When buying appliances, you've probably noticed that they all have a label with different letters and colors . This label indicates the appliance's efficiency and is purely informative. It allows consumers to quickly and easily determine the energy efficiency of their appliances, and in this case, their air conditioner. However, you should also consider other factors if you want your air conditioner to be efficient and have appropriate electricity consumption. We've reproduced these tips from the website elaireacondicionado.com:
- Choose the Right Equipment.
Opting for the most powerful or the cheapest air conditioner isn't always the best choice. Several factors need to be considered when selecting an air conditioner, although the most helpful advice is to seek professional guidance. Even so, if you want to make the choice yourself, consider the size of the room to be cooled . The insulation of the walls and windows is also important. The better the insulation, the smaller or less powerful the unit can be , and consequently, the less electricity it will consume. Consider the orientation of the room where the unit will be installed. If it faces south in very hot areas, it will have to work harder in the summer, requiring a slightly larger unit . Conversely, if the room faces north in a cold area, the air conditioner in heat pump mode may need to be powerful in the winter.
- Finding the Best Location for the Thermostat:
The thermostat is the component that constantly measures the temperature and tells the unit to turn on or off according to the target temperature we've set. Therefore, its location is important so that factors such as drafts, heat from the television, or other appliances, etc., don't distort its readings . This would prevent the air conditioning unit from turning on unnecessarily and consuming more electricity than needed.
- Be careful with the temperature.
A very common mistake is setting the temperature too low in summer or too high in winter. We must keep in mind that the purpose of an air conditioner is, as its name suggests, to climate control . That is, to regulate the temperature of the home so that it is comfortable, without an excessive temperature difference between the outside and inside. It is recommended that the difference between the outside and inside temperature never exceed 12 degrees Celsius. Remember that an air conditioner is not meant to turn your home into a refrigerator in the summer or an oven in the winter .
- Use your air conditioner efficiently.
Did you know that the energy efficiency of an air conditioner is the amount of energy generated per kilowatt of energy consumed? (SEER for cooling, SCOP for heating, standards set by European Regulation 626/2011). The higher the energy generated per kilowatt used, the more efficient the unit. Furthermore, adopting good habits will help your air conditioner consume less energy. For example, ventilate your home at dawn, as the temperature is milder and the incoming air won't be too warm . This will prevent a significant increase in the indoor temperature, and closing the windows will reduce the workload on the unit. During the day, when entering or leaving a room, make sure to close doors properly and keep windows closed. This will help retain the cooled air inside. Similarly, during the hottest hours of the day, it's advisable to lower the blinds , if you have them. Or close the shutters, and if we don't have them, put up thick, opaque curtains to cover the windows and prevent the sun's rays from raising the interior temperature too much.
- Investing in an enthalpy recovery unit:
These devices help make home ventilation more efficient. Enthalpy recovery units are designed so that ventilation takes place through them. When stale air is expelled, it passes through a heat exchanger, causing the fresh outside air, after passing through impurity filters, to transfer some of its heat to the incoming air . This way, the incoming air is slightly cooler, thanks to the slight warming of the stale air being expelled. As a result, the air conditioning unit will have to work less, and the electricity savings will offset the cost of the enthalpy recovery unit.
- Find other allies against the heat.
Air conditioners aren't the only solution to the heat. There are other, complementary, and more economical ways to reduce the internal temperature of your home. For example, ventilate during the coolest hours of the day . Other allies, especially if your home is exposed to the sun, include awnings, blinds, and pergolas, which prevent direct sunlight from hitting the windows . Use appliances that generate a lot of heat, such as the oven, stovetop, iron, etc., during cooler hours, preferably at dawn. But if using them during the day is unavoidable, do so, for example, with the kitchen door closed and with some ventilation, such as an extractor fan, to remove the excess heat .
- Make use of the unit's ECO functions.
Currently, the vast majority of air conditioning units incorporate new features that help save energy, meaning they are more efficient. For example, the ECO function reduces consumption by up to 30%, and the night mode automatically turns off the unit after a few hours . Some units have a presence detector, so if you turn on the air conditioner and leave the room, after a reasonable amount of time the unit will no longer detect people and will turn off or slow down its operation . You can also use the "dehumidification" mode . This function is not designed for cooling, but only to remove some of the humidity from the air. However, it is very useful in beach areas or on very humid days, which increase the feeling of heat. This function will remove some of the humidity, reducing that stuffy feeling and consequently improving comfort , without needing to use the unit's full capacity and consuming less electricity.
Source: https://www.elaireacondicionado.com/
