– 8 Common Air Conditioning Myths, Debunked

For many of us Summer, is just around the corner and that means warmer temperatures are on the way and indoor comfort is soon to become a priority. With higher temperatures comes warmer evenings, perfect for sitting on a terrace but ultimately affecting the quality of our sleep. As the mercury rises, we look for ways to improve temperatures at night to make our slumber a more comfortable one.   

Your Hitachi air conditioner is the perfect solution to create the right sleeping environment… but isn’t it bad for your health to leave the AC running at night?  

This is exactly what we address in this article, busting the air conditioning myths and misconceptions so that you can operate your system with confidence and more efficiently. We start things off with the relationship between sleep and your air conditioner. 

Air Conditioning Myths and Misconceptions 

Sleeping with the air conditioning on is bad for your health

There is some truth in this if you set the temperature too low, but by using your air conditioner in the correct manner you can create a nighttime environment that is both comfortable and healthy. At night, our body temperature drops so it is best practice to increase the temperature of your unit by one degree or two above the temperature that you use during the day for indoor comfort.  

To increase the efficiency of your unit at night, check if it has a sleep function. Within our range of Hitachi Residential Air Conditioners, we offer Sleep mode that increases the temperature by 1 degree every hour while gently adapting the fan speed to reduce feeling of drafts until the ideal temperature has been reached.  

Air conditioning gives you a cold 

Perhaps one of the most common misconceptions associated with air conditioning. In fact, air conditioning can actually improve indoor air quality and reduce the chances of becoming ill. Air conditioners are fitted with filters which capture dust and pet dander, helping reduce the cause of allergies. Also, they can be purchased or fitted with specialized filters and technology that further reduce pollutants in the air and kill harmful bacteria which, together with viruses, are the cause of most of respiratory infections. See how our FrostWash technology helps battle mold and bacteria inside your unit, here.  

Air conditioning also helps maintain healthier humidity levels, which, if left unchecked, can promote unhealthy indoor living conditioners. Of course, you must take your regions indoor temperature recommendations into account when operating your unit. The World Health Organization notes that a comfortable, healthy indoor temperature is between 18°C –24°C (64°F –75°F), however this will vary on where you are located so check for local recommendations to be sure.  

The location of the indoor unit doesn’t matter 

This myth can cost you your comfort and even increase energy consumption. Contrary to belief, the location of the indoor unit is important. You need to avoid installing the unit where it will be exposed to direct sunlight, at the wrong height on the wall, or where the airflow could be potentially blocked or obstructed. Doing so will mean your unit will have to operate harder thus wasting energy and increasing your household bills.   

The same goes for the thermostat, don’t place it in direct sunlight as it will gauge the incorrect temperature, making your air conditioner work more than required.  

Setting the temperature low cools the space faster 

Though it does cool the space faster, this is not the ideal way to do it. Not only will it put stress on your unit to reach the temperature rapidly, especially on hotter days, but you won’t be cooling the room to a realistic, comfortable temperature. If the thermostat is set too low for a long period of time, the system will attempt to maintain that temperature meaning that the unit’s compressor will be constantly working, wasting energy and increasing bills.  So, whilst a surge of cold air might seem appealing, it is better to reduce the temperature slowly to find the right level of comfort.   

Turning off the AC when your not home saves energy 

This only applies in situations in which commitments require you to spend the majority of the day away from home or long weekends away. This is when it is actually more efficient to keep the system running only a few degrees higher (or lower) than the ideal comfortable temperature. This avoids demanding extra work from your unit when you return home and can reduce energy consumed.  

Our app airCloud Home includes Smart Fence which uses your geolocation as a trigger to activate or deactivate your AC system for you. By pre-programming at what distance you want Smart Fence to use, it will adjust to operate at a more efficient temperature when on you are away and recognize when you are arriving home and adjust the temperature to your preferred setting.  

Upgrading to a bigger air conditioner improves performance 

Unfortunately, this is not the case. By choosing a unit that is more powerful than the space being conditioned needs, it will use more energy. This is the same for all types of air conditioner unit and system. To avoid selecting a unit that could consume more than expected, calculate the right sized unit for the space you want to cool so you know that the air conditioner is going to perform as desired, efficiently.  

Closing vents of a ducted system in unused rooms helps save energy 

This is not true. When a ducted system is installed, it is designed so that air is distributed evenly throughout the house. This means that if vents are closed, the unit still operates in order to the meet the set capacity, working against your aim to save energy. In order to save energy you will have to look towards different operating modes and methods to improve the efficiency of your unit’s performance, but closing vents is not one of them.  

Using air conditioning isn’t safe for children 
  

It has been proven that air conditioning does not affect the health of babies and toddlers, and that it is also a great tool to prevent the consequences of excessive heat, such as dehydration. It is recommended that children, including newborns, are at a mild temperature, allowing them to be comfortable without sweating, which will also help them sleep better during hotter nights.  

Since children are always on the move, portable air conditioners should be avoided, with wall-mounted split systems being the safest option. In this way, the temperature can be adjusted to the needs of the child. 

As long as parents follow basic installation and operation guidelines, air conditioners can be a benefit to children, their comfort and their overall health. 

Bonus myth... Fan mode helps cool a room  

Whether using fan mode on your air conditioner or using a separate product, ultimately fans do not help keep a room cool. Fans create the wind-chill effect when blowing at the person in the room, transferring the heat from your body to the air but it doesn’t affect the air temperature of the room. To decrease the room’s temperature and create a comfortable environment, air conditioning is required to remove the unwanted heat from the interior and expel it outside.  

By keeping these misconceptions in mind, you can be sure to enjoy improved air conditioning performance both in terms of cooling and heating and in operating it efficiently so that you can save money on future bills. 

If you’re interested in learning more about which of our products is the right one for your home or upcoming project, take a look at our product ranges or you can contact us to speak to one of team members, here.