He said electrical appliances with cooling systems, such as refrigerators, air conditioners and water purifiers, consume a lot of electricity to maintain a constant temperature, especially during the current hot weather.

“During hot weather, machines with compressors will use more energy to maintain a steady temperature.

“So, if we keep opening the refrigerator door or take chilled water from the water purifier in our homes, more electrical energy is consumed to cool the water and to keep it cool,” he said.

For the water purifier, Ismail said whenever chilled water stored in the tank runs out, more water would flow into the tank and the compressor would be kept running to cool the water.

“As more water is being filled, the compressor cooling system will continue to operate resulting in more electricity being used,” he said.

Meanwhile, to reduce power consumption when using air conditioners, Ismail advised consumers to activate the timer function and set the temperature at 24°C to 26°C.

“Consumers are encouraged to use the timer so that the air conditioner is switched off early in the morning or from 2am onwards when the room has cooled down. Thereafter, switch on the fan to maintain the cool temperature,” he said.

In addition, he urged consumers to service their air conditioner units regularly for it to operate efficiently and economically.

“I have received complaints from consumers that they do not use air conditioners but their electricity bill has increased substantially. They forget that other electrical appliances also consume electricity,” Ismail added.