The design of buildings and the materials used to build facility matters. For example, good insulating materials help to keep the temperature within the building at the desired level, regardless of the conditions outside. Conversely, the use of less-than-effective insulating materials like the normal glass allows the undesired transfer of heat into or out of the building, resulting in unintended energy wastage in cooling down the building.

Installations such as curtains or blinds, especially for west-facing windows, can help to reduce the temperature of rooms during the hottest part of the day. As such, less energy needs to be used in cooling down the room.

When there is a need to air-condition multiple rooms at the same time, multi-split units are generally more energy efficient than separate single-split/ window units.

How you position the various appliances or items in the home or building also matters. For example, the refrigerator should be kept away from direct heat sources like direct sunlight, cooker hoods and the oven. Leave sufficient space around the refrigerator for proper airflow – this allows heat to escape from the compressor and condensing coil. One energy efficient tips when positioning your air-conditioning heat exchange unit is to avoid direct sunshine on the unit, as it decreases its efficiency. Consider placing the heat exchange unit under shade, but do not block the airflow around the unit.

Smart building / appliance controls

One important energy efficiency tips you can adopt is to make good use of the controls that come with appliances or are designed into buildings.

for your air-conditioner, the lower the temperature setting, the more energy it uses. Set your air-conditioning thermostat as high as comfortably possible. Once the temperature in the room reaches your desired level, the air-conditioning unit can take a break!.

Avoid placing heat generating appliances near the thermostat. Otherwise, the air-conditioning unit would have to operate harder/longer than necessary to keep the room temperature at your desired level.

If your building does not already have these smart controls in place, then consider installing them. They would help you cut electricity cost and energy use in the long run.

Energy saving behavioural changes

Some behavioural changes you and I can make to save energy include:

Switch off all appliances at the power socket when they are not in use. Standby power can account for up to 10% of the electricity use.

If you need to cool down your room, use the fan instead of the air-conditioning. The fan uses less than 1/10 of the electricity used by an air-conditioner. Alternatively, run the air-conditioner for half an hour to cool down the room quickly, and then switch to the fan after that.

If you need to use the air-conditioner for longer periods, then service your air-conditioning units and clean the air filters regularly. Such practices will allow the air-conditioner to operate at its optimal.

Read about ways to conserve energy at home. Also find out about the energy efficiency tips you can adopt when driving.