It's summer and it's hot. You're melting and need to turn on your A/C. You've already used my handy guide to figure out the Korean remote control settings for how to turn on the air conditioner in your apartment. But now you're worried about the energy use. How much is too much? What is the best way to keep the energy bill, and your home temperature, low?
Here's a quick Top 10 list from Chosun Ilbo to address this very topic, which come from Samsung and LG recommendations. Here are their tips.
Top 10 Air Conditioner Energy Saving Tips
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- Know which type you have.
There are 2 main types of A/C in Korea (and probably elsewhere too). The "constant running" type and the "inverter" type. The constant ones are older models, mostly sold before 2010, and have only one main running mode: full power until the room has reached your desired temperature, then it shuts off, then will turn on again later at full power, and keep this on/off cycle going. This is less energy efficient. The inverter types can self-adjust their own power strength depending on your desired temp. So they're more energy efficient. So maybe it's time to upgrade anyway. - Start strong and at low temp.
They recommend starting your unit at the strongest blowing force and low temperature, then once the room feels good, adjust it back down (up?) to your desired level. Actually most modern A/C units do this anyway, starting strong with you turn it on. Somehow this works better than just setting it at your desired temp right away. - Leave it on.
I.e. don't manually turn it on and off throughout the day. If you want it cool, let it establish the desired temp and leave it on so it can self-adjust the temp. You manually turning it on/off will make it work harder each time it's turned on again. - Dehumidifier can cost more.
Yes, finally an answer to the age-old question. They say directly that the dehumidifier option (제습) is not an 'energy saving' alternative to normal A/C (냉방). And depending on weather conditions can actually use more energy than normal A/C. So use it only if you truly want dehumidified air, not as the poor man's A/C. Of course this will depend on your particular unit and conditions too. - Use fan and circulator.
Don't just run the A/C. Set up small fans and air circulators around the house too to keep that cool feeling. This apparently can make a huge difference (and I agree). - Keep cool air in the house.
That's right, the official Korean manufacturers are recommending you work to keep the cool air inside, i.e. not open the windows for "ventilation" or whatever other nonsense your boss or significant other is insisting is better. Might ease your 냉방병 but you'll take the hit on your bill. - Don't expose the outside unit.
Try to keep the outdoor portion of the unit cool. Shade it, keep it clean, even spray it with water to help keep it cool so it can run more efficiently. - Keep it cleaned.
Korea has many simple air conditioner cleaning services that will come to your home and spend an hour or two dismantling your indoor unit and cleaning mold and build-up from it. Costs between 50,000 won and 100,000 won. - Know how much electricity you use.
Since the goal is to reduce energy costs, they advise you to pay attention to how much energy you're using overall. Korea has a stepped pricing system, so keep an eye on how much energy you're using to make sure you don't inadvertently reach into the next step up, when your costs grow significantly enough though you might only be using a tiny bit more. - Unplug cords when not using.
Not listed here but also check if your A/C controller has a 절전 (Energy savings mode) setting.
Nothing groundbreaking here but good tips anyway. I'm pleased to see in print what I always suspected: that dehumidifier mode does not in fact use much less energy.
Stay cool out there folks, and for those who need it:
And because I still think this is funny:
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