Top 10 Tips for Reducing Your Electricity Bill
For many Australians, electricity bills are one of the highest household expenses.
Infinite Energy works hard to help our customers reduce their electricity bills and become more environmentally sustainable by helping them invest in solar power.
To help Australians reduce their electricity costs and take control of their power consumption, we have compiled our top 10 tips to reduce your electricity bill.
- Upgrade for energy efficiency
When it comes time to upgrade, ensure that you are buying energy-efficient appliances. Pay attention to the Energy Ratings stickers as they will help guide you to more energy-efficient choices; for example if you were buying a television, each additional star is 20% more energy efficient than the previous star. They may cost a little more upfront, but the additional costs will be made up through significant energy savings.
- Monitor your air conditioner usage
According to Canstar Blue, the optimum temperatures for heating and cooling your home are 25 to 27 degrees for cooling in summer and around 18 to 20 degrees for heating in winter. These settings will help to maximise the efficiency of your air conditioner and help you save electricity and money.
Remember to regularly clean both air conditioner filters and fans. Keeping these appliances dust-free will allow your air conditioner to work more efficiently and use less energy. Plus, your lungs will thank you for the clean air.
If you aren’t very prone to overheating in your home, using a fan instead of an air conditioner will help you cut down on your energy bills; fans help to improve comfort levels so you feel about 3°C cooler and are very cheap to run at only around 2 cents per hour.
- Don’t forget your windows
In winter, remember to open curtains or blinds in eastern and western facing rooms during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home. Just remember to close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows. In summer, consider shade cloths or outdoor blinds on the outside of windows in eastern and western rooms to stop the sun from heating up your home too much in the warmer weather.
- Show your laundry some love
When it comes time to upgrade your laundry appliances, switch out your top loader for an energy-efficient front loader. Front loading washing machines use energy and less water than top loaders, meaning that you will save money on running costs. If your old washing machine looks like it has seen better days, it’s best to replace it now. Whilst forking out the money for a new one may not be ideal, old washing machines tend to be less energy and water efficient than newer ones.
An easy to do tip for how to save even more in the laundry is to go cold! Heating water is by far the biggest user of energy when washing your clothes. Washing your laundry in cold water saves energy and money, but be aware that some machines need both hot and cold water to function properly, so refer to your machines usage information.
Dryers are notoriously energy inefficient, so only run your dryer when you need to. Although dryers are more convenient when you’re in a rush, hanging your clothes your on a washing line is completely free and better for the environment! Hang your laundry outside as much as possible to dry and for the wetter months, consider an undercover line or indoor drying rack.
- Let there be light
In Australia, lighting accounts for 10% of the average household electricity budget. If you haven’t already, replacing all your light bulbs with energy-efficient options is an easy way to save on your energy bills. Although the initial cost may be higher, replacing incandescent globes with LED lightbulbs will give you substantial energy savings as they use about 75% less energy than halogen light bulbs and last 5 to 10 times longer.
Or better yet, take advantage of natural light. If the weather’s not too hot, open up your blinds and curtains to let the sunlight in. If you can afford it, investing in a skylight to brighten darker areas of your home means you won’t have to use electricity to light up those areas during the day.
- If you have gas, use it
Gas heaters are much more energy-efficient than electric heaters and cost less to run, plus they are also better at heating up larger living spaces. If you are investing in a new heater, be sure to look out for the energy star labels as this can help you pick the most energy-efficient heater which means lower energy bills for you! Just ensure regular servicing to prevent gas leaks and keep your home and family safe.
- Ban the bar fridge
If you have a bar fridge or more than one refrigerator, switch off the additional one when it’s not needed. An old backyard bar fridge may be very handy for BBQs, but an inefficient fridge can use up to three times the amount of energy of a new one! Getting rid of the second fridge could save around $172 a year on your energy bill.
- If it’s not in use, switch it off
Never leave an appliance on standby power, because even if the appliance is not performing its primary function, having it on standby still consumes energy.
For example, your phone charger will still be using energy even if your phone isn’t plugged in. In fact, appliances that are in standby power mode can account for about 3% your energy bill!
- Monitor your usage
The best thing you can do to use your energy more efficiently is to monitor your own power usage by installing a monitoring device. If you don’t monitor your usage, it makes it very hard to manage.
- Install a solar PV system
By generating your own renewable energy, you will lower the amount of electricity you’ll need to buy from the grid, greatly reducing your bills while also improving your carbon footprint. Your solar energy system will continue to generate free electricity from the sun year after year.
When your solar power system has been sized correctly, investing in solar can reduce your bills by up to 90%!
With over 17,000 solar power installations under our belt, Infinite Energy are one of Australia’s largest and best solar providers. To find out how investing in solar energy could help your family save on electricity costs, contact us for a no obligation quote today or give us a call on 1300 074 669.
