How to achieve Economical Air Conditioning in a Brisbane Heatwave!!!

Title: 10 Summer air con saving tips. Photo of a baby keeping cool in the summer in paddling pool

Well winter is over and it’s only a matter of time before we are stuck in the middle of another scorching Brisbane heat wave! Nobody want to be stuck with an Air-Conditioner that isn’t cutting the mustard or overworking, thereby wasting energy and costing us a small fortune in power bills.

So how can you make it though summer comfortable, for less money and less fuss???

By reducing the amount of energy that your air conditioning unit requires to cool your house, you effectively reduce the amount of dollars that you pay for the electricity that powers your air conditioning unit.

With that in mind we have provided some of our best tips for you to think about so you can achieve economical Air-Conditioning in the Queensland Heatwave this year.

1. Purchase an energy efficient air-conditioner

Replacing, buying and installing a new Air-Conditioner is an expensive process. However, in most cases you will find it cheaper in the long run to invest in quality and the most energy efficient option you can. This is especially true in Brisbane heat waves when they are working incredibly hard. It may also be more cost effective to completely replace an old, inefficient air-conditioning system rather than constantly fixing or buying an additional unit. Check out our blog on Air-Conditioning brands to see what we recommend here at Triforce.

From April 2020, the Government introduced new ZONED air-con ratings dependent on the climate that you live in. So here is Brisbane, Queensland we would focus on the WHITE HOT zone ratings. For more information please click on the links highlighted throughout the paragraph.

It’s also important to make sure you purchase the correct sized unit!!!! Undersized units will have to work harder to heat or cool your room, and may be unable to reach and maintain your preferred temperature. Oversized products will typically be less energy efficient and they’re likely to cost more upfront as well. Please please please let us help you choose the correct unit for your home.

2. Peak-Smart Devices

Queensland PeakSmart air conditioners receive signals from the energex network when they experience unusually high demand. The signal tells the air-conditioner to drop into an energy efficient mode, similar to an economy setting. This helps to save on bills, reduce overall energy costs to the state and helps out the environment.

Brisbane PeakSmart events only occur a few times a year for a couple hours each time, but they have major benefits for the Brisbane and Queensland network!!! You can buy a new PeakSmart air-conditioner or, in some cases, you may be able to add a signal receiver to your existing air-conditioning. Energex also offer up to $400 reward for installing these devices – dependent on the wattage of your Air-Conditioner.

3. Setting your air-conditioner’s temperature

Did you know that every degree of extra cooling may increase your energy consumption by approximately 5-10%??? Now imagine the potential savings when you set your air-conditioner at a comfortable temperature that also promotes maximum energy efficiency.

Energex suggests to set your air-conditioner to an energy-efficient 24°C in summer. Make sure you seal gaps and close doors, windows and curtains to cool or heat rooms quicker and keep them at a comfortable temperature for longer. Resist the temptation to adjust the unit’s temperature to its lowest setting. You might think this will cool your home faster, but selecting a temperature of 24 to 27°C will cool you down just as quickly as setting it to 17°.

Remember the temperature you set is humidity free! Its cooler than you think!!!

“Most modern air-conditioning units have an inbuilt smart thermostat that allows the unit to make intelligent decisions on how much energy to use. They also allow for variables such as time of day, humidity and the number of people in the room” – just another reason to buy a quality new unit!

However, if you have an older unit, you can still purchase and install a smart thermostat to maximise efficiency and save you money on your bills

4. Use your Timers!

If your air conditioning units come with a timer, then get creative with it and save some money off your electricity bill. Set your timer to switch off during the time that you typically wake up, or leave your house. Set it to turn on half an hour before you are due home so you walk into a cool space and not madly turning down the temperature thinking it will get cooler faster.

If you can sleep comfortably without it being on all night, set the timer to power off when you go to bed and use a ceiling fan to continuously circulate the cooled air and reduce humidity. At the end of the day when the sun is going down, you may also may not need the air-con running and ceiling fans can do the trick well – especially if the rooms have already been significantly cooled.

