Improve your home’s energy efficiency and reduce your energy bills, consistently.
Many of us can feel helpless in the face of fluctuating energy prices. While you cannot control the price of electricity, you can control how much you use. We asked Stuart Edgley, who has worked in the energy efficiency space since 2006, how to avoid high energy bills and create an efficient electrified home.
This article will arm you with an understanding of what products and processes in your home are the most thirsty, and how you can reduce your usage across the board.
The home electricity hierarchy
Unfortunately, your electricity bill does not itemise your use. While each home’s electricity use will differ slightly, the table below provides a high-level overview of where your electricity and your money is being spent.” Tells Stuart.
Now let’s break down each category to understand what you can do to reduce your energy use and your electricity bill.
40% – Heating & Cooling
With a whopping 40% of electricity use, heating and cooling are the highest consumers of electricity in Australian homes. Due to the extreme Australian climate, the need for effective heating and cooling is unavoidable. However, there are plenty of ways you can reduce your use and live in comfort, for less. Stuart’s top tips are:
Insulate
Draught proofing and insulating your home prevents heat loss in colder months. By filling in the gaps around your windows and doors, and installing removable chimney seals, you can keep the heat in and your electricity use down.
Segregate
Closing off rooms or sections of your home that are not in use, reduces the area you need to heat or cool and in-turn, your total energy use.
Circulate
If you’re heating a large room, you can circulate warm air around the room by switching your fan to winter mode, pushing warm air downwards to keep you cosy. In summer, the opposite applies.
Harness
Opening curtains and blinds to harness the sun can help to warm your space in the winter months, while opening windows and doors to feel the summer breeze can keep things cool in the height of summer.
Invest
nvesting in an energy efficient heating and cooling solution, like the Emerald Split System AC, reduces your energy expenditure without compromising performance, allowing you to live comfortably year round, without the costs.
30% – Appliances
Stuart recognises that the world is evolving, “We have more appliances in our lives than ever before, from luxury TV’s as big as the wall, to washing machines and dishwashers that we simply cannot live without.”
Among the biggest energy gobblers and contributors to your electricity bill, are TV’s, computers and home office equipment – all essential parts of our modern lifestyle.
Rather than cutting back on your Netflix time and buying a typewriter, you can use some of Stuart’s tips below to reduce your energy use.
Track
Using the Emerald EMS App, you can track your most energy greedy appliances to understand where your electricity and your money is being spent.
Turn Off
Many modern appliances run background functions, using standby power when they are not in use. Turning your appliances off at the power outlet prevents energy wastage.
Invest
Choosing more energy efficient appliances may increase the upfront cost, but could lead to significant savings over time. The Energy Rating website has a useful calculator allowing you to calculate and compare the savings of different brands and appliances.
25% – Hot Water
Many of us can’t live without hot water, especially in the cold winter months, but you can heat-smart and reduce the cost of this significant contributor to your overall energy consumption. Here are a few ways you can save on your electricity bill by heating smart.
Turn Off
If you’re goin away, turn off your hot water system. If it’s turned on, it will be heating your water whether you’re there or not.
Wash Cold
Washing your clothes in cold water uses up to 10x less energy than hot washes.
Lower
Set your water temperature to 60 degrees for storage in hot water systems and no more than 50 degrees on instantaneous systems.
Invest
Heat pump hot water systems, such as the Emerald Heat Pump All-In-One, can save you up to 80% on your hot water costs, without compromising on performance. Stuart recommends you read some of the Emerald case studies to see how you could cost your pocket and the planet less.
8-25% – Lighting
Lighting may be the smallest contributor to your overall energy expenditure, but it is also the easiest and most affordable thing you can do to reduce your electricity bills. Here are a few ways to avoid unnecessary lighting costs.
H4: Switch Off
B: It couldn’t be more simple – switch off your lights when you’re not in the room and when you leave the house and avoid unnecessary energy use.
H4: Harness
In the same way you can heat your home using the sun, you can delay turning the lights on by using windows and mirrors to increase the natural light in your living room or office.
H4: Invest
Switch to energy efficient LED light bulbs, which use around 80% less energy than older ones and last longer.
H3: Enjoy effortless efficiency
Many of these changes may seem small, but collectively they can contribute significantly toward reducing your energy use and ultimately your electricity bill. For more information on Emerald’s energy efficient climate control, hot water, lighting or smart home solutions, please click on the links below.
