What is the ideal aircon unit temperature in Singapore?
Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) recommends 25°C as an efficient temperature that gives you the benefits of an aircon unit, keeps your electricity bills manageable, and manages your environmental impact at the same time.
At what temperature should an aircon unit be set during hot summer days?
When the heat and humidity have you working up a sweat, the temptation is to crank up the aircon unit and enjoy that nice, cool, dry air. Then you get your utility bill and it hits you, there’s a price to pay for all of that extra comfort.
You want to save money, so you set your thermostat several degrees higher and the cycle starts all over again. If this sounds all too familiar, there are some ways to find that comfortable balance between comfort and savings.
However, the ideal temperature to keep your thermostat set over the summer is 25°C. This slightly elevated setting will help balance your aircon unit costs out, so you are not wasting money on cool air when your thermostat is already low.
Ideal Aircon Temperature While you are at home
While you are at home, you don’t want to set the thermostat to an uncomfortably high temperature. But bumping it down to ‘nearly freezing’ is a sure way to get a sky-high energy bill. Try setting your thermostat to 25°C, which is recommended by Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) as the optimal temperature for your home.
However, if your family prefers a much cooler home, you still have options. Without telling your kids or spouse, set your aircon unit to a higher temperature than you would normally. Then slowly bring it down over the coming days. You can use this method to find the best temperature for your family based on their reactions and comfort level.
You don’t want to be uncomfortable for the sake of money. But, if you can comfortably live at a temperature only a few degrees higher you could significantly impact your energy bill.
While you are sleeping
While you’re sleeping, you should set your temperature to around 77°F or still 25°C. Keeping your home warmer at night can actually help you sleep better as you’re more likely to reach thermoneutrality. Your body reaches thermoneutrality at 86°F and by setting your thermostat to 77°F and using sleepwear and a light blanket, you’ll be able to get quality sleep by hitting thermoneutrality. Plus, you’ll save money while you’re at it.
During the summer
During hot summer months, focus on ways to keep your home cool without overusing your aircon unit to avoid high energy bills. The higher you set your thermostat during these months the better. Pair a higher temperature in your home with running your fans and closing your curtains to help keep cool air in without running up your energy expenses.
When you are not at home
To save on energy expenses, set your thermostat to 88°F before you leave for work. You should also bump it up to this temperature when you’ll be away from your home for any length of time. You don’t want to waste energy and increase your energy bill when you’re not even there to enjoy it. A good rule of thumb to follow is to turn your thermostat up if you expect to be away from your home for two hours or more.
Having your aircon unit set to a warm temperature won’t make it more difficult to cool down your home. In fact, it’s easier to cool down your home because less warm air will flow into your home while you’re away.
What is the best aircon unit temperature for the baby?
There is a range that is recommended for your baby. This makes it a little easier so you don’t have to keep the home at an exact temperature all the time. Experts recommend that you choose a temperature that is somewhere between 18 to 22 degrees celsius. This is a comfortable place for the baby to be in without being too hot or too cold.
If you have the baby in a room without a thermostat, you should find a way to measure the temperature yourself. An indoor thermometer can do the work and let you know how warm or cold the temperature is in the room. Toddlers and babies are often comfortable in a temperature that is similar to what you may like. However, depending on whether your baby tends to run warm or cold, you may need to add on another layer if you like it cooler in the home.
How to keep your baby comfortable with the aircon unit?
Do not over bundle: If you feel the need to bundle your baby up, then this is a sign that it is too cold in the home. Turn the aircon unit temperature up a bit instead of bundling the baby more. An extra layer is not too bad, but you do not want to add on a ton of layers to keep them warm while the aircon unit is on.
Watch for overheating: You should check to see whether the baby is getting too warm. The hands and feet are not a good way to check on this at all. Check the stomach or the head to see if they feel warm. You can look for other signs like damp hair, rapid breathing, flushed cheeks, or if they are really fussy.
Keep the cribs bare: This not only helps with preventing SIDS but also helps keep your baby from getting too warm during the day. If you feel that your baby needs a blanket while sleeping, then it is a sign the aircon unit is too cold.
Use a Fan: Instead of relying on the cold aircon unit all the time, consider working with a fan instead. This won’t cause such a dramatic decrease in the room temperature and makes sure that the oxygen and air will circulate around the room.
Share a room: This is the best way to tell how warm or cool a room is. If you are in there, you do not need to guess whether it is safe for the baby or not. You are right there and can figure it out.
What if the room is too cold?
If you feel that the room is getting too cold for your baby, it is time to turn down the temperature on your aircon unit. You do not need to have it on at full blast in order to keep your baby comfortable and ready for the hot summer sun. You need to learn what feels good to your baby and what feels good to you and find a good medium between them both to keep the temperature at.
On the other hand, if you notice that your baby is sweating and has flushed cheeks, it may be time to turn the aircon unit down a bit and take off some layers. This is a big sign that the room is not cool enough for your baby.
Rain alone will not harm your aircon unit. In fact, turning the system on during warm, rainy days can make your home feel much more comfortable. The only time you would need to be concerned is if the rain was severe enough to leave standing water around the unit. In that case, it would be wise to power it down as recommended by an air con servicing company.
These storms bring heat and humidity with them, especially right before the storm hits, which may make you run to your thermostat to cool off. Thunder also brings the risk of lightning. Though it’s tempting to rely on your aircon unit, a professional aircon servicing company recommends you shouldn’t run your unit during a thunderstorm.
