Keeping a Reasonable Temperature

On a hot day – say 43 degrees C – you may be tempted to put the air conditioner way down to 20 degrees C to get the room cool as quickly as possible. But if you can cope with setting the temperature at 25 degrees C, you will not only save on wear and tear on the AC’s motor, you will also save big on your energy bill. Each degree cooler, or warmer in winter, can add about 10 per cent to the running cost. The same principle applies in winter. If it’s 10 degrees C outside, try setting the indoor temperature to 18 degrees C rather than 25 degrees C. It also depends on the external temperature. Generally you’ll get better efficiency by aiming for a maximum temperature differential of about 8 degrees C. So, on a 35 degrees C day, set your indoor thermostat to 27 degrees C. Realistically, most people will still go for a cooler temperature. You can probably aim for a bigger differential if your house is very thermally efficient (well-insulated, double-glazed, etc).