How Much Does Your Air Conditioner Cost to Run Compared to Other Appliances?
Growing up you would have heard your parents say, “We aren’t turning the air conditioner on and wasting electricity”, “it’s not that cold in here” and “just put another jumper on you’ll be fine”. It’s what parents do! However, this common misconception about air conditioners and their running costs may have led to many unnecessary cold days and nights.
In a recent study 1], Canstar Blue found that almost two in five survey respondents felt that their air conditioner was the largest contributor of their electricity bill. But just how does your air conditioner running costs stack up against other common household appliances? We take a closer look!
Kitchen Appliances
Our kitchens often have several appliances that we use daily, however many of these can often cost you more to run daily than your air conditioner including:
- Ovens which cost $0.63 – $1.33 per hour to run
- Stoves which cost $0.42 – $0.84 per hour to run
- Microwaves which cost $0.28 – $0.53 per hour to run.
Cleaning Appliances
While many of us dread this time of the day unfortunately cleaning our houses is something we have to do – yet even this can cost you more than your air conditioner with vacuums and irons both costing $0.41 – $0.82 per hour to run.
The unpredictability of our winter weather also means that you’ll also need to use your clothes dryer more than you would like. Clothes dryers are one of the top household appliances that cost more to run than your air conditioner starting at $0.50 up to $3.14 per hour to run depending on your appliance.
Lighting
Lighting your home can often become very expensive, while this depends on the type of light you have and how many lights you have on at the same time, lighting your house can cost you anywhere from $0.24 – $1.68 per hour to run.
Air Conditioners
Lastly, we take a look at how much it costs to run your air conditioner.
Canstar Blue highlights that on average using your air conditioner in winter will generally cost you between $0.13 -$0.36* per hour to use a reverse cycle split system air conditioner to warm a room and around $1.45 – $2.12* per hour for a ducted system that is heating or cooling your whole house at the same time. While these numbers may seem a little confronting, when compared to other household appliances, your air conditioner can cost you less to run then some of the following appliances.
For a full list of appliances and their cost compared to your air conditioner click here.
Ways to Reduce Your Air Conditioner Running Costs
If you’re still not convinced that running your air conditioner in winter isn’t as expensive as you believe there are several different ways you can help reduce the running costs of your air conditioner as well including:
1. Choose an energy efficient system
Recent development in technology within your air conditioner system have been focused on improving the energy efficiency of your unit. For the most cost-effective solution you’ll want a unit with a high energy rating, such as our AvantiPlus® series. It’s also important to consider the age of your air conditioner, newer units with higher energy efficiencies will cost you less to run when compared to a system that is older or using a superseded refrigerant.
2. Adding a Zoning Solution to your Ducted System
While Ducted systems have a higher running cost this is based on their usage in heating or cooling your whole house at the same time. To help reduce your running costs you should consider adding a zoning solution to your system such as the Airzone or FlexiZone Systems. These Zoning solutions allow you to control which area of your home you are wanting to heat or cool and can help you minimise energy usage and save on running costs.
3. Minimising the amount of Space required to heat or cool
While it seems simple, the bigger the space your unit is required to heat or cool the harder your unit will have to work to get you to the desired temperature. Only heat or cool spaces of your house that are in use and close any doors or block off any entrances to spaces in your home you are wanting to control. The less space your air conditioner needs to heat or cool, not only will it use less time to get to the right temperature, but it will also consume less energy.
4. Check the filters
If the filters in your air conditioner system are dirty, your unit will be working overtime to provide you with sufficient heating or cooling and in turn cost you more to run. For a quick guide on how to clean your air conditioner filters click here.
For a full list of tips on ways to reduce your running costs this winter check out our blog on “9 Easy Tips to Reduce your Air conditioner Running Costs”
So, this winter, don’t be afraid to switch on the air conditioner for those cold days and nights. Using your MHIAA system will not only keep you warm and cozy, if used correctly you’ll also find yourself saving on those costs you once thought you would dread. Keep WARM and carry in Australia!
[1] https://www.canstarblue.com.au/appliances/how-much-electricity-does-aircon-use/
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