In a world where both global warming and resource scarcity is driving up energy costs, it comes as no surprise that homeowners are shelling out big bucks for their air conditioning units. Estimates show that around three in four Australian homes now have an air conditioner - around double the rate from 20 years ago.
Thus, in a context where homeowners want to stay comfortable without breaking a sweat over exorbitant energy bills, how can they achieve this?
In this blog, we turn to a few of the most popular smart home devices on the market for answers. Before doing so, however, let’s take a quick look into what has contributed to eye-watering energy bills in recent times.
Rising cooling costs
While rising energy costs is not a problem confined to Australia, the situation in the country is rapidly becoming rather dire. In July 2017, three major energy retailers announced price increases of up to 20% in certain Australian states. While many have attributed recent price hikes to the closure of coal-fired power plants and the rising cost of gas, these reason’t aren’t as determinative as they’re portrayed to be.
With research emerging from The Australia Institute showing that the cost of gas makes up just 3% of a household’s bill and coal just 5%, the behaviour of certain retailers seems to be a more likely factor. Network charges have been shown to account of up to 40% of a total bill in certain cases. Additionally, the Australian Energy Market Commission found that around 70% of people were not shopping for the best energy retailer deals, even though this could save homes around $507 per year on electricity.
This challenge may be attributed to the fact that many retailers offer misleading deals, schemes, and offers that ultimately hurt the customer in the long run. For these reasons, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has taken steps looking into leading energy service providers over the last few months.
How to cut down on electricity bills?
- Trinity Multifunction Heat Pumps
For conscious homeowners who are keen to cut down on exorbitant utility bills, products such as Trinity Multifunction Heat Pumps are true champions. Drawing in energy from the external environment, the device powers the heating, cooling, and hot water needs of your home through this process. If needed, it can also be connected to produce underfloor heating or to a fully ducted air conditioning system.
If you’re looking to stay even more cost and energy-efficient, these heat pumps can now be connected to other devices, such as your home’s solar panels. Together, these can both power your home and save you from shelling out on unnecessary and avoidable energy costs.
- A Smart Air Conditioner
For homeowners just looking for an air conditioning unit that won’t cost them in the long run, smart home devices are the best fit. With remote control capabilities and the ability to learn your preferences and behaviour, exorbitant electricity bills are a thing of the past.
These features enable you to take greater control over your home and your energy consumption, ensuring that your cooling practices, at the very least, are optimised at all times. With the ability to control your AC through your smartphone, never worry about coming back to a furnace in the middle of the summer. Simply turn on your smart air conditioner the minute you start your drive home. Further, with its intelligent adaptive features, ensure your home is never too cold or too warm. By taking note of your preferred temperature and other relevant factors, your cooling is automated to meet your every need.
Certain smart air conditioners also keep you updated on its performance and maintenance, sending you bite-sized reports, giving you insights into energy usage and any errors which may be preventing your AC from performing at full capacity. This removes the hassle of manually checking in on your AC from time to time, as well as the stress of having no knowledge about your energy consumptions patterns.
These devices also connect with smart hubs such as your Amazon Echo, through which you can wield greater control over your AC. This assists in reducing your overall energy bills as you can now tailor your home’s cooling to suit your needs. Given that devices around your home can be switched off and on at convenience, and automated to kick in only at peak times, lowered costs are only inevitable.
Key Takeaways
It is only likely that the price of electricity will rise in the foreseeable future. At a time where air conditioning is no longer a luxury but a necessity, homeowners are trying to figure out how to cut down on electricity bills without breaking a sweat. In this context, a smart air conditioner or hardware such as the Trinity Multifunction Heat Pump, are buys that can slash your home’s utility bills without compromising on your comfort. Take the initiative and make the switch today!
