Your biggest worry when you buy an air conditioner- How much will it increase my monthly energy bill?

You don’t want to suffer the hot temperatures of summer. But you also don’t want a very high electricity bill month on month.

Good news is, there are simple ways to not have a high utility bill even if you are using an air conditioner .

1. Correct Installation

This is the easiest way to reduce your energy bills from air conditioners. Incorrect installation will make your AC unit work harder, reducing it’s efficiency and durability while increasing your monthly electricity bill.

Always get a trained service technician to do the installation. If you get a local handyman to do it, chances are, he may not do it well. Incorrect installation, in worse cases, also rob you off your warranty.

At TCL, we provide hassle free installation just to ensure that your air conditioner delivers a flawless performance for a long time. We recommend that you get your TCL AC installed only by authorised service professional.

2. Avoid Direct Sunlight and insulate the room

Make sure your AC outdoor unit is not installed in a direction where it is exposed to   direct sunlight for a very long period of time and also ensure that the room where the AC is installed has comparatively less number of windows and doors through which sunlight can penetrate make it more hotter. This increases the performance load on your air conditioner, reducing its operational efficiency.

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.

3. Non Stop Usage

Using an air conditioner 24/7, will put a lot of load on the entire unit as well as its components. When not in the room or when the room has cooled enough, turn off your AC unit. This will give a break to the unit and prepare it for running effectively when you turn it on next. Of course, it will also reduce your energy bill.

4. Regular Maintenance & Service

When you buy your air conditioner, check about service and maintenance from your manufacturer. Like any machine, your AC also needs to be serviced regularly. During service, all components are checked and dust or dirt are cleared from coils. If there is a problem with oil and lubrication, that is also fixed.

All tasks performed during servicing help reduce energy bills.

5. Setting too low temperature on your thermostat

Temperatures in summer are very high, usually in early or late summer the heat is upto 40^oC. If you set your thermostat for temperatures under 18 ^oC, you are putting a lot of load on your AC. Normally, you would feel comfortable and cool between 20-25 ^oC. Hence, setting a temperature lower than necessary is not required.

Setting the temperature between 20 to 25 ^oC will stop the AC from working overtime and save you from high energy bills.

6. Choose the right energy efficient star rated AC

The star rating of an AC helps in estimating the cooling efficiency of an air-conditioner. This star rating is provided for customer awareness by BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency.)

The highest star rating of an air conditioner is 5, and the lowest star rating is 1. A 5-star air conditioner  will cool your room in the most efficient manner compared to a 1 or 2 Star Rated air conditioner. Simply put, a 5-star AC to cool a room faster, while using less electricity than a 1 or 2-star AC.