While checking my electricity bill for the past few months, I felt that it was just punishing me for simply wanting a cool room. Months changed, but the upward spike in my electricity bill remained constant. However, I recently realised that the problem was not the outside heat but how I was using the machine. Following that, I changed how I used my AC, and the impact was instant as my electricity bill dropped by 30 per cent. No, I did not make any big structural changes but rather tweaked some of my habits and AC settings. And here I’m sharing my findings with you so that you can also save something on your electricity bill while using your AC.
I used to forget about the filters for several months on end, sometimes even more than that. There was a lot of dirt and lint accumulated, and it was hindering the free flow of the air. The moment I began to clean the filters every two weeks, the difference was obvious.
The air flowed freely, the room would cool down faster, and there would be no need for the machine to strain itself with such a simple task. It was strange how such a simple thing was draining me of money every month.
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For years, I kept my thermostat set at 18 or 19 degrees, thinking a lower number meant the room would cool down faster. That is not actually how it works. All it did was make the compressor run longer and harder than it needed to. Once I switched to 24°C, the room still felt comfortable within minutes, and I stopped noticing any real difference in how cool it felt. What I did notice was a real drop in my power use, and that alone became one of the biggest changes I made.
I never paid much attention to my outdoor unit until I noticed it was sitting under direct sunlight for most of the day. That heat was making it work extra hard just to keep up. I put up a small shade above it, careful not to block the airflow around it, and also cleared away some plants that had grown too close and were restricting the air movement. Not only that but I also poured some water carefully on the outdoor unit to keep it cool. After that, the unit seemed to run much more smoothly, and the whole system did not feel as strained as before.
One day I noticed a bit of water pooling near my indoor unit, and that is when I realised the drainpipe was blocked. Because the water had nowhere to go, the unit was struggling and using more power just to keep functioning properly. I cleared out the blockage myself with a simple wire and some water, which took barely ten minutes. The improvement in cooling was almost immediate, and the room felt fresher within the same day.
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I started inspecting the plug point and its wiring on a monthly basis. While it looks like a simple task which you can skip, it was a major factor in why your bill could be high. I discovered that there was a loose connection, and it was probably using up energy for weeks without me even realising it.