Should I Use My Air Conditioning In The Winter?

It’s a common misconception that air conditioning only gets used in the summer, especially in the UK. This isn’t the case though, as air conditioning can help ensure your home is at the perfect temperature all year round – even in winter!

Air conditioning can help your home maintain a constant temperature whether it’s hot or cold outside. This not only helps ensure you are comfortable, but it can also provide other benefits too, including:

• Sleep quality: Maintaining a constant comfortable temperature can help ensure you fall asleep easier and have a better sleep cycle.
• Respiratory illnesses: As well as temperatures, humidity can upset your breathing, especially if you have asthma or other respiratory illnesses. Aircon helps to remove humidity while also improving air quality.
• Heart attacks and strokes: Overheating properties, especially at night, has been linked to n increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in older people, so it’s best to avoid keeping your heating on full.
• Focus: Not feeling comfortable in any environment can impact your focus so if you’re working from home, a constant temperature can help with productivity.

This means that utilising your heating and your air conditioning to ensure your home remains at a constant temperature during the winter months is the best way forward. So what do you need to know about using your air conditioning in the winter?

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What Happens If You Use Air Conditioning In the Winter?

While older, traditional air conditioning units with external condensers may not be suitable for use during the winter months, our fully internal air conditioning can be used throughout the year. This means that you can benefit from clean, fresh air all year round.

Using your air conditioner in winter is not unlike using it in the summer. You can set it to a temperature that you find comfortable to ensure your home stays at a constant temperature. If your home starts to feel stuffy at any point, your AC will bring in fresh, filtered air to help alleviate discomfort. This can be particularly helpful in apartments that suffer from overheating due to heat rising from other floors or in heavily insulated properties.

Unlike in the summer months, you probably won’t need to run your air conditioning a lot during the winter. However, using it for a short time every day or so, especially if you are spending a lot of time at home, can help ensure the air quality of your home is improved.

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Is It More Efficient To Leave Air Conditioning On In Winter?

It’s more efficient to ensure your house is maintaining a constant, comfortable temperature, which can mean utilising your air conditioning and your heating at different points throughout any given day.

Maintaining a regular temperature by using a thermostat means you don’t have to drastically heat up or cool down your house at any point, which can use more energy in the long run. It also ensures you remain comfortable at all times.

You should spend time seeing what temperature setting is best for everyone in your home and then set the thermostat to this temperature. Your air conditioning will then only come on when it needs to cool your home rather than it being on all the time.

Similarly, you want to avoid leaving your heating on full blast throughout winter as this can also cause your energy use to skyrocket. Setting your heating to the same comfortable temperature will ensure it is not on when it isn’t needed.

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How Should I Set My Air Conditioning In Winter?

The best way to set your air conditioning in winter is to set it to a specific temperature to keep you comfortable. This means that your aircon isn’t on full at all times so you aren’t going to suffer chills as the weather gets colder.  

It’s also unlikely that you’ll need your air conditioning on at night when outside temperatures drop further, so it can be a good idea to turn it off in the evenings to save energy and ensure you’re comfortable.

Everyone feels best at a different temperature so the way you should set your aircon during winter very much depends on your preference, so it’s worth testing to see what works for you.

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Servicing Your Air Conditioning In Winter

As well as working out your ideal winter temperature, it’s a good idea to book your air conditioning in for its annual service during the winter months. The chances are it got a  lot of use during the warmer months, so now is a good time to have your system checked out to make sure it’s in full working order.

We recommend getting your air conditioning serviced once a year to avoid any small issues from becoming big problems. This can also ensure you don’t experience a breakdown when you really need your aircon.

To book your service or to discuss how air conditioning can still be beneficial during the winter months, get in touch today by calling 020 3613 9437 or by filling in our contact form.