Why is it not ideal to set the aircon unit temperature so high?
1) Your aircon unit has two jobs
The reason is that your aircon unit doesn’t just cool the air. In fact, your home’s aircon unit has two equally important jobs. The first is cooling, but the second is dehumidification.
When the warm air from your home passes over the evaporator coils, the air cools quickly and water in the air condenses on the coils. It’s just like water condensing on the outside of a cold soft drink can on a warm summer day.
This removes humidity from the air so that when the air passes through the supply vents back into your home, it’s both cooler and drier.
2) Setting the thermostat too high prevents dehumidification
Setting the thermostat saves energy because it causes the air conditioner to run less, a lot less and that’s the problem. If you set your thermostat at 26°C, the aircon unit won’t run enough to effectively dehumidify your home’s air.
That’s much higher than the recommended ideal indoor humidity of 30-50%. Having indoor humidity above 50% can cause serious issues for your health and your home.
3) The dangers of high indoor humidity
Why is it important to keep your home’s humidity below 50%?
One big reason is mold. Warm, humid conditions promote the growth of mold colonies. A 29°C home
with 70% humidity is basically a mold farm.
Having mold in your home can cause serious health issues. Mold spores can cause allergic reactions and worsen asthma symptoms. Even people without allergies or asthma can experience throat irritation, coughing, and other upper respiratory symptoms when exposed to mold.
Mold can cause damage to your home that requires expensive remediation and clean-up. And if it gets into your entire aircon unit, it can damage the ductwork and the aircon unit, particularly the coils.
In addition to promoting mold, high indoor humidity itself can cause harm to your health.
Accordingly, an air temperature of 27°C with 70% humidity results in a heat index or “feels-like” temperature of 30°C. That’s in the “Caution” range for heat disorders caused by prolonged exposure.
In other words, just being in your house for several hours with the thermostat set at 27°C could lead to you developing heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion. This is particularly true for people who are sensitive to the heat due to age or health issues.
Lastly, high indoor humidity itself can also do damage to your home. When the humidity inside your home stays over 50% for a long period, it can cause swelling and warping of wood and paper products. This could damage hardwood floors or wood furniture, as well as cause damage to books and papers.
Here are a few common mistakes that can potentially damage your aircon unit:
Aircon unit not being regularly serviced
One of the most common mistakes people make is not getting their aircon unit serviced. This is very important as all the dirt that gets accumulated inside the system may contaminate the air that is blowing out. A professional aircon servicing company recommends an aircon unit be serviced every 6 months. If not, your aircon unit may even stop working.
Not cleaning the filters
Aircon filters trap the dirt and do not let them mix with the fresh air that gets blown. However, if you do not clean the filters it might start blowing out dirt with the air as well. With that, it might also block the vents and your air might start emitting hit air instead of cold air.
A professional aircon servicing company recommends having your aircon filters cleaned if not replaced every 3 months or when it seems to not be performing their supposed function anymore.
Keeping the aircon temperature too high
Keeping the temperature too high may lead to the aircon unit not working anymore for most aircon. This is because there is a certain amount of pressure being made on the aircon unit as the outside temperature is almost the same compared to the inside temperature, this may be a problem later on.
Keeping the temperature too high can stop your aircon’s ability to cook the room when you decrease the temperature later on.
Not having curtains or blinds at home
Sunlight can work as a barrier and not let the aircon unit cool the room as it should be doing. The sunlight coming will keep the room hot and the aircon unit will try to cool. This clash may cause an aircon issue as it is unable to perform as it should be doing. So a professional aircon servicing company recommends that you use curtains and blinds to also protect your aircon unit.
Why is it important to ensure your aircon unit is running correctly?
Home energy evaluations and regular maintenance of your aircon unit will catch problems and help you to make adjustments to your home. Home energy evaluations will take a look at everything from breakers to appliances and air conditioning to windows. You’ll get a report of everything you can change to improve your energy efficiency and cut down on energy costs without the commitment of making changes before knowing ROI.
Having an inefficient aircon unit can end up costing you more energy expenses. This is why you should make sure to have at least one maintenance visit from a reliable aircon servicing company each year. If possible you should have a maintenance inspection twice a year, for a more efficient aircon unit all year round.
It’s always a good time to talk about the common issues that aircon units have. This way, you’ll be able to spot if there are problems with your unit or not and prepare for its replacement accordingly. If you require our aircon servicing services, Whatsapp us at +65 9222 4141 for a fast and transparent quote.
338 Aircon Servicing Singapore provides an extensive range of Aircon Services including Aircon Servicing, Aircon Repairs, Cheap Aircon Installation of the best aircon brands, Chemical Overhaul, Gas Top-up, Aircon Leaking Water, and Aircon Not Cold Fix, and more. We have a team of professional technicians who are equipped with vast knowledge and experience in the Aircon industry.
We have over 15 years of experience in dealing with aircon works and have completed thousands of aircon works for both residential (Landed, Condo, and HDB) and commercial. We are a highly recommended Aircon Company in Singapore, with many delighted customers and reviews over the years on Google and Facebook.
WhatsApp us at +65 9222 4141 for a transparent quotation and honest pricing for all your aircon needs or Call us at +65 9222 4141. We offer a fast and efficient service to serve any of your aircon needs!
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