Smart tips to slice your home cooling costs

With energy costs skyrocketing, smart consumers of today are seeking different ways to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and benefit from substantial savings. Since India is a hot tropical country, there is a huge demand for in-home cooling devices such as air conditioners, air cooler and ceiling fans round the year. Cooling your home accounts for a major chunk of the monthly utility bills, as people usually opt to beat the heat with ACs, which consume a lot of energy. However, you can follow some simple and smart tips to trim your home cooling costs and your stress as well without picking on your pockets for expensive home upgrades.

Use your AC smartly

• If you really want to cut down your electricity bills, it is important that you use this power hungry appliance wisely. First and foremost, one should always invest in a BEE star rated air conditioner in order to save money in the long run. Also, keep in mind the size of the room where you will be installing it, as an oversized AC will consume more electricity. When it comes to usage, keep the air conditioner’s thermostat at a reasonable level. It makes sense to lower the thermostat to enjoy the cooling comfort at its best since you have invested in an AC for the same reason. However, you should raise the thermostat a bit for the night or when you are not in the room, as it will significantly lower the energy consumption. Moreover, you must clean the air filter on monthly basis in order to enhance the efficiency of your air conditioner and enjoy cleaner air.

Pair your AC with a ceiling fan

• Many people are of the opinion that a ceiling fan should not be used along with an AC, but that is certainly not true. A running ceiling fan reduces the air conditioning overload by creating the wind chill effect and allows you to set your AC thermostat to a higher level while offering you the same level of comfort along with energy savings. Ceiling fans consume very less energy when compared with the air conditioners.

Air Coolers are a great option

• While rising disposable incomes and changing consumer preferences have made air conditioners a hot favourite among the Indian consumers, the market for ceiling fans and air coolers is still huge. If you want decent cooling without breaking the bank, you can opt for air coolers instead of air conditioners. Air coolers are a great alternative to ACs for areas that experience hot and dry climate. Moreover, it is not possible for everyone to install an AC in every single room. This is where an air cooler can be of great help. It consumers far less electricity than an air conditioner and asks for a little maintenance. Air coolers are environmentally friendly as they use refrigerant whereas ACs make use of harmful Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). To add to that, you can always keep the windows open when using an air cooler to allow circulation of fresh, clean air. If you are on the hunt for a high performance air cooler with an elegant design, you can consider the Orient Electric’s inverter compatible Ocean Air cooler, which comes with Honeycomb cooling media and a 70-liter large tank.

Keep a tab on insulation and heat build-up

• If the temperature indoors is high, your cooling devices will need to work more to cool down the space. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the heat build-up inside your home. First and foremost, try to prevent the solar heat gain during the day by using blinds, curtains or reflective shades, as direct sunlight entering your space can increase the indoor temperature by 10-20%. Another good option is to plant more plants and trees around your home and especially in front of windows for better shade. Also, you should avoid using heat generating appliances such as microwave when it’s too hot. When using an AC, ensure that the doors and windows are closed properly and there are no openings that may result in energy loss. Use light colours for interiors and white for the roof to decrease the overall cooling costs.

Smart Tip #1 – Take a quick, cool shower after entering your home on a very hot day. After that you might not need to lower the AC thermostat that much.

Smart Tip #2 – Wear loose, comfortable, light-coloured clothes at home in summer. You will feel more comfortable in shorts than in pyjamas… Wouldn’t you?

Smart Tip #3 – Replace conventional bulbs with efficient CFL or LED bulbs to avoid any extra heat generation inside the room.

Smart Tip #4 - Use a ceiling fan and raise the AC thermostat a little. It will save you good money.

Smart Tip #5 – Put the exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms to work to get rid of excess humidity.

Smart Tip #6 – Stay hydrated and have icy drinks of your liking to beat the heat.

Smart Tip #7 – There is no place like basement, if you have one, to spend the hot summer afternoons. If you do not have one, going out for a movie sounds totally cool.

Smart Tip #8 – If you have a room in the house which you do not use, better keep it closed. Why cool it when you don’ use it?