Having an air-conditioning system is a MUST when you live in sunny tropical Singapore. With temperatures hovering around 34 degrees Celsius on average, it is impossible to stay cool without a good air-con system. But, with high usage, it’s also pretty hard to stay cool when the power bill comes at the end of the month.
Here, we’ll share with you 7 simple ways you can stay cool while keeping your power bills low.
1. Run the blower units at a higher temperature at night
One simple way is to run your air-con units at a higher temperature at night. As it is already cooler at night, you do not really need all the extra cooling power of the air-conditioner to stay comfortable. You can also set the timer or sleep mode on your unit to turn off your unit about an hour before your wake time.
2. Proper placement of blower units
Make sure your indoor blower units are placed at optimal locations with cool air hitting you directly. Remove any obstructions in the way to ensure good circulation of cool air. Move around some furniture if you need to, I’m sure your couch needs the cooling less than you do.
3. Run the units at a constant 25 degrees Celsius
25 degrees Celsius is usually the optimal temperature to run most brands of air-con units. It is like placing your air-con system on cruise control, just chugging along nicely without much stress or load. 25 degrees is also a temperature that most people will feel comfortable in.
4. Reduce lights in the room
Light bulbs emit heat; sunlight radiates even more heat. Turning off the lights in the rooms you want to cool actually makes it easier for your air-con unit to cool them down. You should also draw your curtains in the daytime to reduce the heat from sunlight coming into your house, thus increasing the load your air-conditioning system have to bear.
5. Turn off your air-con units when you’re not around
This is a simple one. Just turn off your air-conditioning when you are not at home. If you really need the air-con to be on when you’re not in the house or not using the room, set it to run at a higher temperature. You might still feel slightly warm when you re-enter the room, but your wallet will thank you at the end of the month for that momentary discomfort.
6. Use fans to circulate cool air
You can use fans to circulate cool air from your air-con unit when you just turn it on. It will cool the room faster and reduce the load on the air-con unit. Fans use significantly less energy than air-con units and are very effective at air circulation, a few minutes of using the fan as a circulator every time you turn on your air-con will save you much coin over the long run.
7. Regular maintenance and servicing
Regular maintenance and servicing of your air-conditioning system not only prolong the life-span of your system, it also helps you save on your power bills. Pollutants and dust can easily clog up your filters and reduce the efficiency of your air-con units. Un-observed faults and refrigerant leakage will also increase the stress and load on your air-con system. More system stress and load translates to higher energy consumption and higher power bills.
