In a Perth summer, air conditioning is often a must. But keeping your home cool and comfortable can use a lot of power, and that shows up on your electricity bill.

The good news is that a few simple habits can make a big difference. Here are seven ways to cut your cooling costs without leaving the household hot and uncomfortable.

1. Use the Sleep or Timer Setting at Night

Most nights are cooler than the day before, and your body temperature naturally drops while you sleep, so you rarely need the same level of cooling overnight.

Rather than running your air conditioner all night, use its sleep mode or timer to ease off once you are asleep. On milder nights, open a couple of windows to let a cross breeze through instead.

2. Set the Thermostat to 24°C

The lower the thermostat setting, the harder your air conditioner has to work – and the more power it uses. It can be tempting to set it as cold as possible on a hot day, but 24°C is generally considered the most efficient setting for cooling.

Each degree cooler can add around 5–10% to running costs, and a home cooled to 24°C is still very comfortable.

3. Make the Most of the Timer

Most modern air conditioners have built-in timers, and many can be controlled from your phone. Use them to make sure your system is not running when nobody is home, and to switch it on shortly before you arrive rather than all day.

4. Close the Doors

Your air conditioner does not know which room you are sitting in. If doors are left open, it will keep working to cool the whole house.

Close the doors to rooms you are not using, so the system only has to cool the space you are in. If you have ducted air conditioning, zoning lets you do the same thing at the touch of a button.

5. Consider Solar

Why not use the sun to beat the heat? Perth’s long, sunny days make solar panels especially effective, and the hottest part of the day – when cooling demand is highest – is also when panels produce the most power.

Adding battery storage lets you store excess solar power during the day and use it to run your air conditioner into the evening.

6. Switch Off Other Appliances

Lights, ovens, computers and televisions all give off heat. Switching off anything you are not using reduces the heat your air conditioner has to remove – and lowers your power use at the same time.

7. Use the Power of Shade

Keeping blinds, curtains or shutters closed during the hottest part of the day can make a dramatic difference to indoor temperatures. It costs nothing and means your air conditioner does not have to work as hard.

If you are choosing new window treatments, lighter colours reflect heat rather than absorb it, and some blinds and fabrics are designed specifically to block heat. Outside, awnings, external blinds and well-placed trees can stop the sun reaching your windows in the first place.

Explore more at Home Base Design & Build Centre

Plan your visit: Browse the displays in Cooling, Heating, Solar & Water Filtration.

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This article was provided by Stinson Air & Solar. Visit the Stinson Air & Solar display at Home Base Design & Build Centre or go to stinsonair.com.au.