Air Conditioners and Energy Usage
If your heating bills were high this winter here in the Vacaville, California area, imagine what your air conditioning bills are going to be like this summer! Uh oh – does AC use a lot of electricity? There are various factors involved when it comes to the power consumption of an air conditioner. A central air unit, on average, uses up to 3,000 watts a day on warm days. When the system is set on ‘fan-only’ mode, it will consume approximately 750 watts each hour. What kind of factors can affect even energy-efficient air conditioners?
Age is the number one factor for energy-efficient air conditioners. The older the unit, the more power it uses. Do old air conditioners use more electricity? Absolutely! An air conditioning system that is 20 years old will use around 6 kWh of electricity, whereas a newer system will use 1.71 kWh of electricity.
Maintenance has the next biggest effect on getting the most energy-efficient air conditioning. Keeping the filter changed or cleaned is essential and having it professionally inspected and serviced will make a big difference in having an energy-efficient air conditioner.
The next factor in energy consumption is the air conditioners’ capacity. Yes, the bigger the system, the more power it will it use. If you have too small of a unit, it is working harder and using more energy to cool your home. If you’re considering an upgrade for an air conditioner that consumes less electricity, you need a minimum of 20 BTUs per square foot.
A fourth factor in having an energy-efficient air conditioner is the SEER rating. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the unit will operate and the less energy it will use. Choose a SEER rating around 13 or 14, higher if you can find one.
The household size will have an impact on energy efficiency too. The more people in your house, the more body heat, thus the bigger unit you’ll need. Review how many other electrical appliances your home is using too.
How do energy-efficient air conditioners work?
The higher the SEER rating (the measurement used for energy efficiency), the more energy efficient air conditioner will be. So, what makes that happen? How the unit is built makes for a more energy-efficient system:
- The coil construction: Lighter materials are used to build newer air conditioners today for the condenser and evaporator coils. This allows the heat transfer to be more efficient, making the new units ENERGY STAR approved.
- A multi-stage compressor: The compressor is what uses the most power in an air conditioner because that is where the refrigerant is turned into a high-pressure gas that circulates and does the heat exchange that creates the cool air. Where older air conditioners operated at one power level, they were on or off, the newer energy-efficient air conditioners adjust to lower needs using less power. This reduces the amount of power the air conditioner is using.
- Blower fans with variable speeds: The blower fan in your HVAC system uses a lot of energy, and an older system, it usually has only one speed. With a newer system having variable speeds and over 60% of the time, it is using the lower speed, thus making it an energy-efficient air conditioner.
How can I lower my AC bill?
Fortunately, there are a few simple tips to follow that will help lower your cooling bill, even when using an air conditioner:
- Professional Installation: If you’re upgrading to an energy-efficient air conditioner this summer, have it professionally installed by an experienced and trained service technician. There are companies out there that will offer free installation, question if it is with an experienced, trained technician.
- Prevent Direct Sunlight and Insulate: Make sure the exterior part of your air conditioner isn’t in direct sunlight. This will make it work harder and more, which will reflect on your cooling bill. Make sure all the doors and windows are shut when using the air conditioner. Letting all the cooled air escape outside will make the unit work harder and use more power. Also ensure all windows and doors are shut. If they are not, warm air from outside will enter the cooling area. This again makes your unit work harder to keep the room cool, thereby increasing your utility bills.
- Avoid Non-Stop Use: When you use your air conditioner twenty-four/seven, it makes all the components within the system work harder, thus, using more electricity, and wearing out faster. If the weather is cooler, turn your air conditioner off and let it rest to reduce your energy costs.
- Regular Maintenance and Service: Ask the dealer where you purchase your new air conditioner about their maintenance and service plans, then keep the schedule they recommend. In between those appointments, makes sure you change or clean the filter every 30 days for your part of the maintenance too. A clean filter equals an energy-efficient air conditioner.
- Too low of a temperature setting: The temperatures during the summer get high, so yes, you’ll use your air conditioner more, lowering the thermostat. If the room is comfortable, raise the thermostat by 5 degrees and you’ll have a more energy-efficient air conditioner.
- Get the right energy star rating: The star rating is the best way to estimate the cooling efficiency of your air conditioner. Learn how to calculate the energy usage of an air conditioner before you go shopping so that you get the best deal for your budget and needs.
What is the difference between an air conditioner vs fan electricity usage?
Using ‘stand fans’ instead of the air conditioner when feasible will use a significantly lot less energy. A fan uses only one percent of the energy an air conditioner uses, so you can get 24 hours of fan cooling for the same amount of energy that 15 minutes of air conditioning use.
However, a fan isn’t always the best option for staying cool. First, you must be sitting right by the fan for it to cool you, and that isn’t always an option. Next, fans increase our dehydration and electrolyte balance by evaporating the moisture in our skin. If the temps are over 95 degrees, a fan is not the better choice.
Is the energy usage of a window air conditioner less than a central energy-efficient air conditioner? Definitely! Windows air conditioning units are very energy efficient, consuming a lot less energy than an HVA unit, in fact, a window unit uses only 1/8 of the energy!
A Final Question …..
Do space heaters use more electricity than air conditioners? When things cool back down, your space heater will use 1.5 kilowatts of electrical power versus a reverse cycle air conditioner will use 3x fewer kilowatts to create the same level of heat as that space heater.
