Below are a few air conditioning energy saving tips that are guaranteed to significantly reduce your electricity bill after this hot season.
Positioning your air conditioner
If possible, mount the air conditioner’s indoor unit in the middle of the room to ensure that the cold air is evenly distributed throughout the room. Avoid installing it in places where cold air can easily escape, such as near doors, windows, or corners of the room.
The outdoor unit should be covered and placed in a shaded area, away from direct sunlight. The distance between the outdoor and indoor units should be at least 3 meters and not more than 15 meters to allow for smooth circulation of refrigerant gas.
Choose an air conditioner with the right capacity
You need to calculate the appropriate air conditioner capacity for the size of your room to choose an air conditioner that is powerful enough to cool the room and save energy during use. Too much power will be wasteful and too little power will not ensure adequate cooling. An air conditioner with the right capacity will also help the machine operate more stably and last longer.
With extreme heat like these past few days, using air conditioners has become more common.
Don’t turn the air conditioner on and off frequently
You should not turn off the air conditioner when you feel cool enough and turn it on again when you feel hot again, because this method forces the machine to restart at high power and cool down from the beginning, causing it to consume more electricity and shorten its lifespan.
Most air conditioners will operate at low power once the room reaches the set temperature, so you don’t have to worry too much. If you feel too cold, increase the temperature instead of turning the machine off and on again from the beginning.
Set the air conditioner to the right temperature
Users often tend to adjust the temperature to the lowest possible setting so that the room can cool down quickly, but remember that the lower the temperature, the more electricity the machine will consume.
The optimal temperature range for the air conditioner to operate stably is 24 to 28 degrees Celsius, which is comfortable for the body and not too different from the outdoor temperature in Vietnam. You should set the air conditioner to a moderately cool level, not too cold, as this will affect your health and cause the machine to consume more electricity.
Do not use the air conditioner 24/7
Using the air conditioner 24 hours a day has long been discouraged by experts and doctors, as it will directly impact our respiratory system as well as our skin, especially during hot weather and humidity levels as low as they are now. In addition, letting the air conditioner run continuously all day will also cause the appliance to consume more electricity and wear down its internal components, reducing its lifespan.
Turn on the air conditioner when necessary, such as during afternoon naps or at night. During the rest of the day, you can use fans to save on your monthly electricity bill.
Use the on/off timer function
Most air conditioners today are equipped with an on/off timer function, but few users pay attention to and use this extremely valuable feature. Typically, at night or when people are sleeping, body temperature will drop, so to avoid catching a cold or having a restless night’s sleep, we should use the on/off timer function and set the time as desired.
Adjust the airflow direction
The air vents inside the air conditioner are designed to adjust and spread cool air throughout the room. However, on hot days when you want to cool down quickly, you can use the remote control to adjust the fan blades to point directly at the desired location, so you will feel cooler without having to set the temperature too low.
Minimize heat gain in the room
When the air conditioner is on, make sure that the space is sealed, because if the cold air escapes, the air conditioner will have to operate at a higher capacity to maintain the set temperature.
Additionally, in rooms with glass doors, you should install an extra layer of blackout curtains to minimize heat absorption into the room through the glass panels.
Clean the air conditioner regularly
This is also a way to use the air conditioner to save electricity that you need to know. Because after a period of use, about 3-4 months, the air conditioner will accumulate dust on the surface of the indoor and outdoor units, causing the machine to cool slowly and reduce its lifespan.
Therefore, you need to clean the entire fan blade of the indoor and outdoor units, the air filter, etc. for the machine to operate better. Or you can call a repairman to come and service the air conditioner after continuous use over a long period of time.
