Save Money by Selecting the Right Temperature

What’s more important to you- being comfortable or saving money? In most circumstances, both are crucial and we like to find a balance between them. If you have ducted air conditioning in your commercial building, it’s vital to have it set at the right temperature to ensure employees are comfortable and to maximize their productivity.

You have a few options to combat the cold. You could layer up your clothes until you look like a marshmallow. Or, you could light up your fireplace/electric heater but this can be costly and will only heat one part of the house. Or, the best option is to turn the air conditioning on. This is the easiest and quickest option to get warm. At the touch of a button you can have warm air circulating around your whole home, unlike a fireplace or heater where you have to rotate to warm the other half of your body.

We often have a preconceived idea about what the perfect temperature is to have our air conditioning set on. What temperature are you thinking of right now, 22° Celsius? This is a commonly desired temperature all year round. However this is purely a mindset. The Americans decided in the 1950’s that the thermal comfort level was 22°C, and it has been that way ever since. We have adapted to this temperature and layer our clothes according to this. Did you know that this temperature is costing you millions of extra money and is pumping hundreds of thousands of tonnes of unnecessary carbon into the atmosphere?

Naturally when we get too cold in the winter, or too hot in the summer, we want to get back to a comfortable body temperature as soon as possible. As a reaction we turn the air conditioning on extreme temperatures. For example in winter, it may be 15°C outside and we turn the air conditioning on 25-26°C. This forces the air conditioning to work in extreme. It has to work hard to try and reach this temperature and work long periods of time to try and maintain the temperature. This results in drawing excessive amounts of power and consequently we get expensive power bills. On top of this, if the air conditioning system has to work too hard, it will go into overdrive causing it to completely shut down and not work at all.

Remember that every one degree warmer in winter, or cooler in summer, increases the energy consumption by approximately 5-10%, which costs you more money.

It’s time to change the way we think. Instead of the all-round 22°C, why not try 19-20° heating during the winter and 24-25° cooling during the summer. You will be surprised how much money it will save you and it is environmentally friendly. Managers, if your employees start to complain about the temperature, help them to understand that you are doing it for the better. Yes, it may take some time to adapt but this can easily be done. Each and every colleague will have a different temperature they find most comfortable. To those who don’t like the cold, wear a warm coat. To those who easily feel the heat, wear lightweight clothes. A simple change of attitude can save money and the environment.

Of course this is not the only way to save money on air conditioning usage. We have free air conditioning tips available to help you use your AC more effectively. Read more here.

As we head into the winter months, try these tips and see how they work for you. Remember; before you change the temperature consider how much money it’s going to cost you and the effect on the environment. A small change in our thinking can lead to big savings.

Have you got any questions? We would love to hear them. Please simply fill out the form below or call 07 3395 7633 and our friendly staff will help you out.