Simple tips to save energy for your home

Save Energy

Post on June 15th, 2015

Whilst the old wives tale trick of turning off switches to save on electricity costs has been passed down, the quality of appliances haven’t. Read below to know tips to save energy costs.

In fact, most manufacturers now create goods to such a standard of excellence that whether they’re on standby or off – it doesn’t matter – because they use virtually the same amount of power either way.

Turning off older appliances might still save you a bit of cash – but with most households donning newer models of everything, many Australians are looking for simpler tips to save energy.

And with many expecting their energy bills to rise in line with the mercury falling, there’s no better time to start going easier on the sparky stuff.

Here are our simplest tips to save energy, reduce overall consumption, put away those extra pennies and help the environment – no fancy equipment or auditing required.

Make small habit changes

Start with what you already have by taking a good, long look at your latest energy bill – where is the majority of your power consumption going and when is it being used? Specifically, the ‘Daily Average Use’ section on most power bills will give you an indication of where and when you’re consuming the most.

If you’re someone who works a 9-5 and gets busy with electricity before and after work – know that you’re not alone, and you’re being charged peak rates because of this. Understanding that your behaviour over certain times of the day is leading to higher charges can help you introduce small changes to your routine that pay off in the long run.

For example, showering at night, taking a light bath (to prolong your enjoyment of the hot water), styling your hair before bed and using slow-cookers (that use a small amount of energy over the day) can help bring that bill down significantly.

Similarly, if you can identify that non-essential appliances, like your dishwasher, have a poor energy rating (as indicated on the stars on the front), you might want to have them switched off when not in use. If you’re not even home, why are you paying for them to be usable?

One more simple tip to save energy? Make sure you’re connected to an off-peak meter in the first place. Not all households are connected by default, and it’s worth checking with your energy provider that you’re not paying the same as if you cooked your lasagna at 6pm.

Insulate, insulate, insulate
One of the most cost-effective and simple ways to reduce your power bill, especially over winter, is to insulate your home properly.

If you don’t want to go through a whole house rehaul, select the most commonly-used rooms – and insulate those. Thick curtains (with a thermal lining) or blinds can be put onto the windows to trap the heat that comes in when the curtains are open during the day. Close them at dusk, along with all windows and doors (even internally).

If you’ve got a chimney, invest in a laminate chimney balloon, which sits in the cavity of the opening and prevents air from rising up and out. Rugs on the floor can help keep chilly toes warm, and prevent air from escaping down the cracks in the floorboards (if they’re timber).

And for the hot air that’s rising, use the reverse setting on your ceiling fan to move the air around. Typically, in summer, your fan will blast counter-clockwise to push the air down, but in winter, it should run clockwise at the lowest setting possible, pushing the air laterally, slowly. This can be just as effective as a heater, minus the eye-watering bill at the end of the season.

Stay away from the dryer
Perhaps one of our biggest tips to save energy is to consider the clothes dryer as the vampire of the energy world: they’ll suck away at the power stone, and cost you a mint for the privilege. Often, they’re highly uneconomical to run – and they can drastically limit the amount of wear you get on your clothing, with shrinkage, warping elastic and colour fading being common complaints of tumble dryer users.

Instead, hang out your clothes on a clothes horse – during the day (not at night). If you don’t have one accessible, hang clothes on windows, doors, hooks and on the back of sofas after bringing them in (double points if you use the reverse setting ceiling fan trick at the same time). Just because it’s not a common thing to do, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it.

And, to ensure clothes come out of the washing machine even dryer, put them on the highest spin setting possible towards the end of the cycle – this is designed to wick away the moisture from your clothes and fast-track the drying process, sans dryer.

Cheeky side tip to save energy: Using cold water reduces the amount of energy being used in a wash, and wearing thermals underneath clothing can generally reduce the amount of washing required overall.
Compare energy retailers
As with anything, you can sow all of the seeds in place – but if the rain isn’t right, nothing will grow. With energy, if you’re not getting the best deal possible, the payoff for your hard work will only scratch the surface of what you could be saving.

Comparing energy providers and their offerings is a great way to find the right solution for you. For example, do you have solar power in your house? A greywater tank? Are the hours you frequent your home different to your neighbours? These small intricacies can make a big difference when it comes to your energy rates, so it’s worth shopping around.

Many energy companies draw consumers in with the rates that match their highest energy usage bracket. These rates are often obscenely low, but the average Australian household would simply never reach that level of consumption. Using a free comparison provider like Electricity Wizard allows you to save up to 43%* on your electricity usage rates by comparing your latest bill with what else is out there for a comparative situation.

You can tailor it with things you simply won’t switch over without – like rate freeze plans, online billing, membership rewards and even renewable energy options – and the offerings you see are fully transparent, with no hidden fees or contracts to be entered into.

So, you pay for exactly what you get and the team at Electricity Wizard will even help you switch over.

So, here’s a summary of what you can do to save energy at home

To save money on electricity, it’s important to break down your household energy consumption room by room. Making simple changes to save energy at home can make a world of difference. For example, did you know that upgrading a 2 star energy rated TV to a 7 star energy rated TV could save you up to $160 on electricity each year?

And the savings don’t stop there. According to the Victoria Government, here are several ways that you can make your home more energy-efficient to save money on electricity:

• Insulating your home well is the single most effective way to reduce electricity bills.

• Upgrading appliances and household electronics to energy-efficient models will reduce electricity bills considerably; to take it a step further, switch off appliances at the wall when not in use.

• Replacing old heaters and air conditioners and using regular temperature control will prevent unnecessary electricity waste at home.

• You can reduce electricity bills by $19 per year per light globe by switching to energy-efficient light globes.

• Weatherproofing your home with double-glazing will prevent heat loss in winter months that can raise energy bills by up to 25%.

Although working hard to save energy at home can make a significant difference, it’s important to start out on the right foot with a helpful, accurate electricity comparison. ElectricityWizard will provide you with a free energy comparison quote. We will work hard to find you a better deal from one of our many preferred suppliers to help you reduce costly power bills.

How to Compare Electricity Providers

ElectricityWizard allows you to quickly and conveniently compare an assortment of electricity providers and plans in your area. One of our trained specialists can help you find great available rates and options in your service region so that you can choose a plan that better meets your needs. We are here to help you save money.

Try us today! Call ElectricityWizard now on 1300 359 779 or fill out your details below to have one of our comparison specialists help you get a better deal on your energy bills starting today!