Energy saving tips
We’ve put together the following tips to help you reduce your energy consumption:
Every day
Unplug unused appliances or switch them off at the wall. Standby energy use can become significant.
Make sure you only run your dishwasher, laundry machine and dryer when there is a full load. It’s a lot more efficient.
Replace old lights with new energy efficient lights such as LEDs, and reduce your bill by hundreds of dollars a year.
Set your freezer to -18°C and your refrigerator between 2°C and 5°C for the best efficiency.
Make sure there is a bit of space behind your refrigerator for air circulation.
Take advantage of natural daylight to light up spaces in the house.
Summer
- Use ceiling fans instead of air-conditioning.
- Keep the windows open to allow air flow throughout the house.
- On hot sunny days, keep the curtains drawn to avoid heating up the house.
- Don’t cool down rooms you’re not using.
- Cook on the barbeque outside if you can - This will prevent your house from heating up.
- If you run the air conditioner, make sure you keep all windows shut and seal off any unused fireplaces/draughts.
Winter
- Capture the sun’s warmth by opening curtains during the day and closing them before dark.
- Keep doors, curtains and blinds closed in heated rooms in the evening and in the evening.
- Place heaters away from windows.
- Use the thermostat and timer on your heaters so they automatically turn on and off as required.
- Instead of using electric heating in the bedroom at night, use a hot water bottle.