers, mopping the floor or drying laundry. Save these things for the evening. The air conditioning unit tries to reduce the humidity, using more energy than it does to cool the room under normal humidity levels. If the air humidity is still high, manually switch the ventilator to the lowest setting. This will speed up the dehumidfying process.