Always use economy and automatic modes when possible so the Air-Conditioner will help itself run more effectively.

5. Look after your air-conditioner

If your air conditioning system is more than a year old, it’s time for a deep clean in order to improve energy efficiency and make sure your breathing in healthier air. It is best to book in a professional service with a Brisbane Air Conditioning expert, like Triforce, to come and do it all for you. We then test your unit afterward to make sure it’s in tip top shape.

In between services it’s important that that you:

follow manufacturer instructions on how to clean your air conditioner filter. The regular dust build up can reduce airflow by up to 1% per week!!!!
Keep your outdoor unit shaded from sun or install it on the shadier side of the home. This can improve efficiency by 5-10%!
Always make sure your outdoor unit is free of leaves and debris. If it’s looking dirty than give the radiator (the fan bit) a light wash with some water from the hose to help improve efficiency of the outdoor unit.

Working with Triforce to service your unit is simple and straightforward! We come over assess and test your unit, give it some much needed TLC and deep clean with our high pressure system and retest to make sure it’s running at maximum efficiency. Click here to begin your Triforce Electrical Air Con Service Pamper Session now.

Dirty air conditioner with filters full of dust and dirt that you are breathing in

6. Re-Evaluate your Energy Supplier!

Are you paying too much for your electricity in general? There is only ONE place to go to compare and contrast energy companies. This is QLD Gov: Energy Made Easy

DO NOT go to any other energy comparison site! Companies pay to be on these sites and pay to be ranked in a certain order.

Energy Made Easy is a non bias government site in which every single energy company that operates in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania or the Australian Capital Territory are required by law to provide data for every plan they make available to customers. This may include plans with special conditions that you need to meet, to be able to take up a plan. If this is the case, our plan information documents will list any conditions that the retailer has specified.

It’s reliable and can save you a lot of money! No gimmicks! Just make sure you compare and contrast properly and look at every single fee. We personally haven’t had a power bill since finding a new supplier via this site many years ago – we found the best solar panel plan along with cheap usage rates.

7. Block out the heat!

Keep your house as cool as possible throughout the day. Why? Air-Conditioning units work by continually pulling hot air out of a room, recycle it to make cool air, and then pump it back into your home. So the more heat that is stored in your home – the more energy your air conditioning unit has to use in order to cool the room.

In Brisbane and Queensland our scorching and intense summer sun coming through all the windows can be a big contributor to increasing room temperatures. However our gorgeous sun is also why we choose to live here and there is nothing better than natural light in your home. So my suggestion would be invest in some light blocking shades or curtains for the main windows contributing to mass sunlight and keep them drawn during the day or just at times of peak sunlight coming in toward that direction. When you leave the home for work – keep them all drawn.

8. Keep Heat Generating Appliances Away From Your Air Conditioning Unit

While many people are great at reducing the amount of heat coming into their home or office, they often don’t think about the heat being generated inside the home from common appliances such as fridges, iorns, dryers, washing machines, steam mops etc etc. Since heat increases the amount of energy that is required to cool a room, the best thing to do is to keep it to a minimum and NOT install your units near these appliances.

These appliances also can create an “impression” of hot air to an air conditioner if they are installed nearby. This leads to inaccurate temperature readings of the room, and triggers your air conditioning unit’s thermostat to use unnecessary energy to cool the room even further.

10. Get a ceiling fan to help air conditioning flow

Ceiling fans are underrated in most Brisbane homes. They are very cheap to run and take enormous pressure off AC units by encouraging the circulation of cool air. In fact, with a fan your rooms will become cooler much quicker and for longer periods of time – allowing your AC to sit back and relax for periods of time. In addition to this fans will help circulate the cool air to reach the further parts of the home, taking even more pressure off the AC.

It’s important that you buy good quality fans that are going to do the job properly. There is no point in going for cheap fans not suited to the size of your room or with inadequate blades – they simply won’t get the job done and you have wasted money.