With the arrival of the great heat and tropical temperatures that reach 40 degrees, the race for air conditioners has started. To facilitate efficient use, optimizing cooling without overheating bills, ENEA has put online 10 practical tips and an updated guide for the efficient and sustainable use of air conditioning. A “handy” tool, made by the experts from the Energy Efficiency Agency, which will help the citizen to avoid waste and wrong behavior, without succumbing to the heat.
1. Pay attention to the energy class – The first tip for the 'intelligent' use of air conditioning starts with choosing the air conditioner: if you haven't bought it yet, models in energy class A or higher are preferable as they cost more but consume much less.
2. Prefer inverters – Choose an appliance equipped with this technology, because it adjusts the power to actual needs and reduces the on and off cycles.
3. Remember the incentives – For the purchase of a heat pump, if intended to fully or partially replace the old heating system, you can take advantage of the "Ecobonus", the IRPEF deduction which until 31 December 2015 will be 65%, or the "Conto thermal”, an incentive that varies according to the size of the plant.
4. Attention to the installation – It is important to place the air conditioner in the upper part of the wall. The cold air tends to go down and will mix more easily with the warm air which instead tends to rise. Avoid placing the air conditioner behind sofas or curtains: the barrier effect blocks it the diffusion of air.
5. Don't waste air conditioning: every room needs its own air conditioner – It is incorrect to install a powerful air conditioner in the corridor hoping that it will refresh the whole house: the only result will be that of catching a cold every time you pass along the corridor going from one room to another, because it will be the only room be cooled.
6. Don't leave doors and windows open – It seems trivial, but this is avoided to heat the air inside.
7. Remember to insulate the pipes of the refrigerant circuit outside the house: if exposed directly to the sun they can be damaged. It is also good to make sure that the external part of the air conditioner is not directly exposed to the sun and bad weather.
8. Be careful not to cool the room too much – Two or three degrees below the outside temperature is sufficient. Often it is enough to activate only the "dehumidification" function, because it is the humidity present in the air that causes the perception of a much higher temperature than the real one.
9. Don't forget to use the timer and the "night" function in order to reduce the switching on time of the appliance to a minimum.
10. Pay attention to cleaning and proper maintenance – The air filters and fans must be cleaned at the first seasonal start-up and at least every two weeks, because mold and bacteria that are harmful to health easily nestle there. If they are deteriorated they must be replaced. It's also important check the tightness of the gas circuit.
