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Low cost energy saving
Even if you can’t afford expensive fittings such as solar panels, there are still many ways to make your home more energy efficient on a limited budget.
Better still, energy efficiency will actually save you money. Start by making a few of the “no-cost” behaviour changes outlined below. These will quickly reduce your energy bills. Then you can invest these savings in some of the low-cost energy-saving items to make further savings.
No-cost green habits
Energy-saving habits cost nothing, reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and will save you hundreds of dollars a year in reduced energy bills. For instance:
• don’t leave televisions, computers and other appliances on standby. Turn things off at the wall instead. Turn lights off when you leave rooms;
• dry clothes on a clothes line or Hills hoist rather than in a tumble dryer;
• shut internal doors so you only heat or cool the room you are in. Shut doors, windows, curtains and blinds on hot days or cold nights to keep heat in or out;
• in winter, wear warm jumpers, socks and even a beanie instead of turning up the heating;
• turn down the thermostat a few degrees on your hot water and heating;
• become an energy-efficient cook: put the lid on pans when boiling food and only boil as much water in the jug as you need. Microwave ovens, woks and rice cookers are all energy-efficient ways of cooking;
• take shorter showers. Hot water for showers accounts for about 16 per cent of the average domestic energy bill, so halving your shower time will give you a significant financial saving.
Low-cost energy-savers
There are many low-cost, low-tech fittings that only cost a few dollars and will quickly pay for themselves in reduced energy bills. The following items cost between five and fifty dollars and will save you hundreds of dollars in their lifetime:
• fitting a water-saving shower may be the single most cost-effective energy-saving step you can take. They cost as little as $20 and can more than halve the water flow from your shower, lowering your electricity bill by reducing the amount of hot water you use;
• energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs last for years and will save hundreds of dollars over their lifetime;
• draft excluders on the bottom of doors help insulate your home, reducing heating and cooling costs;
• cheap portable fans will make your home feel cooler on hot days by circulating air – and they use far less energy than power-hungry air-conditioners.
• low-cost shading devices for windows will keep your home cooler in summer. For instance, shade cloth can be made into cheap blinds. You can also grow deciduous bushes in front of windows. The foliage will screen out the hot sun in summer, but will fall off every winter so sunlight can reach your home during the cooler months.
Insulate
In terms of energy saved per dollar spent, insulation is one of the best-value ways to reduce your energy bills. A few hundred dollars spent to insulate your roof will pay for itself many times over. Lag hot water tanks and pipes as well.
Look at the stars
Look at the red energy-efficiency star rating when you buy appliances and electrical equipment, especially for big energy users such as fridges and televisions. Choosing appliances with good energy efficiency ratings will help keep your electricity bills down.
Efficient fridges
Fridges are among the largest consumers of electricity in most homes because they are never turned off. To reduce the electricity your fridge uses, make sure it is not sitting in direct sunlight, ensure there is some space behind and above the fridge so the condensing coils can work, and make sure the door seals are intact. Keep your fridge full, as solid objects retain the cold when you open the fridge door.
Three energy guzzlers
Plasma televisions, beer fridges and portable electric bar heaters are among the worst energy-guzzlers in the home.
• Stick to a normal television and get rid of the bar fridge.
• Put your drinks a few at a time in your main fridge as and when you need them.
• Bar heaters are the least efficient and most costly way to heat your home, and only suitable for short bursts in small spaces. Use a gas or oil heater, coupled with good insulation, instead.
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Related Categories
Building
Heating Systems
Insulation