Efficient Systems / Energy Management
Energy: advice from ENEA about the efficient use of air conditioners
As summer approaches, ENEA has provided, as usual, a set of practical tips for cooling one’s home efficiently, with the focus on the air conditioning system, to improve comfort, save on bills and protect the environment.
Below is thefull list of things to do to obtain benefits for the environment and save up to 7% on your electricity bills:
Remember to keep to maintenance schedules
Like any other household appliance, the air conditioner needs to be cleaned and maintained in order to work properly for much longer. It is also important to ensure that the gas circuit is leakproof.
It is noted that legislation requires a plant logbook and periodic inspections for systems having an output in excess of 10 kW for winter use and 12 kW for summer use.
In addition to energy aspects, it is important to emphasise the fact that air filters and fans are the places where mould and bacteria, harmful to health, including legionella, which can be deadly, most often lurk.
Pay attention to the energy class
The choice of air conditioner is key to reducing consumption and avoiding nasty surprises when the bill arrives. Regardless of the technology, “A class” models and above are always preferable, as they not only reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere but also consume much less. The annual energy consumption indicated on the energy label relates to 1,400 hours of operation in heating mode and 350 hours in cooling mode, plus the energy consumption in other modes, such as standby. A “class A+++” model for instance will consume up to 40% less electricity than a class B model.
Choose inverter technology
In an air conditioner with an inverter control system, the rotational speed of the compressor is constantly controlled, allowing optimal performance in all operating conditions, adapting the cooling and heating power delivered to actual needs. These models are particularly useful when you plan to keep the air conditioning on for many hours at a time. They cost more than those with on-off technology, but energy consumption and noise levels are lower, resulting in greater comfort in the rooms served.
Look out for incentives
The 2023 Budget Law reconfirmed the incentives already in place: for purchases made up to 31 December 2023, the ‘air conditioner bonus’ allows you to benefit from a 50% or 65% tax deduction depending on the intervention carried out and type of equipment purchased:
50% – Purchase of air conditioners as part of building works for renovation or extraordinary maintenance
65% – Purchase of high-efficiency heat pump air-conditioners to replace a lower class one
Pay attention to position
When installing, it is important to place the air conditioner on the upper part of the wall: cold air tends to go down, and will mix more easily with hot air, which tends to go up. You should avoid placing the air conditioner behind sofas or curtains: the barrier effect blocks the circulation of fresh air.
Close window blinds and shutters during the hottest hours of the day
It is common to leave the shutters open even when one is out, allowing heat to enter through the window frames. In this case, when switching on the air conditioner on one’s return, cooling rooms requires more energy. Closing shutters, lowering blinds or otherwise shading windows and doors in the middle hours of summer days reduces the amount of sunlight entering the home and, consequently, the energy expended by air conditioners.
Do not cool rooms too much, and pay attention to humidity levels
Legislation states that during the summer season the indoor temperature must not go below 24-26° Celsius. Most of the time, two to three degrees lower than the outside temperature should be sufficient. Often, use of the ‘dehumidification’ function can be sufficient to ward off the oppressive feeling of heat, as the humidity in the air causes the temperature to be much higher than it actually is.
Each room requires its own air conditioning unit
Installing a powerful air conditioner in the corridor hoping that it will cool the whole house is pointless: the only result will be catching a chill every time you cross the corridor from one room to another, as it will be the only area that will be cool.
Do not leave doors or windows open
The air conditioner cools and dehumidifies the room in which it is installed by transferring heat and humidity to the outside. The entry of ‘new’ warm air into the room forces the unit to do additional work to bring the temperature and humidity down to the required levels, with a consequent expenditure of energy.
Insulate the pipes of the cooling circuit outside the house
In order to avoid unnecessary dispersion, it is necessary to thermally insulate the pipes of the cooling circuit outside the house. You should also ensure that the outside of the air conditioner is not exposed to sunlight and inclement weather.
Use the timer and the ‘night’ function
These features make it possible to minimise the switch-on time of the unit and raise comfort levels. In addition, they allow the air conditioning system to be switched on and off remotely, and to keep it running only for the time it is actually needed. The ‘night’ or ‘sleep’ function controls the room temperature at night in response to changes in body temperature.
Do a check-up of your home
Ask a technician to carry out an energy audit of the building, this is the first useful step in assessing the state of thermal insulation of walls and windows and the efficiency of air conditioning systems. The audit will point to measures to be carried out, assessing their cost-benefit ratio. In addition to cutting summer air conditioning costs by up to 40 per cent, interventions are even more cost-effective if one takes advantage of tax deductions for the energy upgrading of buildings.
