Air-conditioners - we’d be puddles of sweat without them in Singapore’s weather. But boy, can we feel the heat when it comes to the amount of electricity they consume! That’s right – air-cons are one of the biggest energy eating appliances at home, making up almost 36% of electrical bills every month.
Honestly, that’s a lot of money spent on staying cool. And that’s also money that you could actually save up with the help of some housekeeping tricks! So, lower those bills with our go-to energy saving hacks below. The catch? You won’t have to turn off your air-con for it.
1. Set Your Air-Conditioner’s Temperature to 22- 24°C
Interior Designer: Letz Interior
The reality is, setting it to 18°C just doesn’t benefit you (or your electricity bill). You’d be surprised, but the best temperature for removing humidity (the main killer of Singapore’s climate) and bodily comfort is 22 - 24°C, while 25°C is best for sleeping. Anything lower, you’d basically be piling on blankets and forcing your air-conditioner to work overtime. All that = unnecessary costs.
Another nifty tip? For every degree (°C) raised – you can save up to $15 a year on electrical bills. That’s motivation enough, perhaps?
2. Keep Your Air-Conditioner in a Shady Place
Interior Designer: Ethereall
These energy vampires hate the sunlight too. Why? Direct sunrays filtering into an area definitely warms it up, which means the unit needs to use more energy and time to cool down. By keeping your room shaded with closed curtains/blinds and closing the door, the air-conditioner requires less energy (and has less circulation room) to reach the desired temperatures.
3. Maintain, Maintain, Maintain!
Interior Designer: D5 Studio Image
Ultimately, all appliances suffer some risk of wear and tear. And that’s where your air-conditioner might throw a wrench to your wallet. Case in point? Clogged, dirty air-filters that obstruct airflow, reducing the cooling efficiency of the unit. Leaks, weird sounds and strange smells may also start to crop up, leading to extra repair costs – or worse, a total replacement.
Check and clean filters once every two weeks, or arrange for servicing every 3 to 6 months to keep your air-conditioner in tip-top condition. A little effort goes a long way in avoiding nasty cost bombs in the long run.
4. Choose an Air-Conditioner with 5-Ticks…
Interior Designer: Briey Interior
There’s only so much you can do to reduce the energy consumption of your air-conditioner. Ultimately, a bulk of it also depends on how well the unit is able to convert energy into cool air. If significant energy savings is what you’re looking for, focus on getting a unit with a high NEA energy-efficiency rating – at least 4 - 5 Ticks.
Providing smart connectivity with strong cooling, Daikin’s SMILE series of air-conditioners are rated the maximum 5-ticks in energy efficiency. Translated to energy consumption – that means households can save up to 33%* on their power bills (compared to a conventional 3-tick model), and pay as little as $632ª a year for air-conditioning. How’s that for cutting costs?
*Based on Daikin 3 Ticks and 5 Ticks System 3 Inverter Models
ªBased on 27¢/kWh electricity cost, 8 hours use and 16 hours standby energy.
5. …and with Energy-Saving Features…
And lastly, who wouldn’t say no to extra savings? It’s the small stuff that counts, and Daikin SMILE series even comes with thoughtful features to help you score additional energy savings. There’s the Night Set Mode, which raises temperatures slightly after an hour of operation and can be toggled to turn off in the wee hours of the night (while you’re asleep and oblivious) to save energy.
There’s also the Intelligent Eye Operation function, which allows the air-conditioner to increase the temperature by 1 - 2°C when it does not detect any human presence for 20 minutes. Pair it up Daikin’s Smartphone Control system which lets users monitor and control your air-con’s usage – and you won’t waste a single kilowatt.
DAIKIN CELEBRATES THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH 50 MONTHS WARRANTY^
This year, Daikin will be giving out 50 months’ warranty^ for their Daikin 5 Ticks SMILE Series for purchases made from 2nd April 2018 to 30th June 2018 – giving you more reasons to smile and choose Daikin as your No.1 air-con brand choice.
An all-round cooling solution designed to beat common air-conditioning issues, the Daikin SMILE Series range boasts a 5-tick energy efficiency rating (savings for your wallet and the earth!), powerful but ultra-quiet cooling at only 19dB (A)**, plus a stylish, compact design that allows easy installation in HDBs.
Find out more at Daikin Singapore's website.
^Terms and conditions apply. Speak to a Daikin expert for full details and breakdown.
**Applicable to selected models only.