“Aussies can reduce their cooling costs by 30% if they simply drop the temperature of their thermostat to 25 degrees,” says Graham Cooke, energy expert at Finder.com.au. “You don’t need to blast your aircon to the point where your home feels like Antarctica.”
Graham says Australian households forget that keeping the aircon set to an appropriate temperature, and only running it when you’re home, will save money. “Aussies are leaving their aircon on for almost an hour each day when they’re not even home. It’s costing them around $100 over summer and it’s money they could keep in their pockets.”
So, what are the optimum settings for aircon?
“Research shows that the perfect temperature for your body to feel comfortable is around 25 degrees. Anything lower and you’re simply cooling beyond comfort,” says Graham. “Although setting the fan level to low will use slightly less electricity, it does reduce the efficiency and cooling capacity of your aircon.”
“The only time you really need to set your fan speed on low is during humid weather.”
Is there a particular time of the day that is most expensive or cheapest to run aircon?
“The time of day you use your aircon doesn’t generally impact the cost,”
says Graham. “It all depends on what kind of electricity tariff you are on. If you’re being charged for peak and off-peak use that can impact how much you pay at certain times of the day, and might influence your cooling habits.”
What are other ways families could try to stay cool for lower costs?
“Don’t completely disregard your fan just yet. If you use it in tandem with your aircon it’ll circulate the cooler air around the room. You can also position it by a window later at night so that it draws in a night breeze,” says Graham. “By keeping your blinds closed during the day, you’ll shut out the hot summer sun and keep your room cool.”
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