Now that winter has arrived temperatures in Geelong, Torquay and along the Surf Coast can average 10 degrees, this means we rely on our heating daily to keep us all cosy and warm. With electricity prices rising significantly over the past few years and may continue to do so, it is vital that we all look at ways that we can reduce our power bills to save you money and to also help save the environment.

At Mako Air our team have been helping our Geelong, Torquay and Surf Coast customers to save money by installing and servicing all their heating appliances, from smaller residential split system air conditioners, to larger commercial roof top packaged air conditioning systems. By simply installing quality energy efficient heating and cooling systems and servicing your unit at least yearly, will allow your system to work at its optimum level and reduce electricity costs.

There are many ways to reduce your power bills without costing you a lot of money at all. It’s just making simple changes around your home or office, and educating everyone around you to do the same. 

Here’s some of our favourite energy saving tips;

1. Set timers – Most modern heating systems have timers installed. It’s beneficial for you to read the instructions to work our how to use the timer, or call our Mako Air team to help. You can then set the timer to come on before you wake or before arriving at work and then set it to turn off in the evening before bed or leaving the office. More advanced “smart systems” can also use mobile Apps and WIFI to set timers from wherever you are.
2. Window and door seals – Up to 40% of heat in your home can leak out through window and door gaps. If your heating is on, close your curtains or blinds to maintain the heat inside. You can also look around your home or office for any areas with gaps and seal them up, and use door stops at the bottom of doors to reduce draughts and keep your home and office a lot warmer.
3. Set your heater to a reasonable temperature. Ideal settings are between 18 to 21 degrees in winter. Some people think that by putting your heater up to 25-30 degrees will warm your space faster, but this is not the case. The heater will work extremely hard to try and get to that temperature, but it can take many hours for it to get there. This will cost you so much money to set it this high. A maximum of 21 degrees is a comfortable temperature for everyone, especially if it’s only 10 degrees outside. Heaters are designed to be warm, not so hot that you have to just sit there in shorts and a t-shirt. 
4. Keep the space around your heater clear. It is tempting to place your wet washing right in front of the heater to dry it,  but not only can this be a safety issue but it can also confuse your heating by thinking the environment is warmer and therefore it will stop working when it’s reached the set temperature. 
5. Please look after your heater, especially because it gets so much use in Winter. It is vital that your heating system is serviced and maintained. If at any time your heater makes a strange noise, smells differently, or is just not performing the way it should, then please give us a call on 0490 333 461. We are experts in servicing and repairing heaters of all kinds and want your to stay warm over these cooler months.

We hope these tips will help you save money. Our team at Mako Air have been helping our customers in Geelong and the Surf Coast for more than twenty years, we have the knowledge, expertise and understanding of the local climate to help with all your heating and air conditioning needs.