Electricity costs in Australia are going up and for many families it becoming almost impossible to turn a blind eye. Heating and cooling systems soak up a big chunk of power, but old ducted aircon units are making things worse by running in a pretty inefficient way and squandering energy behind ceilings and walls.
This movement is now nudging more householders to take a long hard look at how their systems work. Gone are the days when smart zoning and inverter tech were just luxury upgrades, now some of the most practical ways to slow down the rising cost of energy bills without compromising on comfort are actually these efficient upgrades.
Why can these HVAC Systems Consume Such a Lot of Energy?
Heating and cooling account for a big 40% of the total energy use in Australian homes says the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. But that figure is even more alarming for homes still chugging along on older ducted systems, especially those with out of date compressors, poor zoning and holes in ductwork all driving power consumption up unnecessarily.
Some research from CSIRO found that if ducts aren’t properly insulated then you can lose up to 30% of the cooled air before it even reaches the rooms it’s meant to be in. And even when it does arrive, it’s often warm air just leaking out into roof spaces or unused areas. This means the aircon has to work harder to keep the house at the right temperature, putting up energy demand and shortening the lifespan of the equipment too.
In many suburban areas, oversized aircon systems are another cause of financial pressure. The units cycle on and off more often because they’re too big for the house, which means not only higher energy costs but shorter equipment lifespan too. Melbourne areas where the temperature can go from hot to cold extremely quickly are a case in point, households using older fixed speed systems might be spending between AUD 2,000 and AUD 3,500 a year just to keep the house at a comfy temperature.
All this has pushed up demand for energy efficient alternatives like ducted heating and cooling Malvern where the seasons are getting wilder and wilder and pushing up energy consumption year on year.
The Financial Knock on for the People Who Invest in Efficient Ducted Systems
As the energy costs just keep going up, modern inverter based ducted aircon systems are getting more attention because of their long-term saving potential. Compared with older systems these newer units can save 25 40% in energy. That’s according to YourHome initiative run by the Australian Government which pointed out that high efficiency reverse cycle air con systems produce the lowest greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs of any commonly used household heating appliance.
Efficiency is easy to measure if you know what to look for, just check the Energy Star ratings. Under the same conditions, a 6-star ducted reverse cycle system will slurp up nearly 35% less electricity than a 2 star one. For households dropping AUD 2,400 a year on climate control, that will mean a saving of around AUD 840 per year.
Much of this improvement comes down to variable speed compressor tech. Older single stage systems just keep running at full power all the time, even if the conditions don’t require it. Inverter compressors adjust on the fly to the temperature needs of the room in real time.
The Role of Zoning in Bringing Down Your Electricity Bill
Inside a lot of homes, the main source of energy waste is heating or cooling rooms that are just sitting empty. A lot of traditional ducted systems treat the entire place as if it’s one big climate zone, even though the occupancy patterns change throughout the day. Zoned ducted systems go about it in a different way by breaking down a house into separate areas that you can heat or cool. Rather than cranking up the AC to every single room at the same time, you can just send cooled air to the rooms that are actually in use.
According to Sustainability Victoria, using zoning can knock off up to 30% of heating and cooling energy use in medium to big homes in Australia. For example, in a four-bedroom house, you might only need to cool the bedrooms that are in use in the evening, while the empty living areas just stay warm. Smart zoning systems are getting smarter with the help of smart sensors and programmable thermostats. Research by the International Energy Agency found that using a more considered approach to temperature can cut your residential HVAC bills by another 10 to 15%. In the Australian summer, when electricity demand is really putting the squeeze on both your household and the energy grid, those savings make a big difference.
Leave a comment