Turn Down The Thermostat

They say you save 3% off your heating bill for every degree you turn down your thermostat. So maybe you need to wear a jumper, and set it at 19 degrees as opposed to the tropical 21. Think about it, that’s 6% off your heating costs right there. And if you turn it way down while you’re at work and asleep, you’ve just made a big saving already.

Time It

I just bought a beautiful heater and the lady at the store tried to convince me to spend a 100 dollars extra to buy one with a timer. If I had a timer on it, I’d save the 100 dollars back in a second right? Wrong. You can buy $10 timers from Kmart that plug into the electricity socket. They’re easy to use and can be set for the 24 hour period. So you can set it for when you’re going to get up, return for work and go to sleep. You’ll save big chunks off your electricity bill, and an upfront cost when buying the appliance.

Keep The Space Warm

Simple stuff can save you a huge amount of money. Keep doors closed and heat small spaces. Use curtains and close blinds at night to stop the heat escaping. Don’t have a fire damper open, as it will suck all the heat out. Keep your heating vents clear so the hot air actually circulates. If you’ve bought a convection heater, think about turning your ceiling fan on low- it will help disperse the heat around the room and stop the heat from layering somewhere around the ceiling and nowhere near you.

Stop The Leak

According to MSN Money (who got this word on the street from Earthworks), the gaps surrounding windows and doors in the average house amount to a 9 square foot hole in the wall. That is crazy talk. If there were a nine foot hole in the wall, we’d all be rushing to fix it, so plug all the gaps and you’ll plug your hemorrhaging heating costs as well.

A BIt Of TLC

Giving your water heater and pipes a bit of loving care could give your heating costs a kiss too- if you swaddle your heater and pipes (especially in uninsulated areas) the water they carry won’t lose as much heat and you’ll be able to cut your heating costs. The same goes for ducted air- it can lose huge amounts of heat before it gets anywhere near you if it’s poorly connected or uninsulated. So you’ll be pumping the heating with very little benefit. Get a little savvy and try and check all the obvious places- if any ducting has come undone, you’ll do yourself a huge favour by getting it fixed up.

They have decided that it is not economically viable and are pushing the public to opt for solar hot water instead.

The cost of energy is also rapidly increasing, making solar panels for heating your water a much cheaper option – potentially saving you up $700 a year in energy costs – simply by switching how you heat your water. In fact, over 10 years – your household could save around $11,500 based on our figures below.

$4000 in rebates to save you money

To introduce this new scheme, the Government and Modern Solar are offering up to $4000 in rebates to subsidize the cost of installing solar hot water heating. Considering that electric hot water systems account for around 28% of home energy use, I will definitely be moving to solar hot water in the coming months.

How much will this save you?

Electricity and energy costs are increasing year on year. The potential saving for 2010 is around $700 and assuming that year on year electricity prices go up by $100, over the course of 10 years you will have saved around $11,500 on electricity costs. Definitely worth 30 seconds of your time to submit a request.

Why use Modern Solar?

A number of readers have submitted tips around using Modern Solar to reduce electricity bills, in fact – last week alone we had a number of readers tell us that they were halving their electricity bills by switching.

Modern Solar also offer hot water systems that cater to all budgets, small too big. Everyone should find a figure they are happy with I am told.

Check out Modern Solar.

It’s easy, amidst the fuss, to forget about what the whole uproar is about, namely saving the environment and our dollars. It’s also pretty easy, while watching the Parliament have a schoolyard scrap over the issue, to forget what the options are for each individual and how you can save money and save the planet all at the same time.

The Original Renewable

Before we even get onto the new fandangle technologies, design is one of the most important aspects of energy and money saving. A house that takes advantage of the sun in winter and manages to avoid it in summer will save you a lot of money on heating and air-conditioning. Passive solar energy (the new term for sunshine apparently) is the best thing around, and it’s totally free.

Learn how to store it

Making your home energy efficient is the first step to saving a significant amount of money. Insulation and double glazing are the be all and all when it comes to saving money on heating costs. It’s an initial outlay to buy the insulation and employ someone to install it, but the savings will become apparent over time. There are lots of home sustainability assessors floating around the place, happy to tell you the best to make your home efficient.

