Utility bills are on the rise! With gas and electric prices on a steady incline, it has thousands of people wondering how they will afford to pay their bills, and are making sacrifices like turning down, or even off, the heating. While we can’t help with the tariffs from your energy supplier, there is one little thing we can do for you.
Choosing a more modern source of heating for your home or workplace is the first step in reducing those energy bills! It is well known that air conditioning is the future, not to mention the benefit of reducing your monthly utility bills.
How efficient is Air Conditioning?
With air conditioning units being much more economical than traditional central heating, and with the added bonus of being able to also cool in the hotter months, it makes it incredibly efficient to run. For example, you can expect your air conditioning unit to produce around 3KW of heating energy to every 1KW that it uses, compared to 1KW of heating energy to 1KW of electric from traditional central heating. There is of course an initial investment of installing the kit, but this will more than make up for the reduced bills, and increased levels of comfort all year round.
The initial cost of installation varies depending on quantity of units and to what specification/manufacturer you opt for; You can expect to pay anything from £1200 upwards, however this can be financed to spread the cost for up to 10 years. It is important to have a unit that is suitable for the area that you want to heat. If the unit is too small, then it will have to continuously work to reach the desired temperature, however a suitably sized unit will reach temperature quicker and will then only have to maintain it. The area will retain the desired temperature for longer if there is nowhere for the air to escape, so keeping windows and doors shut will greatly increase the cost of heating/cooling the room.
I already have an old Air Conditioning unit…
Air conditioning units are becoming increasingly better all the time; modern units can be up to 50% more efficient compared to units manufactured in the 1970’s, which means that it may be more economical for you to upgrade your unit rather than to continue to pay to run a less efficient system. The good news is that it may be cheaper to replace the indoor and outdoor units than it would be to have an install from scratch, due to having existing pipe work etc already in place, so long as they are in suitable condition.
How can I keep the system running as efficiently as possible?
You’ve taken the first step and installed air conditioning for your workplace or home; now how can you make sure you continue to save money monthly? Planned preventative maintenance is the way to achieve this. It is recommended that you have a service ever 6 months but is essential every 12 months. This is because is not only does this ensure that a qualified engineer has checked all your kit, but also cleaned the indoor and outdoor air filters, heat exchanger, fascia and condensate pipe. This ensures that your unit is running to its full potential, and drastically reduces the chances of your equipment breaking down on you, resulting in call out charges and fault finding.
You can save further costs on this by signing up with a Planned Preventative Maintenance Contract with Phoenix ACR. This will entitle you to reminders when it’s time for us to attend site for servicing, and you also receive a 15% discount on standard servicing prices, with the cost per unit becoming cheaper the more units that you have. Having a PPM Contract also means that you receive a further discount on any callouts, and on any parts ordered.
Deep cleans are even more likely to keep the units running to their absolute optimum, with this restoring used parts almost back to brand new. On a deep clean, we spend between 2-3 hours per system on a deep clean compared to 20 minutes on a standard service. A clean and efficient unit will make temperature much quicker than a neglected one, meaning its job is done quicker, and you save money on your electricity bill.
What are manufacturers doing to help?
Leading suppliers in the industry are working tirelessly to increase and improve efficiency on their units to ensure that their end consumer maximises the return on their investment. Daikin pride themselves with having the highest energy efficiency labels on the current market and have signature technology which maximise efficiency. Other supplies such as Panasonic have clear economic visions such as their Green Plan and Panasonic Environment Vision 2025 and have committed to working towards achieving enhanced product energy performance.