Categories Energy Saving

What does it cost to run an air conditioner and how does it compare with other appliances?

How much does my air conditioner cost to run?

People are often cautious when heating or cooling their homes with air conditioning. After a new install, the air conditioner may get a good workout until the first electricity bill arrives! Lets take a look at air conditioner costs….

Air Conditioner Costs

What are the costs?

Providing you are getting a good deal on energy (compare your energy company), on average a split system air conditioner costs around $.25c-$.30c per hour to run when in cooling mode. There are other factors that can increase these costs such as insulation and room size. Heating costs with air conditioning are slightly less.

A ducted system will cost around $1.50-$2.00 per hour as they require a ‘neutral zone’ – an area that constantly runs when the unit is on and cant be controlled (the air has to go somewhere if all the zones are off!)

Taking these costs into account, they can add up quite quickly over a quarter billing period and give you a real surprise!

What are the running cost comparisons of other appliances?

The best alternative (although not as affective) to air conditioning are fans. Ceiling fans can cost as little as 5c an hour to run. Thats around $1 per day. Lets take a look at other appliances running costs:

Appliances such as ovens ($.60c-$1.30 /hr, stove ($.40c – $.80c /hr), vacuum cleaners ($.40c – $.80 /hr) and swimming pools ($.26c – $.53c /hr) all use more electricity than air conditioners per hour but are used less frequently (apart from swimming pools $.26c – $.53c /hr as they run 8hrs+ per day)

What can you do to save air conditioner costs?

There is no silver bullet when it comes to saving energy costs with cooling. We can however:

  • Install roof insulation to reduce house temperature
  • utilise ceiling fans to ensure that hot air is moved around reducing room temperature prior to starting air conditioner
  • Install wifi adapters in compatible systems to turn off air conditioners accidentally left on or to turn them on just prior to your arrival

 

Call Buderim Electrical on 0499995125 for more information

 

Author Buderim Electrical 0 Comments Categories Energy Saving
Categories Electrical Safety

Surge Protection

Surge Protection

Electrical safety is paramount to protect your family from electrocution but have you considered asset safety such as surge protection to protect the thousands of dollars worth of electrical equipment purchased each year?

Surge Protection to prevent Power surge
Lightning causing power surge

Power Surge

Power surges (or spikes) can occur from lightning, accidents or even starting electrical equipment. Power surge causes higher than normal current to flow, resulting in damage to equipment. The surge is usually very brief lasting less than a thousandth of a second, but it can still cause damage to your home and electrical appliances.

What Damage Can Occur?

Without surge protection, all electrical and electronic devices such as TV’s, microwaves, fridges, phones (on chargers), computers, printers etc are at risk. Sensitive electronics are destroyed by minimal surges in current.

How Can I Protect My Equipment?

There are three different methods of surge protection: portable, power point protection, and switch board protection.

Portable surge devices: can be expensive and one time protection and limit the amount of protection due to restriction of outlets

Power point protection: can be installed in places with sensitive equipment such as the home office and whilst restrictive, provide a good level of protection that can also be reset after a surge event. However, these are not ideal for applications such as fridges/freezers where you require power restoration

Switchboard protection: offers a blanket protection to your home by diverting power surge to earth in the switchboard before it reaches your power circuits. Installed by a licensed electrical contractor, this system offers a high level of protection for the whole house without leaving appliances powerless in the process. Care must be taken after a surge event however to ensure that the low cost,  replaceable module is replaced for ongoing protection.

Additional Protection

To further protect your electrical and electronic equipment we recommend to disconnect all TV antennas to avoid possible damage to TV’s. For further information or to book Buderim Electrical  to assess your situation, please call 0499995125.

 

Author Buderim Electrical 0 Comments Categories Electrical Safety
Categories Energy Saving

LED Lighting

What is LED lighting?

LED Lighting (or Light Emitting Diode lights) are low power consuming lights that are the smart alternative to standard home lighting. The LED range covers all types of lighting from downlights to outdoor flood lighting. They are a safe and cost effective form of lighting especially for those looking at green alternatives.

LED Lighting colour options

The Benefits of LED Lighting in Your Home

Along with extremely low and safe operating temperatures, LED lighting has an outstanding return on investment with 85% less consumption and up to 30 times the life expectancy of Halogen lamps. LED lamps are free from toxic material and are 100% recyclable making them a true form of green energy.

With high definition colours and the ability to control colours and brightness, LED’s can really make a huge difference to your home. When used with home automation you can even control the ambience of your home dependant on the season!

LED Lighting in loungeroom

Safety and LED Lighting

Halogen lighting are notorious for producing extremely high heat during operation. Temperatures can reach in excess of 300c putting structural timber and insulation at risk of fire. QFES report the most common cause of roof fires start due to insulation too close to Halogen lights. Smoke detection will only detect smoke below the ceiling so changing out Halogens for LED lighting is the most safe option for your home and family.

In contrast, LED’s run at less than half the operating temperature of Halogen lamps. Whats more, LED technology uses a heat sink, located at the bottom of the lamp, which draws most of the heat to one place, and keeps the electronics cool. Keeping the lamp cool is one of the reasons LEDs have long lifespans. The other reason is simply that an LED does not waste its energy through heat, and the bulk of it is used to provide light.

Call Buderim Electrical today to find out about installing Led Lighting in your home.

Author Buderim Electrical 0 Comments Categories Energy Saving