The message is clear - energy pricing is leaving customers confused and paying more. At CHOICE, we’re continuing to campaign for fairer energy markets in Australia (more on this soon). For now, we’d like to invite you to share your energy savings tips, whether it’s about switching providers, installing solar or making changes around the home.
Let us know your energy savings tips in the comments below.
Oh dear. 3 days since your post @BrendanMays and no responses yet. I’ll start then…
As an inveterate light leaver on… switching to LED and LIFX has saved me… It means I don’t have to sigh with discontent because I forgot to turn out the light in the kitchen, I can just turn off on my watch or phone. Etc.
I’d love to be able to switch to Solar but I am getting the feeling that for me it would not be such a saving…. Reaching EOL myself, not much time left. Also, I prefer trees, so solar would not be suitable. I’m going to plant a potential forest in my back yard, it will save on mowing etc and will shade the back of my house which is my main summer issue. I’ll still need a/c, but have discovered that there are now inverter Window skinny units and thats what I need. The on-off nature of non-inverter units is known to be a terrible drain on energy. This summer, its been portables and I am not looking forward to the next bill.
On the matter of billing, I have been paying fortnightly. Not a set amount but enough to (hopefully) not have bill shock in a couple of months. Its not a saving I guess, but it helps one to manage more easily. I do the same for Gas.
Thanks @SueW, great tips!
The progressive replacement of all our household lighting with LED was one of the first changes we made. In recent years we’ve replaced our LPG gas oven with an Miele electric. It was selected relative to other brands and models based on the Choice review which included energy consumption as well as usability and cooking performance. We also stayed with a 60cm standard width rather than a larger oven as the smaller ovens use slightly less energy. We usually only cook for 2 or 3. The air frier aka bench top oven was another recent purchase. For smaller items/meals is even more energy efficient than using the oven.
Our most significant use of home energy is operating the AC’s in subtropical SE QLD. One energy reduction came from purchasing inverter models to replace our box AC’s. We have also spent up to install fibre insulation bats in two of our roof spaces. It is where we see the greatest loss of cooling or heating. To use less energy with the AC’s we often run them in dry mode rather than cooling in summer in conjunction with our ceiling fans. It’s the humidity that causes the greater discomfort rather than the absolute temperature.
As a final AC cost saving, but not really an energy saving measure. We try to do most of the summer cooling before the sun goes off the rooftop solar. Not available for every home. Running the AC a few degrees cooler when the solar PV is delivering and before the sun goes away allows the set point to be increased a few degrees in the evening. The result is the internal humidity remains comfortable. The power demand on the AC is also less due to the stored cooling from earlier in the day.
We switched to LED lights as soon as practicable. Any new appliances that need upgrading are considered on energy efficiency, (e.g. replaced the plasma TV with OLED). Solar panels installed, then the heat pump hot water (instead of gas), then the solar battery. We still switch off lights when not using them, even though the trickle of energy they use is minimal! We also switched to ducted reverse cycle aircon somewhere along the line. Yes it was expensive but worth the quality of life it gives, especially since we seem to have tropical summers in Melbourne now!
We also tend to run the dishwasher and washing machine when the sun is out, sometimes also using the dryer for towels if there’s a lot of washing. It helps that we are now retired so it doesn’t matter what day of the week the washing happens!
Hubby also periodically hunts for the best electricity provider for us (like, every year!) The only gas we now have is the stove, which will be upgraded to induction when we renovate the kitchen. We have improved what we can afford to, and it has definitely, positively impacted not only energy bills, but also our quality of life.
My saving device is a spreadsheet into which I put the Supply and Usage charges plus the FiT (feed in Tariff) using a known set of numbers i.e. days , KwH in and KwH out and hey presto it tells me which is the cheapest rate
Mine are similar to others here. I have always shopped around once each year to see if I can find a better provider; we always turn off lights in rooms not in use; never leave appliances on standby when not in use, though realise these two are trivial compared to bigger power consumers.
When replacing major appliances we look for more energy-efficient models, and use an airfryer rather than the oven for cooking whenever possible - an easy way to save power.
Since we had solar panels installed a few years ago the washing and dishwashing machines are used during solar power generation, and we use a heat-pump clothes dryer when hanging washing outdoors isn’t feasible (Melbourne weather!).
In a bid to go all-electric we replaced our gas hot water with a heat pump system which runs during solar generation and swapped our ducted gas heating for split system heating/cooling using the original ducted outlets. We generally only run the cooling during solar generation time to cool the house, then use a small Dyson fan or ceiling fan if needed in the evening. Heating is a different story - mostly only run for an hour first thing in the morning and a couple of hours at night and not taking advantage of solar. We layer up clothing in winter rather than run heating continuously.
Our power bill averages less than $100/month (less in summer, more in winter) which I’m pretty happy with.
Five years ago we built a compact, all electric 2 br house complete with heat pump hot water, 2 rc air cons, double glazing, insulation to the hilt, double blinds, passive solar direction. We included solar panels, inverter and a battery. We do an annual power provider check. Currently we’re with OVO where we get 3 hours free between 11am and 2pm. That works well - Often through Spring the mornings were overcast, the afternoons sunny. Clothes washing and dish washer happens in that time. We both work from home. It all works for us.
I could write a long list as we actively change and upgrade things to reduce our energy use and the amount of energy we use. We maximise our energy efficiency through
Heavy lined curtains, save up for double glazing if this is your long term home. Shade on windows such as pergola or blinds. By getting rid of your gas you will save, we were paying more supply charge than the small amount of gas used.
Create a garden, it’s amazing how cooling it can be round your home, paving and concrete store heat long after the sun goes in.
The vast majority of online and related advice reflects building better homes for colder climates such as those in the UK. Apologies to Kevin McCleod, if England was on our side of the equator it would be somewhere between New Zealand and the South Pole. Around about Macquarie Island, a half way stop over on the way to Antarctica, and home to mostly penguins and seals.
Some good tips here for those who live some where other than the less well warmed parts of Australia. No need to double glaze, although one may need to knock down the existing home and start again to get the most energy efficient and best orientated home. Being able to open a home up to help to cool it down in the evenings and through the early morning one simple tactic.
In the tropics in summer the sun rises well to the south of due east and similarly sets well south of due west. Providing shade to both the western and eastern facades worked well for our second home in the tropics. Our first was on a hill side facing east to the prevailing sea breezes, hence only considered the western facade. The sun is directly overhead in summer. Ceiling insulation (fibre bats in the home) made a significant improvement to comfort. Ceiling fans and tiled concrete floors especially if slab on ground construction also made a significant difference to comfort without the need to close up and turn on the AC. IE carpet to be avoided.
When looking to build or buy not all home designs are equal when it comes ot how they use energy. For new choose wisely. For established some homes will require less effort and expense to deliver energy efficient comfort. A cost to factor in.
Rather than use a wall or combo hob and oven buy an air fryer that runs on arround 1200 watts .
