The average electricity bill in Australia is between $1,500 and $1,700. That’s a significant amount of money. Saving 15% of the bill is the equivalent of putting $225 and $255 back into your pocket; there is sure to be something that you can do with this money!
Fortunately reducing your energy bill isn’t as difficult as you may think:
This is a great tip that can be used all year round. In the winter adjust your thermostat by just 1 degree; you’ll barely notice the difference in the temperature within your home. You can also do the same for your hit water heater, turning it down by a degree or two is not going to stop you enjoying that shower.
In the summer months you can do the opposite; when your air conditioner is on move the thermostat up one degree; again you’ll not notice the difference.
But your electricity bill will. In both cases this small change in interior temperature can make a significant difference to your yearly bill.
This is one thing that is often overlooked but the simple fact is that you’ll actually save money paying the Electrical Detectives to come to your home.
They can check your installation to ensure there are no circuitry issues which could be draining your electricity without you knowing it.
More importantly they can check the draw of your appliances to see if they are performing properly. Having your appliances serviced regularly will help to ensure they work at peak proficiency and save you money in the process.
You need to take a look at your current appliances. If they are already old then there is a good chance that they are energy inefficient. Upgrading them to new versions may set you back a few dollars but in the medium term the savings will outweigh the cost of purchasing and can actually reduce your energy bills.
In the same vein you should also get into the habit of turning off non-essential appliances. Your television, radio, DVD player and other items which sit in standby all the tie are consuming electricity. Even a cell phone charger that is plugged in but not charging will use electricity.
Switch off and unplug to reduce your energy usage and cut your bills.
Insulation is essential in every home. It helps to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It is worth investing in insulation if you don’t already have some.
In fact many states will actually offer you reduced price insulation via a grant or some other scheme; it’s worth looking in to.
Finally in the summer your air conditioning works hard to keep your house cool. You can help it and reduce your energy bills by closing the blinds or drapes on the sunny side of the house. This will stop the heat of the sun coming in and raising the temperature of your home.
It can also help to prevent fading on all your furnishings.