Air Conditioners

• Air conditioners are notorious for their high energy consumption. Although central cooling units tend to use less energy than individual window units, it is not uncommon for both types to tax an old electrical system's abilities. When this happens, energy is diverted from other household uses (such as lighting), which use less energy, to fulfill the air conditioner's requirements.
  
  

Considerations

• Several steps can be taken to prevent lights from dimming when an air conditioning unit starts up. First, make that your electrical system is up-to-date. One in poor condition will not be able to appropriately direct energy flow. If you can afford to install central air conditioning, doing so may help keep other appliances running when the cooling unit is functioning.
  
  

Conservation

• If updates to your electrical or air conditioning system are not viable, conserving energy can help prevent dimmed lights. Don't use cooling units in rooms that are unoccupied and close doors to those rooms to keep cooler air in other parts of the house.