Getting the most out of your air conditioning unit

It doesn’t happen very often for us in the UK, but when it does, we can definitely get hot under the collar from the summer heat. It’s nearly August and some of us have started to get uncomfortable at night. But don’t lose sleep because of the heat!

For those of us who have air conditioning units to keep us cool at work and at home, sometimes we can be wary of turning the units on because of the costs of running them. However, here are some top tips for getting the most out of your air conditioning unit.

Filters, filters, filters! You may have heard it all before, but keeping them clean is vital for peak efficiency, and can be ignored.

Close the doors and windows to keep the cool air in and hot air out when using your air conditioner. It may be an obvious tip, but we’ve all seen it happen before, whether it’s at work or at the gym. At home, you could also block the vents in unused rooms, if you have central air.

If you work in a shop or store, close your doors and don’t let the cool air fly out the window. Some countries have rules to fine store owners, who leave their doors open and air con running.

Each degree lower increases cooling costs by 6%, so set the thermostats no lower than 78 degrees.

To save money on cheap air conditioning units, turn off your appliances that you aren’t using and turn off your lights, set a timer to turn them on and off if necessary.

Run appliances such as washing machines, ovens, dishwashers and dryers in the late night or early morning when it’s generally cooler. With the British summer, it’s a great excuse to cook outside with your barbecue – make the most out of the sunshine, if possible!