With a summer heat wave being experienced all over the UK there is need to be conscious of the way we use our air conditioners. Research in the US has found that 84% of homes and offices use air conditioners and a typical home uses about 17% of its annual energy budget on its cooling system. Looking at this, it is glaringly obvious that the effect on consumption of energy and finances is quite a sticking point. There is therefore a need to save money and also conserve energy in the community. Here are some of the steps that we can take to reduce the consumption of energy as well as the amount you pay to keep your air conditioner in working condition. These steps may look very simple but they have been proven to be effective.

The first step is to make sure that all your windows are closed while using your air con. At night, open your windows while the air is cooler outside (before the sun comes out in the morning). This will make the cool night air circulate through the house so need for air con usage. Having house plants in front of your sunny windows also helps to absorb the energy of the sun. By doing this, you would be surprised that the impact of heat is slightly less and so the air conditioner will by working slightly less vigorously to beat the heat.

If you have a thermostat that controls the central air in your home, you can program it to save energy. Another thing that will help to reduce energy consumption and also save money is turning off the lights. It is ideal to turn off the lights in the home anyway in order to conserve energy. It makes a whole lot of difference during the hot summer days. Lights generate heat and turning them off reduces the excess heat that they generate (which is an awful lot in traditional and standard bulbs).