With the summer temperature getting higher and us enjoying the cooled indoor environment, we rarely think about the complexity of the process or the energy we consume. Today we’ll reveal facts to the question most asked ‘How much electricity does an air conditioner use per day?’
It can also help you in planning for your monthly budget or even in trying to cut down if you realize that your air conditioner is using much energy.
In this article, you will learn how to make the calculation of daily electricity usage of your air conditioner, what types of factors influence electricity consumption of your air conditioner and how you can decrease this electricity consumption.
Let’s get started!
How To Calculate The Daily Energy Usage Of Your Air Conditioner
One of the simplest things is to determine the amount of electricity consumed by your air conditioner on a daily basis. All that is required from you is to multiply the number of hours the air conditioner operates every day by the energy consumption rate per hour.
This is what the formula looks like:
Energy usage per hour (watts) x 24 hours in a day
For example, if your AC consumes 5,000 watts per hour and runs for 6 hours in a day, the electricity consumption of your air conditioner will be:
5,000 watts per hour x 6 hours = 30,000 watt-hours (Wh) or 30 kWh
In case you are using more than one air conditioner at home or in any space, then you will have to sum the energy that each air conditioner consumes. This will show you how many units of electricity your air conditioners consume in a day.
Having understood that, let’s now look at the factors affecting the electricity usage by your air conditioners.
Factors Affecting How Much Electricity Your Air Conditioners Use
There are several things that will determine how much electricity you will use to power your air conditioners.
The awareness of these factors can help you optimize the energy usage. However, it is useful to remember that these factors are not separate entities and should be adjusted according to your air conditioning machine and behavior.
You could also approach your air conditioner manufacturer for further details on the particular model for further explanation regarding your energy consumption path.
Let’s begin.
1. Cooling Capacity
Cooling capacity refers to the amount of area that an air conditioner can cool at any one time. When selecting a new air conditioner, you should ensure that it is of the right size to provide the right cooling capacity for the room you intend to install it in.
It is also important not to over-size your air conditioner with the size of your room as this will only cause wastage of energy. On the hand, getting an undersized unit for a large space can put a strain on the A/C and leave the occupant unsatisfied.
In case you are planning for an air conditioning unit in your given space, it is important that you consider the size of the space so that you can acquire the right air conditioning unit.
2. Temperature Settings
Adjusting the thermostat settings to a very low level will make your air conditioner to work harder and consume more electricity. It’s important to set a comfort level in the thermostat without necessarily putting a strain on the energy resources. It can be different depending on the type of the AC, the climate, and other preferences somebody has.
You can try it with various settings and use the one that will suit you the most. Lastly, ensure that you aim to achieve a good balance between comfort and functionality.
3. Insulation Of The Space
The insulation level of the given space determines how much energy is required by the air conditioner. It means that if your home or building can hold cooler air for longer periods of time, the energy consumption of your air conditioners or your central air conditioners will be less than if you don’t.
This means that insulated spaces lessen your air conditioning workload effectively implying reduced cost implications in your air conditioners. The various measures to insulate your space include sealing the doors, windows and duct work and insulating roofs, floors and walls.
4. Climate And Weather Conditions
Typically, you will realize that your air conditioning energy usage is minimal during certain seasons and higher, during others. For instance, you discover that during the hotter months of the year, your usage of electricity to cool the inside of your house is very high.
This too applies to the place you live in. For instance, when choosing an air conditioner, more energy will be used if the climatic condition is hot and wet than if it is cool.
So remember this next time you decide to buy the best air conditioner if you haven’t made your purchase yet in your climatic zone.
5. Energy Efficiency Rating
Often, air conditioners are rated according to their efficiency when it comes to power usage. You will either find what is referred to as Energy Efficiency Ratings (EER) or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios (SEER).
A higher EER or SEER rating on your air conditioner means you have a more efficient AC unit than one with lower ratings. To save your energy, you should buy air conditioners with high ratings as per your desired budget for personal use.
6. Usage And Maintenance
This implies that the more you switch on your central air conditioner or the air conditioner in your living room, more energy will be used. As for maintenance, you will note that caring for your air conditioning machine will help it be more efficient and run at its peak best. This, in turn, will make it use less energy as compared to if it was not well maintained to begin with.
Some of the ways you can regulate the use of electricity and maintain your air conditioners include; Changing the filter, cleaning and checking the Unit.
How To Reduce Air Conditioner Energy Consumption
Here are some ideas that you can apply if you want to bring down the electricity consumption of your window air conditioner, or any other air conditioner in your room.
1. Regular Maintenance
We discussed this in the factors determining how much electricity your air conditioner uses. But we believe it is worthy of another mention in this section because of the implications it holds. One of the biggest energy consumption variations you will notice is when you are changing your air filters often.
A maintained air conditioner operates optimally and will not use a lot of energy to cool the room as required.
2. Programable Thermostats
Today, there are lots of better quality air conditioners available in the market. However, in the aspect of energy efficiency, the recommended air conditioner should have a programmable thermostat.
A programmable thermostat is a device that enables the user change the required temperature in accordance with the external temperature and time. This means that there will be no exaggerated conditioning of the space to cooler temperatures when the area is not in use.
3. Ventilation
Venting your room properly eliminates the chance of your vents being blocked and also lowers the functionality of your air conditioning unit. You could open windows and doors daily for a couple of minutes to let any bring-in debris and out-take clean air, for your air conditioner.
4. Use Of Shades And Curtains
This is a very basic approach to saving the usage of electricity for an air conditioner because its task is made easier. This is due to the fact that when you draw your shades or curtains to prevent the light from coming through, the room temperature comes down.
This means that your air conditioner’s workload will be reduced, meaning it will not have to work as hard as it used to. It may look like a small thing to do but it saves a lot of energy on your air conditioner.
Frequently Asked Questions About How Much Electricity Air Conditioners Use
1. How Much Electricity Does An Air Conditioner Use Per Day?
For instance, if an air conditioner uses 5,000 watts per hour and is used for 6 hours in a day, then it uses approximately 30 kilowatt hours of electricity per day. If you have more than one air conditioning device in your space, you will need to multiply this number by the number of air conditioners that are installed in your home.
2. How Much Electricity Does A Window Air Conditioner Use?
A window conditioner requires about 500 – 1,500 watts of electricity to operate for one hour. However, this figure depends with the size, the energy efficient rating as well as the cooling capacity of the refrigerator.
This means you will realize that small window air conditioners rated with high efficiency utilize lesser energy than the larger ones with low efficiency ratings. Consequently, go for a window air conditioning unit that is ideal for your room size and possesses an Energy Star label to minimize energy consumption and total cost of operation.
3. How Does Air Conditioner Efficiency Affect Electricity Consumption?
Air conditioner efficiency cuts down the amount of electricity an air conditioner uses while at the same time it performs all the necessary tasks. This simply means that your air conditioner will cool your space effectively while using the least amount of electricity.
Air conditioners have specific rating systems that are used in measuring their energy efficiency. These are the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) or the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The higher this rating is, the more efficient your air conditioning unit is . You wish to have an air conditioner that is energy efficient because it gives you maximum cooling for the least amount of electricity consumed. In the long run you will have spent your money wisely and are guaranteed of a more efficient air conditioner.
