As you find yourself reaching for the air conditioning remote more often during the hot Aussie summer, you might also be shocked at the electricity bill that eventually arrives in your mailbox a couple of months down the line. With the ongoing cost of living pressures and the rising cost of utility bills, taking steps to reduce your household’s energy use will have a big impact on your hip pocket—and not only that, but making your house more energy efficient reduces your impact on the environment, meaning that you’ll also be doing your part to protect the planet and use our limited resources responsibly.
There are many ways that households can improve their energy efficiency, from bigger home improvements such as installing solar panels and roller shutters, upgrading your heating and cooling systems and investing in garage door sealing and insulation, as well as smaller ones like swapping to energy-saving light bulbs. This article covers just some of the steps you can take to reduce your energy bill and protect the planet.
Did you know that appliances can account for around 25% of home energy use? Over the years, technology has improved rapidly, and old appliances typically cost more to run and are less effective at their jobs. If you have an air conditioning system that’s ten years old, or a fridge that looks like it’s been through a battlefield, it might be time to switch to a new appliance that does its job better, and for cheaper. Look for the energy rating label (that’s the label with the stars on it—the more the better), and do your research by visiting websites like the Energy Rating government website to find the best appliances for your home.
Leaking airflow around your windows, doors, and even electrical outlets leads to worse insulation, meaning that your house will be less resistant to extreme temperatures. Good insulation keeps your house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer—this is where you might invest in DIY-ing those leaks with weatherstripping or caulking, or call in the experts to seal your garage doors. If your house is airtight but still fluctuates in temperature wildly based on the outside climate, you might want to explore the bigger renovation option of entirely replacing the insulation inside your walls with something more high quality. Keep in mind this definitely isn’t the fastest or easiest option, and will cost you a pretty penny in the short term, but should work wonders for keeping your room temperatures in that golden range long term.
While they might be an investment at the start, renewable energy sources like solar panels or water tanks are fantastic ways to reduce your energy and water bills by making use of free natural resources like the sun and rain. In Australia, solar panels are particularly effective as we have some of the highest solar radiation levels in the world, and generous government incentives seal the deal. The Australian Energy Council has even done the maths, calculating that it takes three years for a 5kW solar panel system in Sydney to pay for itself (based on average electricity prices in April 2020).
On the more accessible side of things, there are small things you can do every day to reduce your energy usage, like turn off lights and appliances when they are not in use (rather than just leaving them on standby) or deciding to put on a jumper instead of turning on the heater in winter. It’s also important to learn how to use different devices or electrical products in your house efficiently—for example, using the fan or dehumidifier settings on an AC unit are both significantly less energy intensive than the cooling setting, and might do an equally good job at cooling down the house depending on the weather outside.
At the end of the day, it’s not an impossible task to super-charge your energy savings and de-charge your energy usage. From big one-off investments that pay themselves off over the years, to smaller behavioural changes in your everyday life, there are countless ways to reduce your impact on the planet, and save money on your energy bills.