Air conditioning running costs

Running cost depends on the unit's power, how long you run it, and your electricity tariff. As a rough guide, a typical bedroom unit cooling a room draws far less power than most people expect — often comparable to running a couple of desktop computers.

What affects your bill

• Cooling load — room size, glazing, orientation and insulation.
• Runtime — occasional evening use costs a fraction of all-day running.
• Efficiency (SEER/SCOP) — higher-rated units deliver more cooling or heating per unit of electricity.
• Tariff — the unit rate you pay per kWh.

Efficient heating, too

Most modern systems are reversible air-to-air heat pumps. In heating mode they can deliver several units of heat per unit of electricity, which can make them an efficient way to warm a room compared with direct electric heaters. See air-to-air heat pumps.

Figures here are indicative and depend on your equipment and usage. For a system matched to your rooms, request an installer match.