6 habits to keep you cool while lowering electricity usage

The air conditioner is the largest power consumption electrical appliance in a tropical climate. It is difficult to resist not turning it on in hot days.

Yet it gives you a headache when you see the power bill every month. In this article, We are going to tell you how 6 habits can help cut down power usage while keeping you cool.

1. Do not turn the air conditioner on and off often

Some people may turn off the air conditioner when the room temperature reaches a certain degree Celsius thinking that it is a power-saving move.

This is wrong! Keep turning the air conditioner on and off consumes more power as it increases the load on the compressor on the air conditioner when it restarts. This not only makes it easier to wear but consumes more electricity.

Therefore, if you find it too cold, you should adjust the temperature higher. And adjust the fan force to medium or low when the room temperature is comfortable.

You can turn up the temperature rather than turning it off if you are going to leave the room for just a while to save electricity.

2. Adjust the temperature higher before sleeping and turning it off one hour before waking up

Do you feel cold when you wake up while using air conditioner? When you are asleep, human temperature will drop slightly.

Even if the room temperature is kept at 25-28 deg C, we still feel comfortable. So, there is no need to deliberately lower the temperature of the air conditioner before going to bed.

If you can set the off time, you can set the air conditioner off one hour before waking up.

3. Increase the temperature by 1 deg C to save electricity by 10 per cent

The indoor temperature at 25-28 deg C makes people feel the most comfortable. Try to keep the air-conditioning within this range.

If the temperature is set too low, the compressor of the air conditioner needs to work at high power for a long time, which will accelerate the wearing of the air conditioner.

Moreover, some surveys showed that every 1 deg C increase in air-conditioning can save about 7 per cent to 10 per cent of electricity.

4. Turn off the power switch to reduce power consumption and keep the room cool

Do you just turn off the TV using the remote control only? Does the plug always attach on the socket for easy charging? In fact, the backup power accounts for 5 to 10 per cent of the total household electricity consumption!

The electrical appliances are still in standby state if you turn them off using the remote control only. It is best to turn off the power switch if you do not want to waste power.

Moreover, these appliances are actually still in operation when they enter the standby mode which emits a slight hear that can indirectly affect the indoor temperature.

If you want to save electricity and power bill without affecting the indoor temperature, it is best to spend a few more seconds to switch off the main power switch of the unused electrical appliances.

5. Fan convection cooling

Make good use of the fan convection while using the air conditioner, you can feel the temperature one to two degrees lower than the set temperature of the air conditioner.

The principle is to use the fan to generate convection, strengthen indoor air circulation, and accelerate the rate of environmental cooling. Appropriate temperature can accelerate the spread of low-temperature air to the entire room.

Heat dissipation

Your home is too hot because of the direct exposure to the sunlight? You can first open the window and face the fan to the window to use negative pressure to navigate the hot air in the room, and then open the door to let fresh air in to cool your home faster.

Air circulation

If your room is not well ventilated and you want to improve the air circulation, you can place the fan in the corner and face the diagonal, that is, the longest linear distance, and uses the maximum air supply distance to blow the wind across the room. This will help dissipate moisture and the room will become airy.

Improve air conditioner efficiency

As the cold air sinks, even if the air conditioner is turned on, the indoor temperature will be uneven, which indirectly affects power consumption.

If you want to make the indoor temperature even, you can place the fan and the air conditioner on the same side, face the fan diagonally, and then tilt it up 45 degrees to enhance air circulation, and transmit the air conditioner to the upper corner of the room, thereby improving the air conditioning efficiency.

6. Seasonal air-conditioning maintenance

Want to keep the air conditioner in the best condition next summer? Before stopping the air conditioner during the season, set the air conditioner to the air supply mode and run for about four hours to allow the internal parts to dry out.

This will ensure the smooth flow of air when the air conditioner is turned on next time and maximise the performance of the air conditioner. Remember to unplug to make sure it does not enter the standby mode.

Tips on saving air-conditioner electricity

Does inverter air conditioner save more electricity than a fixed frequency air conditioner?

No! First of all, we must understand the energy-saving method of the fixed-frequency air conditioners and variable-frequency air conditioners.

When the fixed frequency air conditioner detects that the room temperature is the same as the set temperature, it will shut down to save power and maintain the temperature, while the variable frequency air conditioner will maintain a certain amount of cooling capacity to ensure as constant temperature as possible.

Although it is mentioned that the frequency of switching on and off the air conditioner is the behaviour that affects the power consumption, so people usually think that the inverter air conditioner is definitely more energy-efficient than the fixed frequency air conditioner.

But in fact, the inverter air conditioner performs the best when it is used in a harsh environment, and only when it is used continuously for more than 6 hours for high efficiency and energy saving! Therefore, buying an air conditioner based on using habits is the best way to save electricity and money.

This article was first published in Renonation.