Recent soaring temperatures suggest this summer could be another scorcher.
Temperatures for 2009 are expected to be above the 1971-2000 average and the Met
Office currently believes we are "odds on for a barbecue summer".
Here is some advice to help you stay cool without spending too much money or
using an excessive amount of electricity, followed by tips to help you buy the
right air conditioner.
Money for cooling Our best tip to make the best of the
summer ahead: now is a great time to compare prices and switch energy
supplier.Because of long days and warm weather, your energy consumption is now at its
lowest point in the year, so chances are that monthly direct debit payers are in
credit with their suppliers, by as much as £300.
By switching supplier, your current provider would have to refund you this
credit. Adding the savings from switching, which are typically 15% of your
energy bills, and you can make a very tidy sum and finally afford that air
conditioner.
Minimise sources of heat Standard or halogen light bulbs,
big LCD or Plasma TV sets, refrigerators, washers, dryers, personal computers,
ovens, hot water pipes and boilers are significant sources of heat and will
exacerbate the effect of a heat wave.Make sure you turn off what you don't use, use insulation where you can and
invest in more efficient lighting for your home. Visit the Energy Savings Trust for help and information
on making your home more energy efficient.
Double glazing Double-glazed windows are great at keeping
the heat in, but they also keep it out. Open your windows at night to circulate
cooler night air and keep them shut during the day when the outside air is
hotter. Install window locks if you are worried about security at night.
Open windows on the breezy and preferably shady bottom side of the house and
open windows on the other side of the house at the top to create a cooling
cross-current of air through your home.
Shades If you've got a sunny side to your house, keep the
curtains or blinds on that side closed during the day. Blocking direct sunlight
from coming through the windows is the easiest way to keep your home cool.
Fans Fans don't use much energy and when air is
circulating it feels much cooler. Ceiling fans are best, but a good portable fan
can be very effective as well.
Cooler gardening Windbreaking hedges can divert the force
and direction of the wind in the winter, while a shady tree by the west or east
of your home can cut the air conditioning cost of your home in the summer.
Solar reflective films on your windows and
conservatory New heat reflecting films applied to your windows
ensure that your windows reflect the outside heat, yet let the light in, so you
get the best of both worlds without paying the earth.
Flat tops If you've got a flat roof, paint it with a
specially formulated reflective paint or just paint it white. The reflective
effect will help to keep the rooms under the flat roof much cooler.And remember - when the weather gets hot, stay out of the sun during the most
intense periods, drink lots of water and avoid excessive physical labour if
possible.
Air conditioners When you have young children, are
looking after the elderly or even if it's just too hot to cope, an air
conditioner is a powerful weapon to beat the heat.
The first rule of buying an air conditioning unit is to not wait until it
gets hot.
You need to give yourself time to shop around because you don't want
to get stuck with an overpriced and inadequate air conditioner from your local
hardware store simply because everything else was sold out on the hottest day of
the year.
The second rule is that even a good air conditioner will use quite a bit of
electricity, so make sure you buy an efficient unit by checking it energy
efficiency rating.
Here are some simple pointers to getting value for money:
Type Mobile air conditioners come in two types:
"integrated" and "split" units.Integrated units work by housing the compressor unit (the bit that
pumps the heat out of the air) inside the main control unit.
This makes the unit
more compact and easier to move from room to room. On the downside, integrated
units can be irritatingly noisy and tend to have less power, but they do cost
less, with a decent unit priced around the £300 mark.
Split air conditioners house the noisy bits in an external box,
which you will have to find space for outside your window (they usually fit in
the window box and come with fittings).
The outside unit is attached to the
inside control unit by a thin pipe.
This has the advantage of keeping the noise down. However, if you want to
move your air conditioner from room to room, you need to consider that half of
it sits outside. Split mobile units are also a bit more expensive, typically
starting at £400.
Size Buy an air conditioner with a cooling capacity that
matches your property. Measure the room you wish to cool and make sure that it
corresponds with the stated capacity of the unit.An underpowered unit will have to run constantly without providing enough
cooling, while an overly powerful machine will not remove enough moisture from
the air and make the room feel clammy.
Noise Air conditioners can be noisy. If you cannot demo a
unit, ask for its noise performance in decibels: this is particularly important
if you are buying an integrated unit. Good performance is considered to be
between 36 and 40 decibels. Noise is an important consideration if you wish to
place the device in a bedroom.
Maintenance All filters, air intakes, grilles and
radiators need to be kept unblocked and clean at all times to maintain peak
performance. Check that your unit allows easy access to all maintainable
parts.
Usage Most new units have a timer facility. Before you
leave your home, set the timer to start the machine 30 minutes before your
return.
This way, you'll enter into a nicely cooled home without wasting energy by
letting the device run in your absence. Set the temperature to around 24 celsius
for a comfortable environment.
Use a fan Circulate the cold air with an extra standard
fan to ensure efficient temperature distribution.
Make sure that you buy the most efficient unit In the
longer term an inefficient cheaper unit could cost you more than the slightly
more expensive air conditioner that uses less energy or makes less noise.
And don't forget You can help pay for an air conditioner
by switching energy supplier and getting some money back if you have been
overpaying.
Tuesday June 23rd, 2009 
