There are ways to keep cool without turning on your air conditioner, but when the summer temperatures start bursting the 30°c mark daily, or the humidity makes it feel like you’re swimming through a bowl of soup, sometimes air conditioning is a must. Stay cool and save money with these energy saving tips:

1. Keep the AC on a comfortable (not a freezing) temperature.  See point 6.

2. If your remote control has a  “quiet mode” or “silent mode” use it!  This dramatically lowers the electrical consumption.

3. Close Off rooms: Try closing all the doors in other parts of your home. The cool air will stay in rooms where you need it most and of course, it will cool down quicker. Especially close your bedroom door so the AC does not have to work harder by sucking in warm air from other areas.

4. Service Your Unit: Some basic maintenance might be all your air conditioner needs, but most will greatly benefit from a good cleaning of the filters. If the fancoil (the radiator looking thing behind the filters) is blocked with dust then its time for a professional service.

5. If your system has vents in the walls you have a ducted system.  These also have filters at the back of the indoor unit which is usually hidden in the false ceiling of a bathroom.

6. Rearrange Your Furniture: Furniture that obstructs air conditioning vents means you could be cooling the back of a chair or the bottom side of your sofa and although it might appreciate the thought, we’re pretty sure you’d rather have that chill for yourself instead.

7. Be comfortable not freezing: 21 degrees is a good point for an air conditioner to run at its optimal performance level. Think of it as a car on cruise control driving across a flat road for hundreds of miles. It’s not chugging along going uphill, it’s just plugging away, steady as she goes.

8. Lighting: Turning lights off can help reduce the room heat, but paying attention to how much light you let in from open windows can also play a significant role.

9. Windows! Although it might seem neurotic to open and close your windows every day with the changing of the sun, it makes a huge difference in how much heat your a.c. is competing against when its running.  Of course, never ever have the windows open when trying to cool a room.

10. Don’t Forget The Fa mode!: We rely on air conditioners to keep things cool, but using the fan mode of the AC will circulate the air at a minimal electrical consumption and offer some cooling with the added bonus of not drying the air.