Have you ever looked at an electricity bill and wondered where your energy goes? If you are an average household, it is likely that a quarter of your overall energy use is consumed in heating and cooling your home.
In the heat of summer it is wise to think through efficient cooling options- options that can save you money and save the environment. We get to see what residents do, and don’t do, to save power, as a local North Shore electrician, and find that households can benefit from the following cooling tips this summer.
Cooling Naturally
Keeping your home naturally cool requires some thought and planning. The aim is to minimise the heat entering the home, and, as a result, reduce its cooling requirements – and cost.
It is easier if you have designed and built your home to take advantage of aspect and air flow, but even in an existing home it isn’t impossible to take some cooling steps.
The two design based features are Aspect and Cross-Flow.
Aspect
Aspect is the direction your home and windows face. It can affect how hot, or cool, your home is. Any west or north facing areas in an Australian home will receive the most sunlight and therefore be the hottest and most expensive to cool.
For north and west facing windows, consider ways to shade them through tree plantings, external eaves, pergolas, verandahs, or awnings. West facing windows can be shaded using vertical blinds, whereas horizontal shading works best for northern windows.
Internally, you can use blinds or heavy curtains to limit the sunlight entering and heating the room.
Cross-Flow
Cross-flow or cross ventilation allows you to take full advantage of any cooling breeze. If there are windows or doors, on opposite walls, open them to create movement and cooling air flow.
When it is very hot, windows and doors should be kept closed to ensure heat doesn’t enter the home in the first place. If cross ventilation is not strong it might be worth investigating whether garden plantings of shrubs and trees can act to funnel the breeze toward your home.
Appliance-Free Cooling
There are a number of things you can do to help keep your home cool without switching on an air conditioner.
*Insulation
*Shade
*Window coverings
Insulation
Insulation in the roof, wall or floor cavity can keep a home cooler by up to seven degrees on a hot summer’s day. Insulation alone can save you up to a third of the energy it costs to cool, or heat, your home without it.
Shade and Window Coverings
Where possible shade the external walls and windows, and use good sun blocking window coverings to keep the heat of the day out.
External shading may be from planting a shade giving garden, awnings or garden entertaining areas. Internally heavy curtains or blinds may be used as window coverings.
Cooling Options
There are a number of ways to cool your home beyond the appliance free methods mentioned above.
These include:
*Fans
*Air conditioners
*Evaporative coolers which have the disadvantage of not working well in humidity so may not be the best option for Sydney.
Fans
Fans are an efficient way to provide some heat relief. There are many types – from portable and desk, to ceiling fans. Ceiling fans require the services of a qualified electrician to install.
Fans don’t actually cool a room. Fans generate a cooling effect through the movement of air. When air moves over your body the evaporation of any moisture from the surface of your skin has a cooling effect.
Air Conditioners
Air conditioners are effective but expensive to run, buy, and install. The advantage of air conditioners in Sydney homes is that they not only cool the air, they dehumidify it.
It is crucial when purchasing an air conditioner that you do your research. The best cooling output per room is about 125 watts per square metre in living spaces and 80 watts in bedrooms.
As with fans there are a number of types of air conditioners.
1. Portable – able to plugged into a power point in a room and able to cool a room up to 20 square metres in size. These may be a more expensive option in terms of energy consumption for the same effect as a fixed model.
2. Wall or window – a fixed unit mounted and able to cool a room up to 50 square metres in size. Wall units and the larger window mounted units require the services of an electrician. Smaller window models may be able to plug into an existing power point.
3. Split system – are units with a compressor which can cool one or more rooms, or an open plan living area up to 60 square metres.
4. Ducted air conditioning – may be installed in the roof or on the ground outside with ducting to each room in the house. The most effective ducted systems have zoning so that different areas of the house can be selected and cooled at one time.
Energy Savers
Apart from thinking through the natural cooling strategies you can implement at home, and the use of cooling appliances, the major energy burning appliance for consideration in summer is the fridge.
Fridge Energy Savers
The star energy rating on your fridge can save you up to $100 annually if your purchase has a high star rating. If you have a second fridge that you can do without, you can save as much as $250 per year, simply by switching it off.
Get the best fridge size for your needs. It may be possible to save money on a second fridge by just purchasing a slightly larger main fridge. This step is important because your fridge is at maximum efficiency when it is full.
Only open fridge doors to take things out or put things in. Don’t stand with the doors open, while ‘just looking’.
Ensure your fridge seals are working or you may be leaking energy. The test is whether the fridge seals can hold a piece of paper in place when the door is shut. If they don’t, then your cheapest option is to replace the door seals.
Keeping Your Cool
Keeping your cool to reduce energy use in summer is easy.
*Look at what you can do naturally and then evaluate your best cooling options.
*Investigate the best cooling appliances for your needs taking into account whether they are able to be used to heat your home as well.
*Be fridge smart.
*Always buy appliances with a high energy rating for maximum energy efficiency.
Before choosing, or installing, ceiling fans or air conditioners, contact your electrician. North Shore and Northern Beaches residents can call us here at Everest Electrical on 0410 229 139 for advice on energy saving or installation of appliances.