One degree of difference

Air conditioners are one of the biggest users of power for modern businesses.

Setting your air conditioning temperature setpoint just one degree higher during summer – from 22^oC up to 23^oC – will reduce both your power use and your annual electricity bills.

Increasing the temperature setpoint by 1^oC will reduce the amount of power your air conditioner uses by up to 10 per cent, saving 200 kg of carbon pollution.

The setpoint defines the temperature level required to make an air-conditioned space comfortable. When the temperature rises above or drops below the setpoint, the system's control measures start working to return to that level. The lower the setpoint in summer, the harder the system has to work.

In winter, the reverse is true – the higher the setpoint, the harder the system works.

The savings don't stop with adjusting the setpoint. The performance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment deteriorates over time, so a well-designed maintenance program can yield enormous savings depending on the size of your business – a system with a 100kW chiller could save 10,000 kg of carbon pollution annually.

Here are some of the other things you can do to save power and cut down on carbon pollution from your air conditioning system:

• make sure thermostats and auto-timers match company work patterns and you're not cooling empty space
• regularly inspect your air-conditioning system
• clean and replace your building's air-filters regularly
• check the building for adequate roof and wall insulation
• reduce air-conditioning demands by locating thermostats away from heat sources such as urns, photocopiers, natural sunlight or space heaters
• don't air-condition areas that don't need it, such as storage rooms
• think about installing a hanging ceiling in areas where ceiling heights are excessive
• keep windows and doors closed when the air-conditioning is on
• install automatic time switches or energy management systems
• install automatic door closers in the building
• use internal blinds/curtains on windows to reduce solar heat gains
• shade north and western facing windows with awnings or trees to reduce the amount of direct summer sunlight entering.