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Energy saving tips – Heating & cooling

Let your thermostat control your heater. Try adjusting your heat to around 18-21˚C.
Use the correct size heater for the room. Overheating wastes energy, while small heaters on a maximum setting will struggle to heat your room.
Don't leave your heater running overnight. (Note: A heat pump may need to be run overnight if it is going to be a cold morning.)
Use timers on heaters to make sure they turn on and off when you need them.
Switch off your OffPeak storage heater in summer.
If you have a space heater in your living room that has an output of 3.5kW or more, connect it to the Aurora Heating Discount (HydroHeat). You may also receive this discount rate on your hot water heating.

To prevent drafts and heat loss, close windows and doors, and seal gaps with weather stripping.
Heat only those rooms that are being used.
Make sure the ceilings are insulated. A minimum insulation rating of R3.5 is recommended. Find out more about insulation.
When building a new house, take the opportunity to insulate the floors and walls.
Carpet on wooden floors minimises heat loss.
Block off any chimneys that are unused or install dampers to stop draughts and prevent heat loss.
Place sausage draft stoppers under door cracks.
Remember to close your curtains to keep the heat in on cool nights.
Install pelmets with full length, thermal lined curtains to prevent heat loss.
If you have an internal garage, make sure the door is closed to prevent heat loss.
Install ceiling fans in rooms that have high or cathedral ceilings. The ceiling fan should be running at its lowest speed to slowly push the warm air where it is needed.
Fit automatic door closers to ensure back and front doors are closed after use.
Double glaze windows to prevent excess heat loss.

Choosing a heat pump

Make sure the heat pump is the right size for your space. If it is too small or too large it may not heat the space effectively. An Aurora Preferred Supplier can advise you.
Like most whitegoods, heat pumps now come with star rating labels. The label for heat pumps (or reverse-cycle models) has two bands of stars
- the blue band shows the efficiency when cooling
- the red band shows the efficiency when heating.
The more efficient the heat pump is, the more stars it earns. Choose a heat pump for the area needed with the highest star rating.

Heat pump efficiency

Make sure the airflow around the unit isn't obstructed, as this will affect efficiency and the operation of your heat pump, this is for both the indoor and outdoor units.
The temperature of a heated room in winter should be between 18–21˚C.
The temperature of a cooled room in summer should be about 23–26˚C (the humidity indoors will be low, so it will feel cooler).
When a cold day is expected, turn on the heat pump early rather than wait till the building becomes cold as the heat pump operates more efficiently when the outside air temperature is warmer. (This is also advised on cooling mode.)
Keep windows and doors closed when using a heat pump.
Don't try to heat the whole house with single room heat pumps.
Close the curtains on hot summer days and cold winter nights.
Outdoor shading of windows in summer will help to cool the room.
If the machine has adjustable louvres, adjust them towards the ceiling when cooling, and towards the floor when heating (cool air falls, hot air rises).
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for filter cleaning, but as a rule cleaning should be done at least once a week. Since the filters are cleaning the air by removing dust and pollen, the filters will accumulate dust build up. If this dust is not removed the heat pump will work inefficiently.
Don't have furniture or stand in front of your heat pump, this may disrupt the air flow and temperature of the room.

Should a heat pump be run overnight?

Only run your heat pump overnight if the outside temperature overnight will drop below 7˚C (or the temperature specified by the manufacturer) and you require heat in the morning.
If you run it overnight, lower the temperature to it's lowest setting, usually about 16˚C.
If it is going to be a cold evening or morning have the heat pump constantly going. This is so the room is warm enough for the defrost cycles. If the heater starts up from scratch when it is below 7˚C outside, it may take much longer to start heating.