It’s almost been set in stone that we should set our air conditioning thermostats to a fixed 22 degrees regardless of the temperature outdoors  – summer or winter. Although, as it turns out this temperature recommendation was deemed most suitable in the 1950’s and was based on the comfort level of a 44 year old male.

As we’re not all 44 year old men and it’s not the 1950’s, we could start to reconsider this figure if we want to make our air conditioning costs more affordable and save tonnes of carbon each year.

There’s no need to turn off your air conditioning, unless of course you’re not at home, but by adjusting the thermostat temperature to 25°C in summer and 19°C in winter, you could make significant savings for your family and the environment.

The Japanese government continues to encourage office workers to remove their ties and jackets in the hottest months of the summer, swap to low energy bulbs and to make use of window coverings and blinds to help the country reach its targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases by reducing energy consumption by up to 15%.

It may sound simple, but my adjusting the temperature and your clothing worn indoors you could reduce your costs significantly too.