Air conditioners need more smarts to reduce household heating and cooling costs, according to research by an independent energy think tank.
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said governments should even subsidise the switch to smarter, more efficient electric, reverse cycle air conditioners (RCACs).
The research said governments in Australia need to establish standards that require new RCAC systems to be ‘smart’ – enabling their energy use to be dynamically managed.
Research author Dr Gabrielle Kuiper said governments should also consider subsidising the availability of add-on sensors and devices to make existing RCAC units even smarter.
“At the moment, air conditioning products sold in Australia are required to meet minimum efficiency standards, but not minimum smarts,” Kuiper said.
She said ‘flexible demand’ will be an important way to help lower costs for consumers, improve the operation of the electricity grid, and reduce emissions.
Heating and cooling accounts for about 40 per cent of an average Australian home’s energy use.
Reverse cycle air conditioners are the most commonly installed cooling technology in Australian homes and according to the CHOICE database, the majority of air conditioners available today have Wi-Fi control, as standard or optional.
“Two of the largest energy retailers in Australia are already offering opportunities for households with smart meters to earn rewards for voluntarily flexing their electricity use at times of peak demand,” Kuiper said.
“Our research shows a strong public appetite for these schemes. Demand flexibility can also help to minimise whole-of-system costs, which will become increasingly important as Australia transitions to greater levels of variable renewable energy generation.”
In addition, many existing RCAC units can be managed remotely through the addition of relatively inexpensive smart thermostats.
“Government schemes to encourage take-up of these devices would further expand the flexible demand potential from electrified heating and cooling,” she said.
“It is important to note that these are all relatively low-cost measures.
“The technology required to make a new or existing RCAC smart is cheap. And the development of platforms to reward demand flexibility is inexpensive compared to the costs of building new electricity generation and network infrastructure.”
Overseas many countries have already adopted smart appliances.
For example, Kuiper said new standards are coming into force in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe.
“As a result of these international trends, we can expect to see an increasing number of smart appliances, including RCACs, available for import into Australia,” Kuiper said.
“It is up to Australian governments to make it easier for consumers by normalising the sale of smart, efficient heating and cooling technology.”
Read the report here: https://ieefa.org/resources/smart-air-conditioners-could-reduce-energy-bills-consumers