How do various modes in the AC impact your electricity bill?

ACs of the yesteryears majorly came with 3 cooling options - low, medium and high - along with an on/off button, of course. Over the course of the years and with technological advances, there have been a lot of electronic integrations in an air conditioner. This has enabled air conditioners to offer more diverse cooling options and consumers, a chance at personalising their AC settings to get optimum cooling and comfort. While you would find the functions of different modes in your Split AC or Window AC manual, let’s take a look at how different modes impact electricity consumption and which would be an ideal setting for your indoors.

The Cool Mode is the default mode in an air conditioner - be it a Split AC or a Window AC. In this mode, the AC runs on the temperature it is set and the fan speed on which it operates. The electricity-saving potential of this mode depends on the temperature on which you operate your air conditioner on. According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), “By increasing your AC temperature by 1 degree, you can save about 6% electricity.” Setting your AC temperature to 24° C can help you save almost 25% on your electricity bill.

In this mode, only the fan runs and the compressor is switched off. The compressor is the component of an air conditioner that consumes the most amount of electricity so while this mode will be the most energy-efficient, because the compressor is inactive, the downside to this is that no cooling will take place because the compressor is the component responsible for cooling the indoors.

This mode is especially useful for cities that are closer to the sea and usually have high humidity levels, or for days when the humidity in the air is high, like during the monsoons. In these conditions, getting rid of the humidity inside a room provides a lot of comfort. Running your air conditioner on the Dry Mode setting will help it remove excess humidity in the air. Here, the fan runs at a lower speed and the compressor runs in spurts over large cycles, helping in getting rid of the extra humidity inside a room. This is a good energy saving option for areas with high humidity, as the fan runs on a slow speed and the compressor too, runs for shorter durations. This setting however does not allow the air conditioner to provide a lot of cool air since the compressor isn’t actively running, but it helps remove excess humidity from the air, resulting in a comfortable setting.

In the Cool mode, the compressor shuts off once the desired temperature is reached, as per the thermostat setting, while the fan continues to rotate. When the air conditioner is set to the Energy Saver mode, the fan shuts off along with the compressor, once the temperature indoors reaches the level set in the thermostat. Once the temperature starts rising above the cutoff limit, the fan and compressor switch on again. Electricity is saved because firstly, it’s not used to run the fan motors and with the increase in time between compressor cycles, this mode helps you save on your electricity bill.

Sleep Mode is a feature generally found in inverter air conditioners - be it a Split AC or a Window AC. How it helps you save electricity is by first working hard to get the ambient temperature to the one you have chosen. Once the desired ambient temperature is reached, the inverter slows down to maintain the temperature. It then starts periodically increasing the ambient temperature every hour (usually by 0.5-1 degree) till it has increased the overall temperature by 2 degrees, so if you initially set the AC temperature to 24° C when you went to sleep, in the Sleep Mode, your air conditioner will run till it achieves an ambient temperature of 26° C and then it will either turn off or run quietly, maintaining that temperature. This helps you get a good night’s sleep without having to wake up to switch off your AC.

Choosing the right mode for your air conditioner is essential for a comfortable setting and also saving up on your electricity bill. Depending on the kind of environment and temperature conditions around, you can choose between different modes in your air conditioner for optimum cooling and comfort. If you own a MirAIe-enabled Panasonic AC, you can set sleep profiles for your air conditioner, setting different temperatures as per your convenience throughout the time that you’re asleep, so that you enjoy a comfortable sleep, without having to wake up in the middle of the night to switch off your AC.