Reducing your energy bills

Unless you live in a shack in the woods, paying for power will always be a costly expense. Here are our ways of reducing energy bills quarter after quarter.

Energy literacy is an important facet of running an efficient and cost-effective household. If you don’t have air-conditioning, you use less electrical energy in summer compared to winter. We want to advise you of some real tips to bring down your energy bill coming up to the colder months.

Heating and cooling

Heating and cooling underpins our basic need for shelter. It’s something we have evolved to depend on. However, we shouldn’t have to waste a lot of money on the practice.

• Decide how much heating/cooling you need: Not everyone needs air-conditioning. If your home is in the shade for most of the day, you can get away with opening some windows and letting the breeze come through. Curtains, blinds, shutter and louvers are all inexpensive ways of keeping light and heat to a minimum. Space heaters can be equally expensive. Add another blanket or hot water bottle instead.
• Set optimum temperatures: if you do have A/C or heating, set a limit. Cooling should be between 23⁰C and 26⁰C while heating should be between 18⁰C and 21⁰C.
• Treat you temperature control systems well: Like refrigerators and other appliances, A/C and heaters need service and cleaning at least once a year. Turning them off when you are sleeping or not at home can save you hundreds.
• Fans are far more efficient that A/c, hands down.

The kitchen

The kitchen is a black hole for wasted power. It’s probably the busiest place of the home, and as such, is a graveyard for inefficient appliances, wasted heat and general inefficiency.

• Change the way you use appliances: If you have gas cooking, great! Otherwise, consider cooking on the barbecue over an electric stove. It’s far healthier and uses no electricity. Slow/pressure cookers, electric frying pans and microwaves also use far less energy. Update your old appliances for ones with better star-ratings.
• Save heat: Keep the lids on saucepans while cooking. Improve your efficiency by using an electric jug to boil. It takes a third of the time a convention electric stove does.
• Run the dishwasher when full: This will help you save both energy and water. It will also give you the most amount of dishes washed between filter changes.
• Upgrade your fridge: You probably don’t need a fridge with a TV. You do need one that is efficient. It also helps to have a temperature control (fridges between 4⁰C-5⁰C, freezers between 15⁰C-18⁰C). Fridges need to be away from the oven in a well-ventilated spot. Overwork because of poor air circulation is the reason fridges work harder and die earlier.

Living rooms/Common areas

These areas hold nearly as many appliances as the kitchen. Televisions, DVD players, computers, stereos and mobile devices all use a lot of electricity.

• Switch them off at the wall: standby mode chews through a lot of power even when the appliances is off. Consider buying power boards to switch all your appliances off at the one switch on the wall.
• Change your lighting: lamps use far less electricity than main lights and provide a better environment for relaxation and entertainment. Switching to energy efficient globes will help you save further. Also, turn your lights out when you leave the room.

Laundry and bathroom

These rooms consume the highest amount of hot water in the home, a significant contribution to your power bill.

• Use water wisely: Lower the water temperature on your system to 60⁰C-65⁰C. Instant hot water systems should be no more than 50⁰C. Installing water-saving shower heads and having 5 minute showers can save on water and power up to 40%.
• Use the washer and dryer on a full load: Use cold water only and make sure it is a full load. This will save power and water and lengthen the life of your appliances.
• Do you need a dryer?: Dryers are very expensive to run. Try and use the clothesline as much as possible. If it’s raining or time is pressing, make sure clothes are fully wrung out before being put in the dryer. Clean the lint filter to prevents fires and improve efficiency.
• Switch off appliances: Same as the living room. Hairdryers, irons, electrical toothbrushes and radios all use standby power.

Outdoors

The great outdoors are often forgotten as a user of power.

• Watch your light use: using lights for entertaining, safety and security can use a lot of power. Consider installing programmable timers to switch off the lights when you are away during the day. Solar powered garden lights are a cheap alternative. Separate your lights for greater reach.
• Solar power: installing solar panels on your house can help your power bill immensely. Your room can produce so much power that you can sell a surplus back to your provider.

Reducing energy bills by numbers

Here are some examples of the great savings you can make around the home before next quarter comes around. Keep in mind, these figures are estimates based on average wattage, cost and use for Australian homes. Figures may vary greatly from house to house.