20 Ways to Reduce your Electricity Bill
Electricity bills on the rise? We cannot rule out the fact that electricity makes running our homes much easier than it was centuries back. That is why there’s a need to save more on power consumption which translates into a reduction in household electricity bills. Therefore, the following tips will help you to save significantly on power consumption in Australia.
Use Energy Efficient Lights
Light bulbs consume more electricity if you are using the old halogen light bulbs or incandescent tubes. To reduce your electricity bill on lights, ensure that every part of your home is installed with energy saving light bulbs. These bulbs are long-lasting and can save you a lot of money in the long run.
It is recommended that you should invest in LED bulbs that consume less energy or get smart bulbs that automatically dim to save up to 75% of energy. You can use a wide range of energy efficient bulbs and switches in creative ways to improve the ambience and save electricity too.
Adjust the Thermostat
Heating and cooling your home can be very expensive when you et your Electricity bills. If you are not wise enough. When heating, ensure that you set the thermostat below 20 degrees to cut down on the running costs. During summertime, you can adjust your thermostat to about 25 degrees when cooling. Any temperature below 26 degrees can add almost 10% to the running costs.
A study showed that electric hot water accounts for a third of the total electricity consumption in a year. Look for ways to reduce the consumption of electric hot water. Call an experienced electrician to adjust your thermostat settings.
Wash your Clothes with Cold Water
Even if washing your clothes using warm water is much better than cold water, it is not always necessary especially where electricity is used. Hot water consumes more power hence the need to switch to cold water when washing clothes as a better way of reducing your electricity bills. In the case of a washing machine, there is a need for you to take into consideration the availability of eco settings to cut down on power consumption o cut down on Electricity bill.
Switch Off all Appliances on Standby
Standby appliances can cost you more on wasted electricity across the year. Appliances such as televisions, phone chargers, dishwashers and others consume a substantial amount of electric power when not in use. Therefore, make sure they are switched off at the wall or you can purchase the smart power board to help you in stopping standby electricity.
Keep the Doors and Curtains Closed
Keeping the doors or curtains closed is one way of making it easier for the air-conditioner to work efficiently. Consequently, this will save you from higher electricity bills. Likewise, you can achieve this feat by blocking the draughts around your house in order to trap air inside.
Insulate Your Home
Insulation improves energy efficiency in your home. It helps you in reducing your cooling and heating costs while maintaining a comfortable natural temperature both in winter and summer. In fact, insulation can save you about 45% of the electricity cost per year.
Monitor your Electricity Usage
You need an energy monitor to help you in tracking your electricity consumption in your home. The monitor will enable you to see the progress with which you are using the electricity. As such, you can always identify the right opportunity to save energy and reduce your Electricity bill.
Check the Settings on your Appliances
Setting on certain types of appliances can have a great impact on your electricity usage. For instance, you can check your refrigerator to ensure that it is not running too cold or the television is not too bright. Most importantly, use any eco settings on the appliances to help you in saving on electricity consumption.
Compare Electricity Providers
You can compare electricity providers to find out which one has the best deals. Different energy companies are known to change their products as well as prices hence the need to keep yourself informed of the electricity prices from time to time. Should you find companies with good deals, you can reach out to their services in a bid to save on power bills.
Turn to Solar Energy
Solar energy can help you a lot when it comes to saving money on your electricity bill. If you can generate enough solar energy, you will reduce your over-reliance on buying energy from retailers.
Consider installing solar panels on the roof of your house or office to cover your lighting and heating needs. While this means a big upfront cost, it can save you money significantly in the long run.
An in-home Energy Assessment
Understanding and improving your home’s energy needs can help you cut down your electricity bills. You can achieve this goal by identifying those features that contribute more on high energy bills and making little adjustments to suit your needs.
Locate an electrician in your suburb to attend your home and monitor where your biggest energy spenders are coming from. You can then choose to cut down or replace the electrical product to save your energy bills.
Save Energy in your Kitchen
You can start by adjusting the temperature of your refrigerator in the kitchen given that it is the most expensive appliance to run in terms of power consumption. Proceed to place any frozen food in your fridge early enough to let it thaw out in order to minimise cooking time. Also, you can cook more food at the same time for the future use where you will not need to use more electricity to cook it. For the dishwasher, you can make use of the economic cycle or run it when it is full to save on power usage.
Energy-efficiency Options
Whenever you want to upgrade your household items, look for the ones which are energy-efficient. You will know which appliances are energy-efficient by looking at its energy star rating. This will cut down on excess energy needed to operate them.
You may also transform your dumb appliances into smarter and efficient appliances by investing in a few smart switches that can be controlled via an app. This way you can be twice as sure that all your appliances are turned off while you are away.
Change of Personal Habits
Think of any personal habit or preference that could be affecting the energy consumption in your home. Include such personal issues in your planning to help you in saving electricity bills. You can develop a habit to turn off the lights when there is no one present in the room at home. Something as simple as this can make a massive difference in the long-term.
Use Natural Gas
You can use natural gas in place of electricity in heating up water or your home. This due to the fact that it is cheaper to use natural gas than electricity in your home. In the end, you will save a lot more on your energy bills.
Dry your clothes in the open air
Take advantage of the availability of sunshine and humid weather in Australia by drying your clothes on the lines outside instead of relying on an electric dryer.
Do Your Ironing in Large Batches
Ironing your clothes in large batches and at once will not waste energy by heating and reheating the iron each time. In the process, you will save power usage and ultimately, your bills will come down.
Save Energy in Your Swimming Pool
You can have your pool connected to the off-peak meter tariff or you can install a timer that will turn the swimming filter on and off at specific intervals.
Get Rid of Non-Essential Lights in your Home
Sometimes you may not need some lights in your home and to cut down on energy consumption, you will definitely need to get rid of them. Or you can always choose to turn off the non-essential lights within your house unless it is necessary to use them.
Use Timers and Sensors
It is important to install timers and sensors to help you in switching on and off of the outside lights at the right time. These programmable devices will save you a lot of money on your electricity bills especially for your garden and outside lights in general.
We can help you cut your electricity bill
By following these 20 tips, we hope that you are able to see a reduction in your electricity bills and establish an energy-efficient home that you and your family can enjoy. After all, nobody likes to pay a high price for their energy consumption.
If you are looking for a way to start reducing your household electricity bills, please do not hesitate to contact the experts from Gordon’s Powers on (02) 9199 7409. We have qualified level 2 electricians and emergency electricians that are available 24 hours a day.