As an average Australian home spends about 40% of its income on energy in heating and cooling appliances, we have brought you tips on how to operate and save cost when it comes to evaporative coolers:
- Ensure that all doors and windows are kept open in rooms being cooled, and that the opening is large enough to allow the air to flow freely outside – having insufficient openings will reduce the cooling effectiveness of the unit and may put too much back pressure on the fan.
- Reduce heat gain by opening windows and doors on the opposite side of the house to the hot prevailing winds where possible.
- If your unit has a timer, consider using it to switch the system off when cooling is not required.
- On days of high humidity, turn off the water supply to the cooler and run the fan only.
- Research done by Sustainability Victoria on air leakage from houses shows that the ceiling outlets can represent a significant source of air leakage during winter. What they discovered is that it can be mitigated by using a special cover to fit over the ceiling outlets which significantly reduces the air leakage.
