Tips for Energy Efficient Air Conditioning – Part 1.

Hi everyone, in the middle of this winter chill I thought it would be a good time to help you understand ways to maximise the efficiency of your air conditioner.

Lets start with your home – what can you do to help your system be more efficient?

• Are you building a new home? Well in your design phase consider some of the following; roof colour – those dark charcoal or similar colours are going to heat up your roof space more and make your system work harder – consider more neutral tones on your roof if possible. Eaves – the wider the better to throw more shade on your home’s walls, even consider your landscaping can you plant a tree to the west to shade your home from that afternoon summer heat. Cross ventilation – look for design opportunities to maximise Western Australia’s predominant winds (harness that Fremantle doctor) so that you can have more days where you do not need to turn your air conditioner on in summer. The more windows the greater the heat load, minimise west and east facing glass where possible to help summer efficiency and add northern glass where possible to harness the winter sun to assist in the cooler parts of the year. Other ways to look at improving efficiency are higher rating wall cavity and ceiling insulation or whirlybirds to assist in removing summer heat from your roof space. Lastly is a gas point included in your builder’s package, don’t put it in, it can deduct approximately 1 star from your home’s star rating because of the ceiling vent that goes with it – install it to the alfresco for a patio heater – you will be better insulated and did you know that reverse cycle is approximately half the price to heat a room as is gas!

• Are you in an existing home? Well there are still things you can do. Draught proof your home, seal up any air leaks around doors and windows and if you have ceiling vents for an old gas heater in some of your rooms – seal them up and keep your conditioned air in your home – not your roof. You can also look at improving your insulation and landscaping as mentioned above.

Before purchase – selecting your new air conditioner.

• Firstly like most things you generally get what you pay for and most of the reputable brands like Daikin, Panasonic, Fujitsu and Samsung have very good efficiency ratings, compare different brands model in the size that suits your needs to find out what will be the best fit for your home.
• When selecting your air conditioning contractor ensure that the installers work will have quality control checks by an experienced supervisor. Making sure that units are located correctly and ductwork installed professionally will ensure that your system is working to capacity. Badly installed systems can easily be up to 25% or more, less efficient than a correctly installed one.
• We highly recommend you maximise the amount of zones (1 per room or open place space is best) and use a zone control system that has independent air flow volume control (like MyAir), your system will be more energy efficient if you choose this type of system. If designed correctly you can also sometimes get away with a 1 size smaller system that would do the same job as the larger one with a conventional zone (on/off) system which will save you ongoing running costs as well as your initial outlay, win, win!!
• Choose an air conditioning company with a proven track record of keeping their clients happy over a long time. A cheaper system from a lesser known company may save money in the beginning, but then cost more in running costs and more again in stress if your contractor cannot provide the backup service and warranty assistance should there be a problem with your unit.

You’re ready to purchase and hopefully if you live in the Perth area or the South west (Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River regions) you have selected Stinson Air or Stinson Air South West as your preferred air conditioning company. Your system is installed to a high standard, your quality control has been done and it is time to live in your new “climate controlled paradise”. Now how do you make sure you continue to use your system efficiently as you can? Well stay tuned for part 2 of this blog and we will give you some more handy operating tips!