Air conditioning is incredibly important to Hongkongers. But, many residents idly turn it on and don’t think about the costs or consequences of doing so. Some, might be the opposite and overthink their AC usage because they want to save money or are worrying about their own, other peoples’ or their pets comfort. Either way, here are 10 things you need to know about your Hong Kong air conditioner plus information on how to easily address every issue.
10 things you need to know about your Hong Kong air conditioner
1. A Hong Kong air conditioner makes up a significant part of your electricity bill
It’s annoying, but the air conditioning we rely upon so much isn’t cheap to operate. It functions through a regular cycle of power surges which aim to achieve an average temperature, within a room, by dumping cold air into it. This is inefficient and expensive and so it’s better to continuously make small, incremental changes.
2. Internal temperature is heavily affected by external conditions
The temperature and humidity inside a room are significantly affected by current weather, local climate, levels of sunshine in your room and the time of year. Using the basic functions of a Hong Kong air conditioner to address all of these factors can be an exercise in futility. Especially if your home or office isn’t well insulated.
3. AC is a tool in the fight against mould
If you don’t have your AC on regularly – especially when you go away – mould can build up. But, setting your Hong Kong air conditioner to operate automatically using timers isn’t a great solution. It will likely turn on at times when it’s not needed or lie dormant when it really should be activated.
4. Aircon doesn’t always make you comfy
How often does your Hong Kong air conditioner really make you comfortable? It’s likely not on when you need it the most or dumping cold air into a room making you too cold. This boom-and-bust form of operation is not conducive to comfort, especially if you turn the AC on at night because you’re too hot and then wake up later because you’re too cold!
5. You can make your Hong Kong air conditioner smarter
Traditional Hong Kong air conditioners work using an infra-red remote which you need to use manually - and in close proximity - in order to turn it on or off. However, a third-party smart air conditioner controller can communicate with the AC unit using the same IR signals while simultaneously connecting to the internet using Wi-Fi. This enables smart, autonomous operation based on live, local weather measurement; operation using virtual assistants like Alexa and Google; plus, control via an app on your phone – wherever you are in the world.
6. A Hong Kong air conditioner can learn your preferences
A smart AC controller will learn, not just your preferences, but anyone in your home or office and set the temperature accordingly. It does this by learning whether you’re too hot or too cold – at different times of year and in different external weather conditions – and adjusts the settings accordingly. After a while, you needn’t adjust the settings at all.
Smart AC control also helps settle disputes. A bane of Hong Kong air conditioning is the regular squabbling between those who like it cool and those who demand arctic conditions. By learning everyone’s preferences, an AI-derived compromise can be reached.
7. What’s a Geofence and why should you want one?
One of the times you most need your Hong Kong air conditioner to be on and functioning is when you’ve just come in from outdoors. There should be a name for this insufferable, indeterminable, interminable interlude where you’re sat waiting for the cold air to come out and cool you. It’s tempting to leave the AC on all day, even though it costs a fortune to do so. This is why you want a geofence.
Using a smart aircon's geofence feature with your Hong Kong air conditioner, addresses this situation by knowing where you (and your phone) are and activating the aircon when you’re just a few blocks from home or office. That way, it’s already cool when you come in through the door. The same technology can be used to automatically turn the aircon off when the last person has left the premises.
8. A Hong Kong air conditioner can look after your pets
If your pets struggle in certain climatic conditions it can be tempting to leave your Hong Kong air conditioner on all day. However, this is expensive and almost certainly not needed. Furthermore, the opposite problem is also true: if you don’t leave it on at all, unexpected weather changes can leave them exposed. However, a smart AC controller means you can set it to turn on automatically when certain parameters are met or simply use your app to activate it, remotely.
9. It’s better for the environment
Much of Hong Kong’s electricity is generated via dirty fossil fuels and so it’s galling to know that, collectively, Hong Kong air conditioners represent a not-insignificant proportion of that power usage. The more HK aircon that can be made smarter – at home and the office – the fewer fossil fuels need to be burned.
10. The solution to Hong Kong air conditioner issues is local
Ambi Climate is a Hong Kong company that makes smart air conditioner controllers for the whole world. It’s a local success story born from a 2014 Kickstarter that’s grown and evolved into a world-leading smart ac control device using data that’s gathered from Hong Kong itself.
Ambi’s smart AC controllers know where they are in the world, what time of year it is, what the local weather is, how much sunshine is streaming into your room and can learn everyone’s personal preferences for comfortable aircon. They work with geofencing and can be controlled via an app on your phone or by smart speakers. They address all of the Hong Kong air conditioner issues mentioned above and can even potentially save enough money to pay for themselves.
To find which Ambi Climate smart air conditioner controller best suits you, check out the online store, now!
