The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued southern Australia a heatwave weather warning. It’s a multiday warning where the temperature is expected to rise above 45C in the coming week. Where high temperatures bring health risks for elderly, and sick people, BOM warns the heatwave carries risk for healthy individuals as well. Red Cross Australia has issued a comprehensive guide to prepare for heatwaves efficiently.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to protect oneself from sweltering weather is to protect yourself from heat by staying indoors comfortably, using your cooling system.
During high temperatures, when people attempt to control indoor temperatures, running a cooling system continuously or for long hours is a must. This continuous labour burdens the cooling system for extended hours. It causes the system to heat up, malfunctions or breakdowns, putting occupants in discomfort, health risks and emergency repairs.
System malfunctioning does not come alone. They bring stress, discomfort and great expenses. You can avoid these all by simply preparing your cooling system for extreme heat before the Australia heatwave warning becomes a reality.
Being an experienced heating and cooling service provider, Surrey Air is passing its over four decade experience in this blog to guide Australian residents how to prepare cooling systems for extreme heat.
Practical Tips To Prepare Cooling System For Extreme Heat
The cooling system works hard during extreme heat. It has to fight against the soaring outdoor temperatures and maintain the indoor temperature as desired. There is no magic to save the cooling system, instead some practical tips that you need to follow before the heatwave, and a designed operational strategy for extreme heat days.
Immediate Action Plan: Schedule Professional Maintenance
If your cooling system had no professional maintenance for the last 12 months, it’s compulsory to plan it right now. As the heatwave hits, there will be a longer waiting list and you’ve to face system inefficiency or breakdown.
Professional maintenance services include deep cleaning, inspection of plumbing and electrical wires, check refrigerant levels, lubricating moving parts, and calibrating thermostats. In short, maintenance services will cover all aspects of the cooling system that can affect its efficiency.
For professional maintenance, always choose a licensed HVAC service provider with vast experience as their knowledge and expertise will affect the quality of services. Surrey Air has a team of licensed technicians with experience in dealing all types of air conditioning systems across Melbourne. Our comprehensive air conditioning maintenance services include all the necessary steps to prepare your cooling system for heatwaves.
Weekend To-Do Bucket: DIY Checks And Preparations
Whether you have professional air conditioning services, DIY checks and preparations are a must to do at weekend (or whenever you get time) BEFORE temperatures start rising. These quick, not so technical checks and preparation steps will finalize your cooling system preparations for heatwave weather warnings.
The list of DIY checks you must perform include:
- Cleaning the outdoor unit and areas around it.
- Cleaning or replacing air filters.
- Check weather strippings, insulate your indoor spaces with curtains, blinds or shutters, place door snakes to prevent conditioned air loss, and install external shadings if possible.
- Test the system to check its efficiency before temperature crosses the normal limits to ensure it is working efficiently. Run the air conditioner for at least 30 minutes to test it for cooling, unusual noises and leaking water. Testing before time saves you from emergency calls to your service provider.
Preplan Operational Strategies For Extreme Heat Days
Although air conditioning services are the first and most important step in preparing your cooling system, they may also collapse fighting the excessive workload that comes during extreme heat days. It is important to strategize operational hours and temperature settings to enhance the system’s efficiency while managing the workload and of course, the energy spent.
Let us help you with an expert-led plan and operational strategy that will help your cooling system work smarter without overloading it.
1. Create Zones:
Do not waste your cooling system’s effort and efficiency on cooling areas you don’t use. Close the doors to unused spaces, such as the guest room, store room etc to concentrate cooling in areas where you are.
2. Minimize Internal Heat Load
Avoid using an oven, stove or any other appliance that generates heat and adds burden for removal on your cooling system.
3. Use Smart Thermostat For Efficient Temperature Control
Keeping the thermostat setting far below the temperature outside adds drastic pressure on the cooling system, which eventually leads towards sudden system failure. So instead of setting 16C during 42C heatwave, set a realistic temperature differential that is 24C or 26C during 42C outside. This temperature setting is often sufficient for health and comfort. This setting will also keep your cooling system and save it from freezing up during heat waves.
4. Use Peak Cycling
You don’t need constant cooling. In fact, you must use peak cycling smartly. Set the thermostat’s timer function to deeply cool the indoor area in the morning and then set a higher temperature during the peak afternoon heat (2 PM – 8 PM), letting the house warm slightly. This reduces strain during grid peak demand.
Support The Cooling System To Reduce Load
Install Fans:
Install and use fans with air conditioning systems to boost air circulation throughout the indoor area. Fans also contribute in cooling the area, and give margin of setting the thermostat to 2 to 3 degree higher, reducing the load on the cooling system.
Ventilate Cooler At Night:
When temperatures drop at night, open the windows and allow cool air to come indoors. Natural cooling will allow some rest time to your cooling system.
Precool Using Ice Packs:
That’s an old trick, and works wonders. Place ice packs in front of fans for effective cooling without stressing the cooling system.
Prepare For Power Outages And System Failures
No matter how much you prepare to run your cooling system smoothly through the heat wave, power outages or system failures may occur. These uncertain situations are unavoidable and cause great stress and discomfort. But if you prepare for power outages, you can deal with them efficiently.
Here are some simple preparation tips for power outages and system failure.
Set A Cool Room:
Spot the coolest room within your property, usually a south facing room with good ventilation. Have chargeable or battery operated fans ready.
Have Power Backup:
Must stock up batteries and battery powered fans to make through the power outage times.
Locate Nearest Cooling Center:
Spot the nearest council run or “public refuge center” such as a community library or a shopping mall nearest to your place.
Australia’s heatwave is about to hit. This year, that is in 2026 it is expected to be a record high, crossing the average of the last 6 years hence more health risks. Preparing your cooling system beforehand by scheduling professional maintenance, keeping up the system with DIY maintenance before heatwave, using a cooling system strategically keeps your place comfortable and your system running throughout the time when it’s needed the most.
