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How Do I... Slash My Summer Power Bill?
Keeping your home cool in the hot months can really add up – here's how to keep a lid on your cooling costs
In this practical series, we ask experts to answer your burning home and garden questions. Here, Luke Menzel, CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council, shares some smart cooling strategies that can take the sting out of your summer electricity bill.
What are the most common ways people waste power in summer?
- Setting the air conditioner temperature too low. The ideal setting for cooling and energy efficiency is 25 degrees celsius. Every degree lower than that can add up to 10 percent to your electricity bill.
- Leaving the doors and windows open when the air con is on.
- Running the air con too long at night after the outside air has cooled down. You can reduce power usage by setting it on a timer to switch off after a few hours.
- Cooling parts of your home that you’re not using. Instead, zone cooling so it only operates in rooms that are actually occupied.
- Running your fridge too cold or putting it in a warm, under-ventilated spot, such as a hot garage.
How can I cut my cooling costs?
- Use fans before turning on the air conditioner. Fans cost a fraction of the amount to run compared to an air conditioner. They can make you feel cooler up to four or five degrees celsius, so they’re ideal for days when the temperature is in the mid-twenties or early thirties. Any hotter and you’ll probably want to turn on the air conditioner.
- Use your air conditioner in conjunction with a ceiling fan to make the room feel cooler at a slighter higher (and more cost-efficient) temperature.
- Set the air conditioner temperature to a minimum of 25 degrees celsius.
- Open windows and doors on cooler nights to allow the hot air to escape and fresh air to flow through.
Can the design of our homes make them more costly to cool?
Absolutely. Three of the main culprits are:
Absolutely. Three of the main culprits are:
- Improper shading of eastern and western windows: this lets excess heat into your home, often leaving you with little choice but to flick the air-con switch on. More than half of the heat gain in a typical house is by light striking unprotected windows, especially on the east and west. An unprotected window measuring two square metres can let around three kW of heat energy into your home, which will require an additional three kW of air-conditioner capacity to offset.
- Poor ceiling and roof space insulation.
- Drafts and gaps that let heat flow in.
- Reflective surfaces on concrete paths, driveways and balconies that bounce the heat back into your home.
What sort of window shading is best?
- Eastern and western windows require adjustable, vertical shading, such as louvres or awnings, that allow you to keep out the heat in summer and let in the sunlight in winter.
- A 450-millimetre eave will usually provide enough shading on the northerly side of your home, due to the high angle of the sun at midday.
What’s good to know?
Heat gain through windows is caused by both short-wave radiation (sunlight entering windows, which becomes heat within the house), and long-wave radiation (outside heat passing through windows). Proper shading will prevent most of the short-wave energy flowing through windows, but it won’t help much with long-wave energy. Double glazing can help reduce long-wave heat gain.
Heat gain through windows is caused by both short-wave radiation (sunlight entering windows, which becomes heat within the house), and long-wave radiation (outside heat passing through windows). Proper shading will prevent most of the short-wave energy flowing through windows, but it won’t help much with long-wave energy. Double glazing can help reduce long-wave heat gain.
Tell us
Did you find this story useful? Let us know in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like this story, share it with people you live with to help keep those summer air-con costs down, and save the photos. Join the conversation.
More
Find an air conditioner contractor near you
Did you find this story useful? Let us know in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like this story, share it with people you live with to help keep those summer air-con costs down, and save the photos. Join the conversation.
More
Find an air conditioner contractor near you