AC increasing your electricity bill? Here’s how you can control it!

by Amili R. SEO

Maintaining a home is no easy task, just ask your parents! There are so many day-to-day things that need your attention, that it is understandable if you forget to do a thing or two. More often than not, these are things related to maintaining the condition of your home appliances. We humans have the tendency to give our full attention while investing in expensive products. We do our online research; we look at recommendations and reviews, we ask for a working guide and we ensure the product reaches our home safe and secure. Once it is home and we start using it regularly, we forget the lumpsum investment we had made for it. And here is where the problem begins.

Of all the home products that you have spent more than a good few bucks on, we are sure a cool air conditioner is one of them. While making this purchase, you would have of course considered the slight spike it may cause to your monthly electricity bill, especially during the summers. This is cost that we are sure you had factored in during your research to buy the best air conditioner in India. However, today, if you are experiencing an unusual spike in your utility bills and think it is because of your air conditioner, you may well be right. Here are a few reasons for an expensive bill!

1. Leaky Ducts – If you own a central air conditioning system or perhaps even a window AC, over time there might be some leakages in the ductwork. Even small cracks can cause a huge issue. This is because air conditioners take significant efforts to convert warm air into evenly distributed cool air. So, if there is any crack or leakage in your ductwork, more warm air is entering and the balance is thrown off. Long story short, more power is consumed.

2. Unclean Air Filters – Unfortunately, India as a country is known for its poor air quality and pollution levels. For many urban households, dust from the street is an everyday problem that needs to be dealt with. It’s quite annoying then to see your AC accumulating tiny particles of dust in the internal filters that not only reduce the cooling, but also consume more power to expel cool air out.

3. Irregular Check-Ups – Just like us humans, air conditioners too need a regular visit to the doctor to ensure all parts of the body are running smoothly. Problems in the evaporator coil, refrigerant leakage etc. can lead to higher consumption of power unknowingly. It is highly recommended to invest in a maintenance plan, like Daikin’s Annual Service Care that ensures regular checks are done without you needing to keep track of them.

4. Wrong Models – The more powerful the air conditioner, the better it is, right? Well, not always. Your AC’s cooling capacity and energy efficiency should be determined keeping in mind various factors including the size of your room, the ambient climate, number of people consuming the air conditioner on average etc. All this put together will give you the right amount of tonnage required for you AC. So, even though a 1.5-ton AC is more powerful than a 1-ton AC, the power consumption will be inefficient if it is not suited for your room. Therefore, it is best to check the square footage of your cooling area and buy the air conditioner that matches in cooling capacity.

5. Not investing in split ACs – If you ever have a choice, always opt for a split AC rather than a window AC or a central cooling system. A 5 star split AC is your best bet to keep those electricity bills to a minimum. This is because a 5-star rating is the highest energy efficiency rating provided by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and a split AC ensures cooling for multiple rooms with a single-compressor model. Needless to say, it might be a costly initial investment, but is worth every penny in the long run.

Non-inverter ACs – Last but not the least, if you have the means to purchase an air conditioner, always choose an inverter model as it keeps the power fluctuations to a minimum and regulates the power supply of the compressors. This ensures a more energy-saving air conditioner that is sure to keep your bills low cost.