Christmas Events 

What's on at Salt Village? Salt Bar Beachbar & Bistro is offering an all you can eat Christmas day lunch buffet and on New Years Eve, a fireworks spectacular to light up the sky that can be seen at a family-friendly time of 9pm. 

Looking for ways to entertain the family over the school holidays? Climb aboard the tractor and explore Tropical Fruit World. with over 500 different tropical fruit varieties in their orchard, including the 'ice cream bean' and 'chocolate fruit', the kids are bound to be entertained! 

Top 5 tips to reduce your air conditioning bill this summer

We share these top tips from air-conditioning experts, Daikin.

Summertime, and the living is easy. The living is also hot, sweaty and can get a little uncomfortable in the land down under at this time. Australia has beautiful long summers with temperatures that can easily soar to the mid 30s (degrees Celsius) so retreating to a gloriously cool air conditioned home after being in the oppressive heat of the day is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. 

Of course, the downside is that your air conditioning unit at home will be asked to work super hard in this peak season. This means your air conditioning bill could climb without you realising. Energy consumption can soar just like the temperature at midday. However, there are some very simple and effective tips to reduce your air conditioning bill over the summer period and keep a comfortable indoor environment. 

1. Turn off at night, and save while you sleep
This money-saving tip is as clear as night and day! Keep your air conditioning on during the day, and off at night. The reasoning is simple. Firstly, the evening air is naturally cooler, so you can take advantage of that by turning off the air conditioning and opening a window. You may even get a gentle breeze to cool things down.

2. Thermostats and timers - set and save
When it comes to energy consumption and reducing your air conditioning bill over summer, every degree matters! So one of the most energy-efficient things you can do is set your thermostat at a comfortable temperature that won’t make your unit work too hard, but will still make you feel like you’re sitting pretty. As a guide, somewhere between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius is where you should set the thermostat. Be aware, that for every single degree of cooling you can do without, you’re saving on your energy bill. As a rule, try not to set the thermostat less than 8 degrees below the outdoor temperature (so if it’s 30 outside, aim for 22 or 23 degrees Celsius inside).

3. Get shady and shut out the sun
Shade, shade, shade. However you can get it, grab it, and it will help your home stay cooler. Therefore, your air conditioning unit won’t have to work so hard, and your energy bill will be reduced. It’s simple. During a hot Aussie summer, you can’t turn down the sun, but you can add some shade to turn down the heat. The first way to get shady is to keep blinds, curtains, drapes and awnings drawn and closed. For sun-facing windows, light-coloured backings for blinds and curtains will help deflect sun heat too.

4. Turn off those heat-emitting culprits
The television, the computer, the printer, the lamp in the corner, the kitchen oven… all of these household essentials generate bucketloads of heat and will be forcing your air conditioner to work harder to keep the temperature under control. Turn them off and you’ll save money on your air conditioning energy consumption straight away! 

5. Keeping it clean to keep costs down
Here’s one more awesome tip to reduce your air conditioning bill over summer. Ensure your air conditioning unit is regularly maintained and that the filter is either replaced or cleaned to maintain optimum efficiency. A dirty filter makes any air conditioning unit work harder, meaning more electricity and higher energy costs!

Here’s to a long hot summer, and keeping cool when the bills come in. Full article here: https://www.daikin.com.au/articles/tips/top-5-tips-reduce-your-air-conditioning-bill-summer