Air conditioners are necessary for most homes, even in temperate climate zones. In terms of beating the summer heat, especially down here in Australia, one can hardly imagine life without one. It’s only natural that homeowners should wonder about the costs of running them versus other appliances.
Most people believe the costs of running an air conditioner are higher than any other appliance in the home. Some estimates say it accounts for between 33 and 50 percent of electricity bills. But is that the case?
Let’s compare the average air conditioner costs to other appliances and see which costs the most.
The Costs of Running Your Air Conditioner
Air conditioner costs depend entirely on the climate of your city. Since Australia has a varied environment, we’ll be going over air conditioner running costs by breaking them down between hot, moderate, and cold temperatures.
To calculate average costs per hour to heat and cool your air, we first need to work out how much electricity costs. We’ll use the national energy price average of $0.325/kWh to get a reasonably even price range. We will also base the air conditioning units on a standard reverse cycle air conditioner with cooling capacity for a room of about 25 square metres.
How Much Does it Cost to Run Ducted Air Conditioning Systems?
Your air conditioning costs also depend on which system you use. Ducted air conditioner use tends to cost more, as ducted systems are used in larger buildings. Smaller units using split systems are considerably cheaper.
To work out your ducted air conditioning cost, you need to consider the size of the building you want to heat and cool. If you’re looking for a more energy efficient air conditioner, ducted systems may not be your best option.
Hot Climates
Homes in warmer climates will incur relatively high cooling costs, since AC units must work harder to cool them. In cities like Brisbane, the average price to cool a standard room is about $3.22 per hour.
This price is much higher than in other, more moderate cities, where the cost of heating rooms drops because temperatures are generally milder throughout the year. Heating the same size room in the winter months costs an average of $0.16 an hour.
Moderate Climates
Moderate cities have less extreme climates, so air conditioners don’t need to work hard to cool them. Cities on the milder side include Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth. The average cost to cool homes in these cities is about $1.11 an hour.
Heating homes in these cities yields a higher cost, though it is still lower for the whole year than in other climates. The average hourly price for heating homes in such cities is about $1.50.
Cold Climates
Homes in colder climates see savings during summer but have high heating costs during winter. Cities with cold temperatures include Melbourne, Hobart, and Canberra. The price to cool a home in one of these places during the summer is about $0.70 an hour.
Heating these homes costs much more than in any other climates mentioned here because the temperatures get lower in these cities, and the colder weather lasts longer. The average hourly cost to heat these homes with an air conditioning system in the winter is $4.06 an hour!
Comparing These Average Electricity Costs
While some of the above figures may seem startling, the most extreme prices only last during peak months of summer and winter. Also, they don’t operate at those rates all day—only during the hottest or coldest parts of a 24-hour cycle.
The average price to run air conditioner systems based on the above prices is between $1.45 and $2.12 an hour. Also, an air conditioner runs about 12 to 16 hours a day on average, so you aren’t paying those costs for 24-hour cycles.
ActronAir has Australia’s best zoning, allowing you to focus on the rooms you’re using and not bother with the rooms you’re not. Head to the Better Efficiency page to see the Zoning calculator to see the impact it can have to your power bill.
The Costs of Running Other Appliances
The average air conditioning running cost is high during the deep summer months. However, many other appliances run for longer periods during the day and cost more when they run.
We’ve split the following appliances into groups based on their location and general usage. Let’s look at the various appliances in the average home and see how their costs line up with those of an AC unit.
Kitchen Appliances
The kitchen contains various appliances that cost quite a bit to run. Microwaves, for example, cost an average of $0.41 an hour. Most people only use their microwaves for a few minutes a day, but if you frequently reheat leftovers or defrost meat, expect higher costs from this kitchen mainstay.
The stove and oven are two of the most expensive appliances in the home, besides the AC. The stove can cost $0.84 an hour to run, while the oven can be as much as $1.33 an hour. Most people use their stoves regularly, so you can count on the stove making up a sizable portion of your energy consumption.
Cleaning Appliances
Some cleaning appliances, such as a vacuum and an iron, cost only about $0.60 an hour and barely run during a typical day. The dryer, however, is one the costliest appliances. Dryer energy costs can reach $3.14 an hour to run and run for most of a laundry day.
Lighting
Lighting your house is another costly form of energy consumption, running anywhere between $0.24 and $1.68 an hour. Generally speaking, the variations in cost depends on the kind of lighting you use.
Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are fantastic for energy efficiency. They only cost about $0.04 an hour because their motors are very efficient. You will save money if you turn off your air conditioner regularly and run your ceiling fans instead.
What Costs the Most?
Standard air conditioners still have the highest cost to run of any appliance, given the time they take to run – plus Australia’s constantly fluctuating temperatures. However, it doesn’t beat other appliances by much, only costing about 33% of energy bills at most.
Your exact air conditioning costs will depend largely on where you live, which system you use (ducted air conditioners cost more to run than smaller air conditioners with split systems) and what your habits are. To lower energy consumption, keep up with maintenance – such as regularly cleaning your air conditioner’s filters – and consider other appliances first.
At the end of the day, you can’t change your energy prices, but you can lower consumption. The more efficient the appliance (or the person using it), the lower your bills will be.
Efficiently Cool Your Home With ActronAir
At ActronAir, we are an Australian-owned and operated company and we believe in supplying every customer with the best air conditioning systems and air quality in Australia.
We know the weather here is highly unpredictable, which is why we’ve built our air conditioner units to keep up with any temperature changes nature throws our way. We design and build air conditioners with these capabilities in mind.
Replacing your old AC unit with one of ours always helps reduce the costs of running air conditioning in your home. Call ActronAir at 1300 522 722 to get a quote on a new AC unit and to find out about our other products and services.
