Ways To Reduce Air Conditioner Usage
As Singapore tends to be rather hot and humid all year round, it is not surprising to hear that many Singaporeans cannot go a day without having the air conditioning on to help them cool down.
This then becomes a problem – a ridiculously high air conditioner bill. And as we all know, the cost of electricity in singapore is a major concern. Especially if you were to put the air conditioning on full blast every day!
An air conditioner uses 0.8kWh. If you were to leave the air conditioner on for a good ten hours every day, that eight kWh would cost you $58.54 every month based on an electricity tariff of 24.39 cents.
As such, here are some ways to help stay cool without bursting your wallet because of the air conditioner.
1. Close the curtains
A cheaper alternative would be to draw down your blinds or close your curtains instead of switching the air conditioning on. This helps to block out the sun rays and heat from entering your room thus helping to cool your space down. It is said to be able to reduce the heat coming into your room by a good fifty percent!
If you are planning on buying window shades or blinds, some good options to consider would be honeycomb shades, vertical blinds, and even the soft Roman shades. These are usually not very expensive and cheap to install. You can find a simple roller blind at IKEA for the price of $9.90.
2. Solar Screens
This option is more expensive in comparison to buying curtains or shades. However, if you are willing to invest in solar screens, this is a great option to help keep your house cool in the long run. Especially so if you live in an apartment that faces the sun directly.
With the installation of solar screens, it can reduce the amount of heat coming into your house greatly. As such, it will lower the number of times you switch the air conditioning on in a week!
If you purchase good solar screens, they are able to eliminate seventy to ninety percent of the heat coming in through your windows. Not to mention, it is able to block out ninety-nine percent of the UV rays too.
The cost to install these solar screens vary in terms of your window size. A rough estimation would go as follows:
A one hundred and twenty square feet of window surface area would cost around $2000 for an entire house.
3. Limit how long you use your air conditioner
If you are someone who really cannot imagine the idea of living without the air conditioner here in Singapore, we are not here to stop you. Instead, we recommend reducing the time the air conditioner is on.
Within the time period of twelve to one in the afternoon, the temperature here in Singapore can rise up to a good thirty-four degrees celsius. Instead of having the air conditioning on throughout the entire day, we encourage you to have the air conditioner on just till the room starts to cool. Once it has cooled down, turn the air conditioner off and switch over to a fan. This would help reduce the amount of electricity being used while ensuring that your room is not burning up.
Additionally, the temperature at night is not one that is unbearable. If you have a fan, you could use that instead of an air conditioner and you will still be well satisfied. But in the event that you really need to have the air conditioner on, set a timer to it. Leave the air conditioner on and set the timer to around four or five in the morning. The room will still be cool until you wake up at around seven or eight in the morning.
If you are someone who turns the air conditioning on at nine in the morning, having turned off from four gives you a good five hours of break. In these five hours alone, you are able to save as much as thirty percent of energy, which would definitely help your pockets when it comes to paying the bill.
Using a fan instead of the air conditioner can also help you to save a lot. The cost to use a floor fan for a period of ten hours straight every day would cost you $7.32 every month, which is much cheaper than the price to use the air conditioner for the same amount of time.
4. Have plants around your home
Plants are not only used to style up your apartment while giving it a look of life. Plants are also used to help reduce heat. A little throwback to primary school science: They are able to do so because of the moisture that they release during transpiration. Isn’t nature amazing?
Better still, plants are making a huge comeback. A lot of young people nowadays are so invested in finding the prettiest plants to decorate their houses and their own rooms. Plants are great for their aesthetic look and the appeal of nurturing a living thing. This not only helps to jazz up your space but helps you to reduce the heat in your room. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!
5. Use major appliances at night instead
Most of your huge appliances contribute to the overall heat in your house when they are in use. These appliances are namely your washing machines, ovens, dryers, and stoves.
One tip we have is that if you are able to do these activities at night instead, it would surely help to reduce the heat in your space. This would then help you to save money when it comes to your electricity bills.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the information we have shared with you will help to cut down on your spending when it comes to paying your electricity bill. Think about it this way, not only do you save yourself the pain of paying a hefty amount, but you also help to save the environment when you choose to use the air conditioner less. Less greenhouse gas is emitted and you have done your part to save the planet!
