Arizona Local AC Services
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| Which Method Of Air Conditioning Uses More Electricity |
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Air conditioners are being used in every home today because of the intense heat that is affecting the earth. The heat wave is killing so many people that the hot weather is keeping people indoors in the cool comfort of their air conditioners. Air conditioner has become a part of every house household and the sale of air conditioners has increased in the past few years. Decades ago it was not a necessity, but today you can’t think of living without an air conditioner. Keeping yourself cool with the air conditioner running is really a good relief, but you might be in for a shock when you see the electricity bill on your table. Do you know that an air conditioner uses more energy than any of your other electrical equipment? It accounts for 16% of your total bill while the other appliances will be less than 13% of your total bill. There are many kinds of air conditioners you can choose from if you are deciding to purchase one. Central air conditioners, window/wall air conditioners, Mini split air conditioners, Absorption air coolers, Evaporate coolers, Absorptive chillers, Portable air conditioners, thermostats and automobile air conditioners. Roughly we can say that a 2.5 ton central air conditioning system uses around 3500 watts per one hour of use and a window air conditioner uses 500 to 1440 watts per hour of use. People have a wrong notion that larger the air conditioner, the more cooling it gives. Actually it does not. Not only that it will not dehumidify the atmosphere as a smaller one to make you comfortable, but it will also use more energy than a properly sized system. Today the air conditioners use 30% to 50% less energy than those air conditioners manufactured in the mid seventies, and they give the same cooling effect. Today’s air conditioners contain the ‘energy star’ label. Air conditioners that bear this label, will be much more energy saver than those without. The air conditioner is rated by the number of British Thermal Units (BTU). Each air conditioner has energy efficiency rating, which lists how many BTU the air conditioner removes for each watt of power it draws. For room air conditioners the efficiency ratio is EER- Energy Efficiency Ratio and for Central air conditioners the efficiency ratio is SEER- Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The higher the EER/SEER the more efficient and energy saving your air conditioner is. These ratings are attached to all new air conditioners. Central air conditioner requires a minimum of 9.7 SEERS and a split system about 10.0 SEERS, though the SEERs have reached up to 17. The increase in SEER lessens your conditioning cost by half. The thermostat level of your air conditioner should be set correctly. This will reduce running cost and minimize the electricity consumption. Do you know that by lowering each degree of your thermostat, you are increasing the running cost by 15%. Going upward in fact can reduce your air conditioning bill by 3%-5%. You can install a programmable thermostat with a built-in timer, for you central air conditioner, or you can buy a plug-in timer for your window air conditioner. You can set the timer to switch off just before you leave the house and switch on, say about half an hour before you reach back home. This is a great energy saver. Air conditioners which are old and poorly maintained consume a lot of energy. So if your air conditioner is more than 10 years old, it would be advisable to change and buy the new energy saver air conditioners. If you have a central air conditioner, it is better to replace it with a window air conditioner or a mini split system, because this will cool only the area required than the whole house. An air conditioner having an EER of 10 units will cut you electricity cost by half than an air conditioner having an EER of 5 units. A dirty filter reduces the efficiency of your air conditioners but increases the use of electricity. So clean your filter regularly and replace it once a month. If the condenser of your air conditioner is exposed to sunlight, it will consume 10% more electricity than condenser in the shade. Ductless split air conditioners are energy savers as there is no energy lost through the ducts. Considering these tips to save energy, but remember the best way you can reduce your electricity bill is by avoiding air conditioners and using ceiling fans. |