Green Loans can even show you what the savings are http://www.environment.gov.au/greenloans/ . High energy rated appliances help as well, despite the higher cost initially.

Think about the source

Lots of people are starting to buy energy produced from a renewable source. It doesn’t actually cost much more, and will relieve your guilty conscience (which saves money on retail therapy and psychologists).

The more people that use renewable energy electricity companies, the cheaper it will eventually get. With electricity prices only heading in one direction- up- it’s a long-term saving measure to think about.

Forget getting PC, get PV

Photovoltaic cells (solar cells) are trendy. With Green Loans, they’re also affordable. It is a large initial outlay of capital. You may not earn back the initial outlay for decades. However, consider this. In the current climate, electricity prices are going to go up. If you buy solar cells, the price of electricity will stay static forever. While everyone else is at the mercy of electricity companies, environment and potential privatisation, you’re sitting on a deck, enjoying the sunshine and thinking about installing a spa.

DIY

All hail the age of the Internet, where it really can solve all your problems. This nifty little website http://www.earth4energy.com/ has videos and instructions, as well as kits, on how to build your own solar panels and wind turbines. It all went over my head a little, but if you’re handy or are at least willing to give it a go, then I suggest you head here. After all, DIY solar panels would be the best cost-saver in town. These guys claim you can get 50- 80% off your electricity bills with their products. I haven’t tested it myself, but I’m trying to find somewhere I can sign on a dotted line.

Would you invest in renewable energy to save yourself money?

Today I thought I would share with you a few ways to save money on electricity and potentially gas (depending on how you heat your house) so that you can save money on your heating bills – or as we call them ‘the dreaded winter bill’. Not only does heating cost a lot of money, it is easily an avoidable bill – something we can minimise with very little effort and pocket the increased savings.

Tips to Save Money on Heating

1. Perform an Energy Audit on your house and identify where your heat is leaking out. Maybe its that window you leave open upstairs or in the laundry? If your house is properly sealed, heat will last for longer period of time.
2. Minimise your usage of ventalation fans – these fans let a lot of warm air escape very quickly.
3. Don’t heat areas of your house that you don’t use. That downstairs rumpus room can stay cold over winter if no one is going to use it.
4. Turn down your heaters and wear a jumper around the house to make up for the few degrees in temperature drop.
5. Keep your oil heaters, electric heat fans and other heating products up to date. Spending $300 for a new heater might seem like a lot, but the energy you save will be substantial.
6. Let the house heat slowly over the day on a weaker temperature. Doing this will allow progressive house heating and minimise the hot air escaping.
7. Consider a programmable temperature device – this will let you heat your house on only certain periods of the day. Eg; Early morning and Bed time.
8. If you’re hot water system is located outside, whether it be gas or electricity – wrap it in a thermal blanket you can buy from any old Bunnings warehouse. This stops the water from cooling to quickly and saves your hot water system working on overload.
9. Wash your clothes in cold water to help save on hot water.
10. Althougt it is might tempting to stand under the hot water in the shower for long periods of time – remember that water heating costs contribute to 35-40% of your heating costs – cutting your showers down to just 3minutes or less can actively help you save money on water and minimise your heating bills.
11. In winter – open your windows and blinds on sunny days so that your house can naturally receive some sun light, which in turn will heat the house up. Be very careful not to leave them open past the sunny period of the day, as this tip will work against you if left unmonitored.

Share your heating tips

I would be very interested to learn other ways to save money on heating. Feel free to share with me some tips that you use for heating your house in winter along with minimising your utility bills and payments for the winter period.

Personally I am happy about minimising my carbon footprint, but even more happy to be saving $1000′s off my electricity bill per year.

Today I would like to look into ways to save electricity along with how it is that I save money on electricity. Over the years I believe I have easily saved myself upwards of $10,000 AUD on electricity bills from smart thinking.

Saving Electricity

• Minimises your carbon foot print.

