But before you start searching for blow-up paddling pools and ice machines to get you through the hot season, take a look at some tips from our home cooling experts that’ll help you keep your cool while keeping a lid on your energy bills.

It’ll require a few small changes to your home and your habits, but once your next electricity bill arrives you’ll be glad you made the effort.

Change your habits

A few small changes in habits can help keep your home cooler in summer and keep your energy bills down.

1. Turn the air con up

Setting your air conditioner to arctic might seem like the best way to beat the heat, but it can blow out your energy bill and increase wear and tear on the air conditioner’s motor.

And the bigger the difference between the outdoor and indoor temperature, the more it’ll cost you.Ìý

Our experts recommend trying to keep the temperature difference to around 8°C for maximum efficiency. So on a 32°C day, set your air conditioner to around 24°C.

Of course, you don’t really want to be sitting in a 37°C house on a 45° day, but just bear in mind that every degree above that 8°C difference adds 10% to your air con running costs – and over a long, hot summer that will really add up.

Fortunately, there are some other hacks you can use to cool things down so you’re not relying solely on your air conditioner. Keep reading for more tips.

2. Keep it clean

Give your air conditioner some love and it’ll return the favour. It can’t be its best self if it’s dirty and neglected, so give the filters and louvres a clean and check that everything’s working well.Ìý

And to make sure your air con lasts the distance this summer, it might be time to call in a professional to service it. It’ll help your system last longer and work more efficiently, so it’s well worth the money.Ìý

Now’s the time to jump on the cleaning and maintenance – you don’t want to find out that it’s on the blink at the start of the next heat wave.

Here’s how to clean your air conditioner.Ìý

3. Be a fan

Before you switch on the air conditioning, try a lower-tech option first. Fans are a cheap and simple way to beat the heat, and they’re cheap as chips to run.Ìý

It’ll only cost around $40 to run a fan 24/7 for an entire summer (depending on the fan and the selected speed; lower fan speeds use less power).

Fans can also give you a bit more wiggle room in terms of cooling.Ìý

A 2022 study found that a fan can buy you an extra 3–4°C before the room becomes so hot that you need the air conditioning – that’ll mean less time running the air con, which is good news for your electricity bill.

And if you use a fan along with your air conditioning, it’ll move the air around more effectively so it won’t need to work as hard, saving you even more.Ìý

“Ceiling fans make your body feel cool (although they won’t lower the actual room temperature) and so the effect is very immediate, focused, efficient and cost-effective,” says ÌÇÐÄVlog home cooling expert Chris Barnes.

“Pedestal fans are the least effective option – but at times are unavoidable, particularly for renters on those unbearable days.”

3. Keep an eye on the thermometer

“Use the environment to your advantage,” Chris says. “If you’re on the east coast, open your doors and embrace the southerly; if you’re on the west coast, make the most of the Fremantle Doctor.”

Use an indoor-outdoor thermometer to monitor the temperature difference. If it’s cooler outside than in, open up all the doors and windows; if it’s hotter outside, close everything up to keep the heat out.

5. Run appliances at night

Kitchen appliances can generate lots of heat, so if you wait until bedtime to turn on the dishwasher (or delay the cycle), you won’t have to deal with the heat in the kitchen.

You can also turn your slow cooker on overnight so you’re not heating the house during the day – and as a bonus you’ll have a delicious cooked lunch ready to pack in the morning.

Check out our expert dishwasher reviews to find the most energy-efficient dishwasher on the market.

Change your home

Changing habits can be hard, but there are plenty of small changes you can make to your home that’ll help keep you cool this summer. Many of these hacks are quick, easy wins that you can DIY.Ìý

And for those that require professional help like insulation, they’ll set you up for years to come. Plus, they’ll also keep your home warmer in winter – bonus!

