2019-12-01_Australian_House_Garden

H G advice

186 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE&GARDEN

Don’tletthesunin

Thebestwaytokeepyourhomecool

istopreventheatfromentering– and

externalshadingisyourfirstlineof

defence,saysFrancesCosway,head

designeratWhitePebbleInteriors.

“Externalblinds,retractableawnings,

shadesailsandangledlouvresaresome

ofthebestoptions,”shesays.Theright

internalblindscanalsohelp,saysVera

Meharg,marketingcommunications

manageratLuxaflexWindowFashions.

Whenyou’reselectinginteriorwindow

coveringsfortemperaturecontrol,

choosea stylethatsitsclosetothe

glassina sunscreen-stylefabricthat

willreflectheatandUVrays,oropt

foraninsulatingfabric, she says.

Turnit down

Flickingtheswitchissometimesthe

onlyoptiononthosesearingdays,but

therearewaystokeeprunningcoststo

a minimum.“Setyourairconditioner

to 24 °C– everydegreebelowthatadds

anextrafivepercenttoenergybills,”

saysJanPrichard,generalmanagerof

customercareatenergyretailerOrigin.

“Closethewindowsanddoorsandseal

gaps.Coolingonlythespaceyou’rein

ratherthanthewholehousecansave

youabout$470peryear,”she says.

Upgradetheaircon

If yourairconditionerisa fewyears

old,it mightpaytoinvestina newone.

“Anenergy-efficientairconditionercould

save you upto$166 a year compared with

a 15 -year-oldsplitsystem,”saysPrichard.

Thehighertheenergy-starrating,the

moreefficienttheappliance.“A2.5-star-

ratedmodelcouldcostupto 85 percent

moretorunthana 7 -starunit,”shesays.

Manyofthelatestairconditioners

havesmartfeatureswhichhelpto

keepcostsdown.“Inclusionssuchas

movementdetection,whichswitches

themachinetoenergy-savingmodeif

nomovementisdetectedfora certain

periodandreturnsit tonormaloperation

whenoccupantsre-enter,canreallyhelp

withenergymanagement.A unitwithan

economymode,wherethetemperature

adjustsby 1 °Ctoreducepower,isgreat

too,”saysKyleRafter,nationalproduct

manageratFujitsuGeneralAustralia.

Fromlate 2019 , ownersofFujitsu

Generalairconditionersthatareless

than 10 yearsoldwillbeabletouse

a wi-fi-enableddevicetocontrol

temperature,fanspeedandlouvre

positionremotelywitha smartdevice

• phone,tabletorhomeassistant–
  ensuringyourhomeisattheperfect
  temperature when you arrive home.

“FANSARETHECHEAPESTFORMOFCOOLING,COSTING ABOUT

$6 PER SUMMER TO RUN.”DR ROBERT SIMPSON, AUSGRID

For Where to Buy, see page

198

.