Tuesday 7 January 2014

Tips On Lowering The Power Bill

We all hate receiving the power bill, mine has all of a sudden gone sky high.
And I also realise the Rome was not built in a day, so take these tips and remember them, for another time when you need to replace things like light bulbs or an appliance.




So some basic tips are to

Open a window a little when showering or cooking, or use an extractor fan if you have one installed. The less moisture in the air, the easier it is to heat.

Use a microwave for cooking as much as possible, because they use less power than conventional ovens.

Wash your clothes with cold water and only do a full wash. This could save you more than $100 a year (based on 20 washes a month).

Use cold water when you’re rinsing dishes and filling the jug. Boil only enough water as you need. If you do have boiled water left over in the jug, pour it into a thermos for use later.

Replace the light bulbs you use the most with energy-efficient ones.
Eco Bulbs, which cost around $6 each, but last up to 10 times longer. 
This can save around $65 a year.

Dry your washing outside or set up a covered area outside for clothes drying. Drying clothes inside releases moisture into the air and makes it harder to heat

Look to the stars when buying new appliances. The more stars an energy rating label has the less energy it will use.

Use thermostats and timers so your heaters only come on when you need them and automatically turn off once the right temperature is reached.

Use energy-saving settings on washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers and fridges when available.

Keep lids on pots when you’re cooking, and make sure the lids fit well, as this saves energy and reduces steam in the kitchen. Match the pot size to the element.

Turn off:
• Lights if you leave a room for more than 1 minute.
• All appliances at the wall instead of leaving them on standby.
• Mobile phone chargers when you've finished using them. Things like
lights and appliances left on unnecessarily wastes about $100 of power a year!

Draught proofing
Turn to your windows and doors next. Draughts can make a room uncomfortable as heat is lost and cold air comes billowing in. Apply inexpensive plastic or foam strips (available from DIY stores) to window and door frames to stop the winds. If you have the budget, consider replacing single glazing with modern double-glazed units. As well as keeping the heat in, they will also reduce the noise coming in from the outside.

Check the hot water temperature at the tap. 
If its more than 55 degrees it’s unsafe, and you could be using more energy than you need to.
40% of homes have dangerously hot water 


Wrap your hot water pipes. 
If you have an older electric cylinder wrap that too.
Pipe and cylinder wraps available from hardware stores.    


Ease your shower flow. 
If your shower fills a 10 litre bucket in less than a minute, it's wasting water. Replacing your shower head for one with a more efficient flow rate of 9 litres a minute or less could cut your hot water use significantly. Even reducing your shower flow rate by 1 litre per minute will save you around $80 per year.

Ease your tap flow. 
Flow control aerators for taps cost between $10 and $30 and can halve the volume of water used while still giving good pressure - great for taps over sinks or tubs that aren't regularly filled up, so the water flow volume is less important

Fix dripping hot taps. 
These can waste around to 7 litres of water every day, and potentially around $40 of energy each year. Replace the washer or fitting - a new washer only costs a few dollars



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