Costs · 15 September 2025
Insulation, shading and making evaporative cooling work harder
A cooler cannot outrun a dark tin roof and west glass. Bulk insulation, pelmets, roof colour and night purge decide how many hours the pads must work.
The bill
Costs
Electricity is the cheap part. Water, restrictions, insulation and shading decide whether the system is still a bargain.
Costs · 1 September 2025
Evaporative cooling during Australian water restrictions
Restrictions are staged, local and changeable. Some regimes have exempted coolers; bleed waste and rainwater still decide whether the machine is decent in a drought.
Costs · 18 August 2025
Evaporative cooling running costs: electricity, water and the summer bill
The fan is cheap. The water is the argument. Published Perth and Adelaide figures show how to estimate a household summer without inventing a tariff.
Questions this desk keeps hearing
- Is evaporative cooling cheaper to run than reverse cycle?
- Electricity usually is. Water may not be, especially in Perth-class heat or when bleed-off is set like a leaking tap. Count both meters.
- How much water does a ducted cooler use?
- Published Australian figures run from about 10 litres an hour in mild weather to well over 100 litres an hour on a hard Perth afternoon, plus bleed-off.
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