• Saves $1000′s off your electricity bills.

• Allows you to keep your cash flow higher, leading to larger savings.

• Makes you aware of your other utility bills such as Gas Bills, Water Bills and other bills.

How to Save Money on Electricity

• Never leave lights on when you are not in a room, this could easily be the most efficient means of saving money on electricity.

• Turn your heating off while you sleep. Doing this minimises your electricity bill as you can snuggle up to keep yourself warm.

• Turn off all your idle appliances. As I sit here, I could easily find 20 powerpoints or items plugged into them that are still switched on – which in turn is charging us for sitting on idle, wasted money as such. I challenge you to turn off 5 power points or devices that are not getting used per day – and you will knock a couple of hundred dollars off your electricity bill per quarter.

• Don’t leave the outside lights on, this will waste electricity quickly for a moment of light when you come home. Install approach lights instead, so they come on only when you are there.

How much have you saved?

I would love to hear your stories of how you saved electricity and how much electricity you saved via new and improved saving electricity methods.

During the summer it can, (occasionally) get very hot so we get out the air conditioners, fans and any other equipment that could possibly cool us down and then watch as the electricity bills shoot up.

The average household now spends around £1000 every year on their energy (including both gas and electricity usage). This is according to the Environmental Protection agency but conservationists say that most of this money is wasted on unneeded energy.

Nowadays, you can save money and help look after the environment and you don’t have to make any major lifestyle changes.

These following steps should help you cut your electricity bills by a third:

1. Upgrade your thermostat

If you like your house to be very cool in the summer when you return from work but don’t like the steep bills that come with this luxury then you’ll be pleased to know that you can cut your energy costs by investing in a programmable thermostat. This device will allow you to cool your house to whatever temperature you like at specific times. This means that you will be able to leave the thermostat off when there’s no one in the house during the day and then have it timed to switch on for when you get home when work.

2. Get a fan

By purchasing a ceiling fan you will be able to keep the temperature cool in the room and you will be able to turn down your air conditioning which uses up a lot more energy.

3. Don’t forget to unplug

You may switch off your electronics when you’ve finished using them but some will still continue to use energy. The ones that will do this are devices that have clocks, on/off lights or remote controls, such as; televisions, DVD players, microwaves, phones and stereos. The only way to stop these devices using excess energy is to unplug them completely. This does sound like it could be a pain, especially if you have a lot of gadgets, but there is an easily solution: plug all of the devices into an extension cable and then use that as your on/off switch.

4. Better Bulbs

Traditional incandescent bulbs use a lot of energy but compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75 per cent less energy and even last 10 times longer. These CFL bulbs will therefore save you money on your electricity.

Purchase a programmable thermostat. They are cheaper than you might think, and they can reduce up to 30% on your heating and cooling costs. They work harder when family members are home and keep the house a bit less heated or cooled when they are not. You can program your air conditioning, for example, to stay at 80 degrees from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Switch it down to 76 degrees right before you get home from work.

Step2

Buy ceiling fans, especially for stuffy or poorly ventilated rooms. Fans make the room feel cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. They are very low-cost to own and operate.

Step3

Buy CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) light bulbs. They use 75% less energy than normal light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. They are a little more expensive initially, but the energy cost savings and longevity are worth the initial outlay.

Step4

Choose Energy Star appliances when you upgrade your stove, refrigerator, hot water heater, etc. Older appliances are energy-sucking monsters, so when the time comes to replace them, you can see a substantial energy savings.

Step5

Get a hot water heater “jacket.” These insulating wraps that go around the outside of your water heater help keep the water temperature higher, especially in the winter, thus reducing how hard your heater has to work and the resulting energy costs. Consider turning down the temperature on your hot water heater or purchase a newer “tankless” water heater, which uses less energy than the standard models.

Step6

Be careful about the energy that you consume. Turn off lights and other appliances when you are not using them. Use dimmers or lower wattage light bulbs. Air dry your clothes. Use a toaster oven instead of heating up the regular oven for small items.

Step7

Become solar-friendly. Use skylights, open windows instead of turning on lights and consider installing solar panels.

