Evaporative cooling is definitely a cost-effective method of cooling. As opposed to running a condenser and a fan inside with the reverse cycle air conditioning, all you are running is a fan.
But just how efficient is it?
Evaporative cooling is like passing air across a wet blanket, causing an increase in humidity thus having a cooling effect. The more humid, the more moisture is in the air, the greater the cooling effect.
In this respect, you would be looking at what would be the cost of about 20 cents per hour to run. As opposed to the reverse cycle air conditioning, this would cost you about a dollar and 20 cents per hour to run.
Overall efficiency depends on the individual unit and your location. Say for example, if you are located in Sydney where it is hot and humid on that day, then you are not going to get any cooling effect by adding more moisture in the air when it is already humid. Whereas if you are located in Canberra or in Melbourne and on a hot, dry day, by adding some moisture in the air will bring a nice cooling effect.
So for measuring the efficiency, it is not really efficient if you are not achieving your goal here – that is, a nice comfortable environment to live in. If you want to efficiently achieve positive results it will depend on installing the right type of system. However, if evaporative cooling is the appropriate unit to choose, it would not matter where you live and how much is the cost as it will always saves you from spending too much on electricity.
So are you now ready to get your first evaporative cooler? You might want to check out our next blog entitled “I’m in the market for ducted air conditioning, who are the most well known brands in Australia?” to get you started.
You may also want to view the video version of this article.