How to Reduce Your Air Conditioning Power Consumption

If you've seen your electricity bill rise in the warmer months, it might be due to your air conditioner. Air conditioners can use a lot of power, and there are many factors at play influencing its efficiency and consumption. If you want to try and reduce your air conditioner's power consumption, there are some great strategies you can easily implement around your home. Read on for our top tips.

Turn it up

Setting your thermostat one degree higher than normal will help your air conditioner conserve power. As consumption increases significantly for every degree higher than the outdoor temperature, this simple solution may have lasting benefits. To ensure this strategy works, it's also crucial you speak with your family members or colleagues to agree on a standard temperature to ensure everyone is comfortable and happy.

Ensuring your air conditioner only runs when needed will help keep costs down. Your air conditioner's schedule can be programmed to initiate cooling only when the space is occupied or in use. With the range of smart thermostats available, some units even have the option to control the temperature remotely or to program themselves. 

A build-up of dirt inside your unit will ultimately compromise airflow and lead to greater power consumption. Regularly inspecting and cleaning out your ducts, changing your air filters, and removing furniture that might be blocking your vents, will ensure more efficient operation.

Regular servicing of your air conditioner can help keep it functioning efficiently and reliably. A technician will be able to perform a deep clean, repair any broken connections, or identify any wear and parts that might need replacing. 

Insulating your space to encourage cold air to linger will ensure you're saving the most you can on power. Patching leaky spots such as pipes, ducts and outlets can help your air conditioner run more smoothly and rely on less power to reach the desired temperature. 

Upgrading certain parts of your air conditioning unit might be a great choice if you're not ready to purchase a newer model, if you use your system frequently, if it churns through power, and if it's been well-maintained. Retrofitting might involve adding more ventilation, incorporating condenser fan controls or replacing the unit compressor. It's a good solution if you're looking for the benefits of a new unit without the expenses of a total upgrade. 

If you do want to replace your unit, we recommend you shop around. There are some great options available to maximise comfort and efficiency, with some systems able to run at the capacity required, and not necessarily at full power, or to make use of residual heat used in cooling to heat other areas. 

If you need high-grade, reliable residential or commercial air conditioning in Mackay, look no further than Mulherin Air Conditioning Services. We proudly offer reliable and affordable installations, repairs, servicing and inspections. Our experienced, qualified team of technicians can work with any kind of air conditioning unit, so you can be confident there's no job we can't handle. We're passionate about customer service, and the great satisfaction of our many repeat customers speaks for itself. Contact us today on 07 4957 6399 to speak to our friendly team, to learn more about our products or to arrange a quote.