As part of the air conditioning inspections we carry out, attention is paid to energy efficiency. Since March 2005, by law, all air conditioners available for sale in the EU must carry an Energy Rating Label at the point of sale and on the packaging. This allows air conditioner efficiency to be measured to one single international standard EN14511. Each air conditioner is rated between “A” to “G” with “A” being the most efficient and “G” being the least efficient.
Energy efficient air conditioners use less energy while performing to high standards. They are less costly to run giving money saving benefits. This allows consumers to contribute to environment friendly operations. Using less energy means fewer greenhouse gases being emitted at various power generators. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are changing the earth’s climate, causing temperatures to increase and sea levels to rise. If all air conditioning units in the UK were “A” rated, then the impact of saving equates to 35 million double decker buses outputs of CO2.
Energy efficient air conditioners all bear an energy efficiency label to make choices for builders and building owners easier. The EU Energy Rating measures energy efficiency on a seven point scale from “A” (most efficient) to “G” (least efficient).
An air conditioner with an “A” rating will have passed a rigorous, independent testing procedure to gain the rating so you are guaranteed of the efficiency.
Whether your appliances are energy efficient or not, it is still possible save money by following these few rules.
- Make sure your air conditioning system is the right size for the building, if it lacks capacity it will have to work harder using unnecessary energy and be more prone to breakdown. A system with too much capacity is likely to be inefficient to run, as it will be expensive to use if not cooling the optimum sized building.
- Make sure that the room doors and windows are closed when the air conditioning is on.
- Set your air conditioner for optimum performance on a timer or the economy mode wherever possible
- Ensure that you set the desired temperature and give the building time to “climatise” rather than select a higher than required temperature to “cool down” or “heat up” the room quickly and readjust the temperature.
- Making sure your system is up to date and fulfils the EU energy rating requirements will make inspections easier and will give you cost savings and environment benefits for many years to come.
