You have installed a super energy-saving split system air conditioner and now expect a substantial reduction in energy bills compared to last summer. Contrary to your expectations, you may notice no substantial reduction in energy bills.
While reverse cycle split system air conditioners are inherently energy efficient, replacing an old and inefficient air conditioner with an energy-efficient reverse cycle based air conditioner alone would not result in the slashing of energy bill you would be expecting.
Insulation is the determining factor (from an energy-saving perspective) after you have installed the reverse cycle air conditioner.
Improving building insulation with honeycomb blinds
While we knew very well that honeycomb/cellular blinds are very effective for space insulation, our interest in them piqued after a member of My Efficiency Electric Home (short for MEEH) Facebook Group posted about Persilux honeycomb blinds.
The member posted a picture of a heat map taken with a thermal imaging camera and showed 11 degrees celsius temperature difference between temperature measured at window frame (33 degree celsius) and `18.5 degree celsius at the surface of blinds facing the room.
How honeycomb blinds will complement aircon efficiency?
The answer lies in how honeycomb blinds are designed. The fabric cells of honeycomb blinds resemble a beehive structure, the reason behind the origin of its name. Each fabric cell is a sealed air pocket which blocks indoor warmth from escaping during winter months and during summers the cells block solar radiation and the thermal energy carried by it from entering into your homes through windows.
As air is a poor conductor of heat, the fabric cells of honeycomb blinds are able to reduce heat loss through windows by up to 40 percent in winters (translating to 10-25 percent reduction in energy used in heating) and 20 to 25 percent reduction in energy used for cooling in summer months.
The reduced cooling/heating demand complements energy efficiency gains of your split system air conditioner and cumulative effect of honeycomb blinds and reverse cycle air conditioner.
Which honeycomb blind to install?
If getting the most out of a cellular blind is your goal, get a double cell cellular blackout blind with the highest heat resistance value (R-value) and low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) ratings.
The higher the R-value, the better a honeycomb blind will insulate against heat loss/gain. To further reduce heat transfer, install sidetracks to the honeycomb blinds.