A great-value electricity plan can help shave dollars off your next bill. However, you can easily save money if you’re savvy with your day-to-day electricity usage.
Check out our handy tips and tricks that can help you ease the strain on your next bill.
Saving on electricity can be easy if you know how to increase your appliances’ efficiency. Some of our top tips are to:
An affordable way to improve your heater or aircon’s efficiency is to install insulation if you don’t already have it. Insulation can regulate your home’s indoor temperature by preventing the indoor and outdoor temperatures from flowing in or out of your home.
Consider the figures for freestanding houses with no insulation from the Mackay Regional Council:
Smaller homes are usually more energy-efficient because they offer less surface area for heat to escape and enter. Freestanding homes generally use more energy for heating and cooling than those with shared walls or roofs as well.
When you’re trying to heat or cool down areas of your home, close off any unused room(s) to improve energy efficiency.
As a rule of thumb, most older appliances are less energy-efficient than their modern contemporaries. As such, replacing old household appliances such as fridges, freezers and washing machines that are in constant use can have a big impact on electricity use. Find out more about energy-efficient appliances.
Modern refrigerators can use 40% less energy than older models from 15 years ago.2 Similarly, newer large appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers, can be far more energy-efficient than older models; especially where they have eco-functions that can also help reduce water use.
The energy star rating system is a quick and easy way to compare appliances’ energy efficiency. So, make sure you refer to this system before making your purchase.
Keep in mind that modern appliances or technologies that have large screens or powerful software, such as TVs and modern gaming consoles, may use more energy than older models.
Standby power is a reasonably new concept, with newer appliances being the major culprits. Most appliances or technologies that we plug into wall sockets use power if the switch is turned on at the wall, sitting ready for action in ‘standby’ mode.
This so-called ‘vampire power’ can comprise as much as 10% of your electricity usage. It’s reasonably easy to avoid by switching things off at the wall rather than using the power toggle on the appliance itself.
Typical appliances that consume standby power include:
While long, hot showers, clothes dryers, heat-drying your dishes and other niceties are convenient and pleasing to use, they can rack up your bill quickly. Consider some of your energy habits and how you may be using energy needlessly. Try some of these tips:
Certain appliances will eat up your electricity more than others, including air conditioners, heaters, heaters, fridges and ovens. Think about how you can apply the following tips at home to increase efficiency and save electricity:
Air conditioners are typically the most energy-intensive appliances. The best way to save on air-conditioning, in this case, is to keep them off and cool the house in other ways:
Electric heating elements are among the most electricity-hungry devices in the home. Like air conditioners, avoid turning them on until absolutely necessary by keeping warm in other ways:
If you heat your water with electricity (instead of gas), these tips and tricks could help you reduce your energy bill even further:
Old fridges are typically less efficient than more recent models. As such, upgrading will usually save money on electricity. Though, it may take you a while to see savings on this initial investment. Here are some further tips:
Due to its size, an oven can waste a lot of energy. However, there are ways to reduce that usage:
It can be difficult to save during the heat of summer and chills of winter when our energy consumption is usually the highest. We’ve put together a guide to saving energy for your convenience.
The sweltering heat of Australia’s summer sun can be searing and relentless. While this may be fine for beachgoers and pool owners, many of us turn to our air-conditioning units, which can rack up the numbers on the energy bill. We’ve put together a list of tips to help save energy:
Certain parts of Australia can get uncomfortably chilly during winter. If you make a habit of using the heater to stay warm, here are some tips that may help you save energy:
Combine your newfound energy-saving tips with a great-value plan to maximise your savings! Simply use our free energy comparison service to compare a range of offers from some of Australia’s top providers.
You can compare each energy plan’s usage rate, discounts and features all in one place. If you do find a competitive offer, rest easy knowing that it will cost you the same as if you went directly to the provider.
So, what are you waiting for? Compare energy plans today!
1 Mackay Regional Council. Insulate, shade and weatherproof your house. Accessed 25 November 2020.
2 Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources. Appliances, lighting and equipment. Accessed 29 October 2020.
3 Sustainability Victoria (2020). Cooling running costs. Accessed 25 November 2020.
4 Sustainability Victoria (2020). Calculate heating running costs. Accessed 25 November 2020.
5 Sustainability Victoria (2020). Hot water running costs. Accessed 25 November 2020.
6 Sustainability Victoria (2021). Reduce fridge and freezer costs at home. Accessed 5 May 2021.
7 ACT Government (2018). Energy saving guide. Accessed 25 November 2020.