1. Turn off the lights. If no one is in the room, turn off the lamps.

2. Light a candle in the bathroom. Even a small candle can provide enough light for just using the toilet.

3. Replace bulbs with energy efficient bulbs. This can reduce the monthly electric bill by $20.00.

4. Use natural lighting as much as possible. Open the curtains during the day.

ELECTRONICS

Power strips are a great investment. Hook up all the cords behind the entertainment center and computer desk to power strips. Most televisions, video games, and modems have stand by lights on all night which are using electricity. Turn the power strips off when not in use or at least before going to bed to keep the electronics from pulling energy.

APPLIANCES

1. Unplug the toaster, the coffee maker, or any other appliances when not in use.

2. Wash clothes in cold water then run them through a second spin cycle. Hang to dry.

3. Use the microwave or a gas grill. Heating up an electric oven uses a lot of energy.

4. Turn off the heated dry setting on the dishwasher. Washing dishes by hand takes some time, but can save money.

READ YOUR METER

Some electric companies will average your usage. Keeping up with the meter readings will allow for contesting the bill if it’s incorrect.

PEAK TIMES

Some electric companies have peak times for electric use. Find out what the local electric company considers peak times and wash clothes and run the dishwasher during the off peak hours.

EDUCATE CHILDREN

1. Children are sometimes at fault by leaving on lights, televisions, and radios. Encourage them to turn it off when it’s not needed.

2. Make sure children aren’t sneaking to turn the thermostat up or down.

FIND DRAFTS

1. If the doors are drafty, install seals around the facing. Place towels at the bottom of the doors to keep in the heat.

2. Rolled up towels work great in windowsills to keep drafts at a minimum.

These valuable tips will lower the electric bill intensely. Start today and keep up the electric saving habits and watch the bill reduce drastically.

Cooling

• Don’t leave your air conditioner on the highest setting. The recommended room temperature for summer is 24°C – 27°C. Every 1°C cooler will increase your energy costs by around 10 to 15%.
• Cool occupied rooms and seal off those rooms not in use.
• Turn off your air conditioner for 15 minutes each hour. Or cool your house in the morning and turn the air conditioner off for an hour or so in the afternoon.
• Keep curtains and windows closed during the day to block out the heat, then open them at night to let in cooler air.

Hot water

• Switch off your electric hot water unit if you’re going away for a week or more.
• Set the temperature of your hot water between 60°C and 65°C.
• Or, if you have small children, set your bathroom hot water temperature to 50°C – 55°C to decrease the risk of scalding.
• Installing a solar-boosted hot water unit can save you up to 90% of your hot water costs on a sunny day.
• Installing a AAA-rated water efficient shower rose can result in significant savings on both your energy and water bills.
• Fix that drip! A hot water tap dripping at the rate of 1 drip per second can waste up to $25 worth of hot water in a year.
• Make sure the pipes from your hot water service are insulated to prevent heat loss.

Cooking

• Microwaves can cook food three times faster than a standard oven while using up to 70% less electricity.
• Use small, efficient appliances like pressure cookers and electric frypans which require only half the energy used by standard ovens.
• When steaming, use a minimum of water and keep pot lids on.
• Thaw foods completely before cooking and you’ll save energy and cooking time.

Dishwashers

• Only run the dishwasher with a full load.
• On warm days let nature dry your dishes.

Fridges and freezers

• Set your fridge between 3°C and 4°C and your freezer between minus 15°C and 18°C. Every 1°C lower will increase your energy costs by around 5%.
• Turn off spare fridges and freezers when not in use.
• Don’t allow ice to build up beyond 5mm thickness on the walls of your fridge or freezer. Ice actually prevents the flow of cool air, causing your fridge to work harder and consume more energy than necessary.
• Keep fridges out of direct sunlight and away from stoves and ovens.

Laundry

• Use cold water for everyday washing and hot water for special loads, such as whites and heavily soiled clothes.
• An over-loaded or over-sudded machine uses more electricity and doesn’t clean as well.
• Front-loading washing machines are up to 15% more energy efficient than top loading machines.

