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Running costs and energy

What it costs to run, and how to keep that down.

8 guides · about 26 minutes of reading

  1. 01How much does air conditioning cost to run?Multiply the electricity it uses, in kWh, by your unit rate. How much a unit uses depends on the room, the weather, the temperature you set and its efficiency, so estimate it from its average power draw and the hours it runs.4 min read
  2. 02Power and energy: kW and kWhA kilowatt (kW) measures power, the rate at which energy is used or delivered at any moment. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) measures energy, the amount used over time, and it's what your electricity bill charges for.3 min read
  3. 03COP and EER: what efficiency meansCOP (heating) and EER (cooling) compare the heat a unit moves with the electricity it uses, under one set of test conditions. A COP of 3 means 3 kW of heat for every 1 kW of electricity; higher is more efficient.3 min read
  4. 04Heating with air conditioning compared with gasWhich costs less depends on your prices and equipment. Work out the cost of a kWh of heat from each: gas unit rate divided by boiler efficiency, and electricity unit rate divided by the air conditioner's COP.4 min read
  5. 05How to cut running costsSet a moderate temperature, stop heat getting in (or out, in winter), run the unit only where and when you need it, and keep the filters and outdoor unit clean. Your tariff matters too.3 min read
  6. 06Air conditioning and solar panelsSolar panels can supply some or all of an air conditioner's electricity while they're generating, which suits cooling on sunny days far better than heating in winter. Solar electricity you use yourself costs you any export payment you'd otherwise have earned.3 min read
  7. 07Time-of-use tariffsTime-of-use tariffs charge different unit rates at different times of day. Whether one suits you depends on when your air conditioning and the rest of your home use electricity, and how those rates compare with what you pay now.3 min read
  8. 08Does air conditioning use a lot of electricity?Less than its size suggests: a wall-mounted unit's kW rating is the heat it moves, and it usually draws a fraction of that in electricity. The total depends mainly on how many hours it runs and how hard it has to work.3 min read