With the arrival of summer and the heat, many resort to air conditioners to try to find at least a little relief. Undeniably, however, this affects the final amount of the electricity bill, especially when you decide to make extensive use of these machines. However, there are some good practices to follow to try to save.
Aeneasthe National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, has recently released some useful tips to help Italians become aware of the tool and spend less. Many families have at least one air conditioner at home. The machines are mainly widespread in the South of the Peninsula, with 51.2%. It is estimated that they are turned on for an average of 6 hours and 17 minutes on the hottest days, especially in the afternoon and during the night hours. But let’s move on to Go with me of Aeneas.
Do maintenance
The first piece of advice is to do a regular maintenance of their air conditioners, preventing them from working “under stress”, consuming more energy. To function properly, this appliance must be periodically cleaned and serviced. Suffice it to say that the machine can consume up to 30% more energy when it has to work in non-optimal conditions.
The importance of energy class
Be careful when choosing the appliance you intend to bring home. Models above class A should always be preferred. An air conditioner model A+++ will consume less than a class B type. We are talking about 40% less.
The importance of inverter technology
When purchasing, it could make a difference to choose a model with a inverter control system, which refers to the possibility of constantly regulating the rotation speed of the compressor, adjusting the cooling and heating power to the actual need of the moment. Although more expensive, these air conditioners consume much less and are silent.
The air conditioner bonus
For those interested in purchasing one of these devices, it is worth remembering that it is possible to take advantage of the air conditioner bonuswhich guarantees a tax deduction of 50% in the case of purchase as part of construction works, and 65% in the case of replacement of lower class air conditioners.
Choose the location
Choose the right position where to place our air conditioner can make a difference. In addition to the best corner of the house, it is good to place the appliance in a high area of the wall, because cold air tends to descend, while hot air tends to rise. Also avoid placing the appliance behind curtains or sofas, which could act as a screen.
Close the windows
When you decide to turn on the air conditioner it is good practice close doors and windows, preventing external heat from entering the house. It can also be useful to lower the shutters. All this, in fact, reduces the energy consumption of the appliance, which must work less to cool the environment.
Use in moderation
It is considered incorrect to lower the temperature inside our homes too much, where there should be 24 to 26 degrees centigrade. Often it is sufficient to use the “dehumidifier” to reduce humidity and almost completely eliminate the unpleasant sensation of mugginess.
Insulate the pipes
To avoid possible heat loss it may be useful thermally insulate pipes of the refrigerant circuit that are located outside the house. Another thing to do is to choose to place the appliance in a shaded and sheltered area.
The usefulness of thermostats
A valid help for saving is also that of set the thermostat at a certain temperature that we consider optimal for us, also using cooling programs. This will limit the period of time that the air conditioners are turned on, which will activate when necessary. Remote on and off systems are also excellent.
Be careful with certain devices
To try to avoid increasing the internal temperature inside your home, one idea could be to limit the use of devices such as TVs, computers, lights and household appliances, which contribute to increasing the heat.
Combining air conditioners and photovoltaics
For those who can afford it, combine air conditioning and photovoltaic system turns out to be a winning strategy. The photovoltaic system, in fact, is able to cover the energy consumption of the air conditioner, just synchronize the two systems, remembering that the first reaches its maximum productivity during the central hours of the day.
Check the house
Before proceeding with the purchase of a heat pump, the best thing to do would be to contact an expert who can check the state of isolation thermal of our home,
checking the actual shielding of walls and windows. Depending on the response, it will be possible to evaluate the best interventions that will give an initial thermal shielding to the house. This will influence the performance of the air conditioner.
