R0NMMR Someone changing the settings of a domestic AC or Air Conditioning unit with a remote control - focus on the remote. Alamy
R0NMMR Someone changing the settings of a domestic AC or Air Conditioning unit with a remote control - focus on the remote. Alamy
R0NMMR Someone changing the settings of a domestic AC or Air Conditioning unit with a remote control - focus on the remote. Alamy
R0NMMR Someone changing the settings of a domestic AC or Air Conditioning unit with a remote control - focus on the remote. Alamy

How can I save money when running my AC all day at home?


Farah Andrews
  • English
  • Arabic

As we move into the warmer months, with more people working from home than ever before, an efficient air conditioning system is essential. However, it is not always clear if running your home's AC 24/7 is the most cost and energy-efficient way to use the cooling system. So what should we do?

Dubai maintenance company We Will Fix It advises that, in the long run, it is better to keep your AC running in summer months.

Not cleaning your AC air filter is like not cleaning or changing your face mask

"During the cooler months, only turning your AC on only when needed makes sense. However, during the summer months, turning your AC off when you leave the house could raise humidity levels and make it more difficult to reduce the heat again when you are back," the company writes on its AC FAQ page.

"Smart thermostats that include climate control will help to automatically manage the system to ensure the AC is not wasting unnecessary energy, but the humidity is still controlled," the company adds. "During the hotter months, instead of turning your system completely off when you leave the house, increase the thermostat to around 25 to 26°C instead. This will help to control the humidity levels whilst also ensuring that you are not running up your energy bill."

It is not, however, necessary to have the AC running in every room. Candoo Home Services's Arif Wibowo suggests customers to run units in the centre of their home to keep the temperature regular.

More people than ever are working from home, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images
More people than ever are working from home, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images

"It is not necessary to have all of your AC units running at the same time to maintain an ambient temperature in your home," Wibowo tells The National. "Work out which of your AC units is most centrally located in your home and keep the internal doors open ... This should then maintain a constant temperature and save you money in the process."

The most cost-efficient temperature 

While 25 to 26°C is an ideal temperature to keep your AC set to while you're out, when in the house it is recommended that people set their thermostats to 23°C.

"Most AC units have an automatic actuator valve, which cuts the circulation off the chilled water once the set temperature has been reached (in auto mode)," Wibowo says. "Any cooler than [23°C] will likely cause the valve to remain constantly open, significantly increasing the use of the chilled water, which will cost you more money."

Keep your filters clean 

The most important advice, as we spend more time at home than ever before, is to make sure that your AC filters are clean and well maintained.

"Not cleaning your AC air filter is like not cleaning or changing your face mask," Wibowo says. "We recommend that AC units are serviced every four months."

"If you live in an apartment building, then your AC will likely be linked to the main chilled water system, [so] the main priority is to clean the filters and unclogging the drain lines," he says. "If you live in a villa or older property and have a split AC units, then in addition to cleaning the filters, the gas (compressor) will need to be checked and likely topped up (much like the AC in your car)."

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The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

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What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.

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  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

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Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

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Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.

It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.

Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.

Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.

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Australian Open Champion

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