6. Insulate it

It’s not very sexy, but insulation is actually a lot more important than you might think. Adding insulation into your ceiling alone can reduce the heat by up to 35%, which will make a big difference to your energy bill at the end of summer.Ìý

Wall and ceiling insulation will keep the cool in and the heat out in summer, and vice versa in winter – so you’ll save on both heating and cooling costs.Ìý

7. Seal it

To keep the cool air in and the heat out:

• use insulation strips around windows and under doors
• close off draughty fireplaces and unused pet doors
• close off any areas of the house you’re not using – there’s no point cooling the spare room if you don’t have guests.

8. Ventilate it

Consider adding roof cavity ventilation like whirly-birds and under-eave vents to remove some of the hot air.

The more heat you can remove, the cooler your house will be – which means less money you have to spend on cooling.

9. Shade it

Whatever you can do to stop the sun hitting your home’s walls and windows, the cooler your house will be in summer.Ìý

Whether you’re building or just making some small adjustments, these add-ons will help keep the heat out: 

• Eaves
• Pergolas
• Awnings
• Blinds
• Shutters
• Curtains

You can also plant deciduous trees near windows and glass doors – they’ll keep the sun off in summer but let it shine through in winter.

10. Double glaze and paint it

Double glazed windows will keep the heat out in summer and keep the warmth in in winter.

Darker exterior paint colours may be in vogue, but they’ll make your home hotter. Consider lighter tones to help keep your house cool.

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On this page:

• What's included with the Sensibo Sky?
• How easy is it to set up?
• How does it perform overall?
• Google, Alexa and Siri

ÌÇÐÄVlog verdict

The Senisibo Sky smart controller works with any air conditioner that uses an infrared (IR) remote control, and it delivers enough smart features to give you a taste of what a smart home could be like.Ìý

It can automatically turn your air con off when you walk out the door and turn it on when your home gets too hot. It can even allow you to control the temperature of your home when you’re at work.Ìý

Over time, most heating and cooling appliances will become smart enough to perform these tasks, but until then, the Sensibo Sky device is a great way to find out if a smarter home is what you want or need.

Sensibo Sky Price: $159Ìý

Contact: sensibo.com.au

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Will it work with my air conditioner?

Sensibo Sky won’t work with ducted systems that have a hard-wired controller. This is a solution for any air conditioner (split system, portable, window and cassette) that works with a remote control.

What’s included with the Sensibo Sky?

• 125cm micro USB cable
• USB power charger
• Sensibo Sky smart device

How easy is it to set up?

As with most smart devices these days, no printed instructions are included in the box apart from a suggestion to download and install the app (from the App Store for an iOS device or Google Play for Android) and follow the instructions in the app. The procedure to set up the Sensibo for your air conditioner and your home network is fairly straight forward.

• Plug the Sensibo into a power outlet using the charger and micro USB cable.
• Scan the QR label at the back of the Sensibo unit.
• Name your air conditioner and have your air conditioner remote synchronise with the Sensibo unit.
• Have your Sensibo join your Wi-Fi network (you are prompted to enter the password), give your unit a location such as ‘bedroom’ or ‘office’ – and you are good to go.

Placement

The small unit can be placed anywhere close to a power point for the USB charger. Either use the double-sided tape on the back or mount it onto a screw on a wall in the same room as the air con unit. The IR blaster in the Sensibo is surprisingly powerful, allowing you to keep the unit anywhere within line of sight to the IR receiver of the air conditioner.Ìý

While there is no problem with using both the Sensibo and the remote that comes with the air conditioner, positioning the Sensibo device directly below the air conditioner will ensure that it will also track when someone else in the home has used the remote control and adjust the status.

How does it perform overall?

The Sensibo Sky app allows you to be as smart as you want with your air conditioner. In fact you may only want to use it as a simple remote control from your smartphone, using the app to turn the unit on and turn the temperature control up and down when you are sitting in another room. Once you become familiar with the user interface, you may want to delve deeper to see the extra smart features and functions on offer.

