Energy efficient air conditioners prove most popular: survey

March 28th, 2012

Air Conditioners Appliance News Heating & Cooling

The most recent Canstar Blue survey has found that Australians are prepare to pay more for their air conditioner if the long term costs are reduced by being energy efficient.

Almost two thirds of Australians said energy efficiency was their primary concern while 64 per cent said they would be prepared to spend over $1,000 on a new air conditioner that “would be kind to their power bill.”

New South Welshmen were the most concerned about energy efficient appliances and over half used the timer function to save money. This was in contrast to Queenslanders and South Australians who were the least likely to use timers at 28 per cent and 18 per cent respectively, according to the survey.

Fujitsu wins overall satisfaction award

Last year’s report from Canstar Blue revealed that Daikin was the most popular air conditioner but this year Fujitsu has trumped all the appliance makers for it’s value for money, after sale service, ease of use, noise, reliability and efficiency.

Fujitsu lead the pack ahead of Kelvinator, Panasonic, Daikin, Mitsubishi, Samsung and LG.

The difference between generations

Canstar Blue surveys are known for comparing age groups for buying habits and appliance usage.

This survey, which questioned 550 Australians found that Baby Boomers were almost three times less likely to buy an air conditioner online.

It also found that the older generation was cleaner.

“In addition to this, many Gen X and Y respondents (63 per cent and 65 per cent respectively) had never had their air conditioner unit cleaned, compared to Baby Boomers (40 per cent),” it said.

Keri Algar

Having once had to sit on the washing machine to stop it from bouncing into oblivion, Keri is today delighted with the new (smoother running) technologies that make housework easier every day. A self-confessed lazy-bones, Keri seeks out quirky inventions that ease the human workload, such as the robotic vacuum cleaner (wow). And as soon as someone figures out a Jetsons-like self-cleaning house, she will happily lay her pen to rest and retire from appliance journalism. Until then, her pick is a fridge that will tell her smartphone when it's time to pick up more beer on the way home. Magic.

2 responses to “Energy efficient air conditioners prove most popular: survey”

Noeline Thomas says:

June 28, 2012 at 12:05 pm

Two of our inverter, Reverse air conditioners have just died. Shopping around I have been told that Non inverter air conditioners are quieter, less maintenance and cheaper to buy. But are they cheaper to run? Does anyone know, truly?
Louise Carter says:

June 29, 2012 at 11:14 am

Hi Noeline, I’ve caught up with our appliance expert Colin Jones to find out how to get the most energy efficient air conditioner to suit your needs:

Running costs will depend on the size of the unit, and the room.

If you purchase a model too small the machine will always run – it will never turn off. Likewise when you buy one too big the machine will do what they call ‘cycle
off’ – whereby the air is moved so quickly it hits the wall and cycles back to the
machine. This gives a false reading saying: ‘I’ve reached the desired temp so I’m switching off.’

There is a lot of questions to be asked when purchasing an air conditioner:

1. What size is the room?
2. Is the room insulated?
3. What sort of lighting do you use?

4: Does the room face the west?
5. Are the windows large or small?
6. Is this an open area – can doors be closed off?

All
these are just basic questions, for just a quick guide you can get an idea about what size you require by doing this below:

Let’s say the room is 5 x 6 mtrs with an insulated roof, normal
lights, not facing west. For this area you’ll need a 4.5kw air conditioner.

Getting the right air conditioner to suit the room ensures maximum energy efficieny. Any further questions please give us a call: 1300 000 500