How to conserve electricity and lower your electricity bill?
It takes a bit more effort than switching lights off!
That’s because the major component, in fact 40%, is heating and cooling in a typical electricity-powered household.
Coming in second, your appliances use around 33%. Then hot water is almost quarter of your bill at 21% with lights coming in at a much lower 6%.
The good news is that there are lots of things you can do around your house right now to reduce electricity usage.
Did you know that if you close windows, curtains and blinds early before your home’s interior heats up, you will retain that cool air and keep the hot air outside? When the external temperature drops, open up and let the cool air flow in. A handy gift idea is a fancy thermometer with an external sensor connected wirelessly that gives you both inside and outside temperatures. When the temperature is higher outside than inside, keep the hot air closed out. When the temperature is lower or the same as outside, open up and let the cool breezes flow. Night-time is a great tirme to have windows open on all sides of the house to get cross-flow of air.
Air-conditioners are very effective and popular. Each time you lower the temperature by a degree, this can add up to 10% to the air-conditioner’s running costs. The best temperature range is between 24-25oC and only cool the rooms people are using. Close the doors, windows, curtains and blinds in the rooms you are cooling. In fact, up to 40% of the energy used to cool your home can be lost through the windows or by direct sunlight coming into your home. This loss can be reduced by double glazing, tinting, close-fitting thick drapes or internal/external blinds, and heat-reflective or light-coloured backing on curtains.
Effective insulation inside your wall and above your ceilings makes a huge difference, because your home is kept at a stable temperature so that you use less energy to keep rooms cool.
Fans may seem old-fashioned yet they are effective at creating a breeze that cools you down. The running cost of a fan is a fraction of running an air-conditioner. Fans cool people not rooms – so remember to turn them off when you leave.
There are many more facts, tips and tricks for appliance use, cooking, showering with hot water and how to work out electricity usage in this brochure which you can download if you wish to.
Investigate your options by comparing electricity providers for best rates, excellent service… and support your local community by choosing local business. Contact us now and our customer care team can help you with a bill comparison and talk about your options. As locals, we experience the same weather conditions as you and we know tips and tricks to conserving electricity.