Climate react

The first feature you may want to set up is ‘Climate react’ – using the Sensibo’s inbuilt temperature and humidity sensors, you can control your air conditioner’s actions based on the ambient temperature of the room. For example, you may want to set your air con to turn on when the room temperature reaches 28 degrees and a certain humidity level, and turn off again once the temperature drops below 24 degrees.

Scheduling

The ‘Scheduling’ feature allows you to set the air conditioner to turn on and off at particular times, for example before you get up in the morning or after you go to sleep. In winter, you might change the instructions from cooling to heating with a simple selection on the smartphone app.

Geofencing

If you don’t follow a set schedule, then the ‘Geofencing’ feature can be a useful way to ensure that you enter a welcoming cool home after a day out, regardless of the time. The air conditioner will automatically turn on when it senses that you, or more accurately your smartphone, is close to home. You can set the parameters from 100 metres to several kilometres.

Google, Alexa and Siri

If you have an Amazon Alexa or Google Home speaker then you may be wondering if it can do anything other than tell you what the weather is like, or play a music track. With the Sensibo in your home, you can now add phrases like ‘Alexa, turn on the living room air conditioner’ or ‘Hey Siri, increase the temperature in the bedroom’ or ‘OK Google, turn off the kitchen air conditioner’. You can even create simple phrases for the Google Home app such as ‘I’m home’ and as soon as you walk through the door and call out the phrase, your air conditioner will turn on and operate to the setting you desire.

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Full of hot air

To save you taking a crash course in thermal physics, let’s just say that heat always tries to move from a warm spot to a cooler area. So when it comes to your home, heat sneaks in from outside in summer, while in winter it tries to escape.

Build it right

If you’re building or making big changes to a house, now’s the time to earn some planet-friendly brownie points. The mission here is to get your home working smarter, not harder. To create a , look at:

• A house design that’s long and rectangular, with one of the longer sides facing north.
• A design that works with the sun’s different angles in winter and summer.
• Rooms placed in the right spots for different temperature needs at various times of year.
• Using brick walls and a concrete floor slab to even out the temperature of north-facing rooms in summer and store the sun’s energy in winter.
• A roof design with eaves at the right angle to shade windows more in summer and less in winter.
• Windows and doors aligned to let cooling breezes flow through the house in summer.
• Using the to choose glass with high energy performance.

Insulate it tight

A house with snug insulation also makes a huge difference to your energy use. The good news is insulation can be installed on most buildings, whether you’re retrofitting an old home, or building a new one. To get it right:

• Have an expert install your insulation – for safety and efficiency reasons this is not a DIY job.
• Insulating the ceiling as the number one priority. Un-insulated ceilings add up to 35% more heat indoors.
• Make sure windows are well shaded.ÌýIgnore this and you’ll be sitting inside a giant oven over summer.
• Draught-proof your home.ÌýClose off unused pet doors and fireplaces and seal windows with insulation strips.

A shady spot

A well-shaded home can block up to 90% of the sun’s heat in warmer months. External shading from trees, bushes, eaves, awnings or shutters is more efficient than internal blinds and curtains. For best results, you’ll need both.

• Shade all east, north and west-facing windows in summer, especially if your house is well insulated.
• North-facing windows need shade in summer, but in winter make sure they let in extra sun.
• Plant deciduous trees – their canopy provides shade in summer, while leaf loss lets sun through in winter.
• Install adjustable artificial shading using eaves, pergolas, blinds and shutters.
• Shade east and west-facing windows with vertical blinds or shutters. Eaves or pergolas won’t block out the low morning and afternoon sun.

Easy breezy ventilation

Fans and air conditioners create an artificial breeze, but the right house design will take advantage of natural airflow to cool down. If you’re working with an older home:

• Keep doors and windows shut during the day when it’s really hot.
• Open up the house when the outside temperature is lower than the inside.
• Plant trees and bushes to help channel breezes towards the house.

For more info on green house design visit , a federal government sustainability portal.

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