Air conditioning can be one of the biggest electricity users in the summer months. However, you can take into account certain tips that will help you save. We are going to talk about the rule of 2, which is a very simple method, but it can save you a lot on your bill. Many experts recommend it and we are going to explain what it consists of so that you can start using it today at home.
Keep in mind that setting one or another temperature can cause the bill to go up or not. This has a lot to do with the rule of 2 when using the air conditioner. You will see that perhaps you are making a mistake or that you can simply make this small adjustment to start using less electricity.
The air rises 2 degrees
The rule of 2 is as simple as raising the air conditioning 2 degrees. Why is it so useful for saving? It is considered that, for each degree, you can save or spend about 7% of electricity. This can be a significant amount, if we take into account the entire month. Therefore, this change helps you spend less. Many experts agree that going up 2 degrees is hardly noticeable. However, it does make the air conditioner consume less electricity. If you keep it like this every day, throughout the month, the difference can be noticeable and you will make your device consume less energy and pay less at the end of the month.
Of course, this will also depend on the temperature at which you set the device. It is not the same to have it at 18 and go to 20, than to have it at 26 and go to 28. You may already be doing it well and going up 2 degrees is not the most appropriate in your case. However, in general terms, we can say that most people have the air set at a temperature lower than what they really need.
Another very important aspect that you should know is that you should not be turning the air conditioning on and off, but letting the thermostat that all of them incorporate act to set the operating temperature and measure the current temperature. In this way, as soon as it reaches operating temperature, the AC will automatically turn off its compressor, although it will continue to give air, but not as cold as before. In this state, the air conditioning uses about 0.3kWh to maintain the temperature, which is much less than the 1.5kWh that they can consume when they have just been turned on or when they are in the process of cooling the room.
Adjust the temperature well
It is considered that, in summer, an ideal temperature for the air conditioning to save is between 24 and 26 degrees. If you have it at 24, for example, you can try setting it at 26 and see if you maintain the comfort level. Most likely, this temperature is also suitable for you. Especially, at night you can even go up 1 degree more than during the day. But what happens if you have the temperature well below? Maybe you have a temperature of 20 degrees, for example. In that case, the rule of 2 falls short. You could try raising it even 4 degrees and see how it goes. Keep in mind that, as we have mentioned, for each additional degree you can save about 7% energy.
One mistake that you should always avoid is setting the air too cold when you get home. It is quite common to arrive hot, for example, if it is 38 or 39 degrees, and quickly put it to the minimum temperature so that it cools down quickly. That is a mistake, since what the air does is consume much more electricity and you do not need to put it at that temperature. Ideally, you should always keep it fixed and simply have some patience, since in a short time you will notice a more pleasant temperature.
There are devices like those with Tado, Netatmo and even Sensibo, where we can configure our split-type AC to easily control it from our smartphone. In this way, we will be able to turn the AC on and off locally or remotely, for example, if we are going to get home we can turn it on 30 minutes before and thus find the house somewhat cooler. The same happens if we leave and we have left the AC running, we can turn it off remotely very easily. Also, the best thing about these devices is that we can integrate them into Home Assistant to have full control of our home.
In short, as you can see, the rule of 2 can be very useful to save energy when using the air conditioning at home in summer. If you have it automated, you can even control it remotely. In addition, you can always see what devices are connected to Wi-Fi and check that the air conditioning is connected.