Dryer

• Check the weather before you put clothes into the dryer. Remember, the sun’s energy is free.
• For maximum efficiency, ensure your clothes have been well-spun in the washing machine first.
• Clean the lint filter after each use – it speeds up drying time.
• Try not to over-dry clothes and do run consecutive loads. The residual heat will help dry the next load.

Lights

• Normal incandescent light globes can be replaced by modern compact fluorescent bulbs that can save up to 75% of your lighting costs.
• Turn lights off in rooms not being used.
• Install timers, automatic switches and daylight or movement sensors for outside lighting.

Heating

• Install north facing windows to catch the winter sun and reduce the amount of energy needed to heat your home.
• Choose the right size appliance for the area you want to heat. Overheating wastes energy, whilst a unit that is too small will struggle (even if running on maximum setting).
• Keep doors to cold rooms, like kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, closed and use heavy curtains on windows. These can prevent up to 75% of total heat loss from a home.
• Stop draughts by sealing unused chimneys with chimney dampers, sealing gaps around doors, and switching off range hoods and exhaust fans.

TV and computers

• Turn off your television, sound system and computer when no-one is using them.

Energy ratings

• When buying any electrical appliance, look for an energy rating. Energy rating labels must be displayed on all dryers, fridges, freezers, air conditioners, dishwashers and washing machines. A general rule of thumb is the more stars on the label, the more energy efficient the appliance.

Save money on Electricity

Let’s look at some of the figures. Energy saving bulbs now cost from around $1 each. If you replace a bulb that you use for around 3 hours a night, then you save about $25 a year on your annual electricity bill. Because they last much longer, according to the Energy Saving Trust each low energy light bulb can save you up to $250 in electricity bills over its lifetime. If you add up all the light bulbs and fittings in your house, this adds up a surprisingly large saving.

Plus the benefits aren’t only financial. Something as simple as using low energy bulbs can have a big impact on your personal contribution to Climate Change, by reducing the carbon dioxide emissions you are responsible for. Each bulb on its own will save up to half a tonne over its lifetime. If you replace 10 old-style bulbs in your house that you use for 2 hours a day with low energy bulbs, you will save around a quarter tonne of carbon dioxide each year.

Finally, low energy light bulbs save you time and effort. Because they last around 10 times longer than normal bulbs, when you switch to low energy bulbs you won’t have to get the ladder out so often to replace bulbs that have blown.

Low energy light bulbs to save

So why isn’t everyone making the change to low energy bulbs? Sadly too many of us are creatures of habit, and just carry on buying the same bad bulbs we always have. But now with the wide range on offer, and recent developments which have made low energy bulbs perform just as well as old-style bulbs, it makes sense to change all your bulbs straight away.

It does take a little effort to make the switch at first. First you have to go round your house and write down a list of the bulbs you currently use – including wattage (60w, 100w etc.), type of fixture (screw, bayonet etc), size and colour (e.g. are they toned?)

Next you have to work out the wattage for a low energy bulb that matches the wattage of your current bulbs (for example a 20 watt low energy bulb gives off the same light as a 100 watt old-style bulb).

Buying energy efficient light bulbs

Once you have worked out the bulbs you need to buy, you can then go shopping. There are many retailers of low energy bulbs on the Internet, or now they are commonly available in supermarkets or hardware stores.

Plus you can also save a lot of money by installing more energy efficient lighting outdoors. Just a few outdoor lights left on each night can double your household lighting bill and your greenhouse gas emissions. The best solution is to fit daylight and movement sensors so outdoor lights switch on when they’re needed, but don’t waste electricity. This also improves your home’s security, as you can tell when someone is approaching the house.

For outdoor lights that must stay on for long periods, use energy efficient, compact fluorescent or LED lamps and choose the lowest wattage lamp that gives enough light. In the garden, you can now buy solar powered garden lights that use no mains electricity and so produce no emissions when used. Plus you don’t need to wire up your garden to get lighting.

Switching to these energy efficient light bulbs will be one of the smartest moves you ever make!