How To Save Electricity At Home?

Any long-time renters or homeowners know just how easy it can be to let your utility bills skyrocket. All it takes is just a few days or weeks of mindless appliance use and lights left on around the house, and the next thing you know, your next quarterly bill is ripe to cost you an arm and a leg!

Whilst being hit with these massive bills can be confronting, there’s nothing quite like it to get you thinking about your household’s energy usage and how you can work together as a family unit to start minimising those kilowatts.

Here are just a few simple ways your household can easily keep your electricity bills low year-round.

Be mindful of heating and cooling appliance use

Whilst home energy consumption varies from state to state, it’s generally believed that about 40% of any Australian household’s electricity bill covers heating and cooling costs alone, followed shortly by appliances and equipment (including refrigeration and cooking) at 33% of your overall bill payment. As you can see, heating and cooling make up a lot of what your overall electricity bill is likely to be, so it makes sense to use your heating and cooling appliances conscientiously.

You can save energy during summer by simply opening your windows to allow cool air to circulate naturally throughout your home. For the colder winter months, isolate your heating to one shared space in your home, and encourage your family to use other natural methods of conserving heat in every other space in your home. This will help ensure your household’s use of heating appliances never gets out of control.

Keep doors and windows closed

It goes without saying that saving energy in winter is no easy feat. At the height of the season, it can be all too tempting to go out and buy a space heater for every room. This is a surefire way of needlessly adding to your next electricity bill.

Do your best to conserve heat naturally in your home by doing some winter layering, both of yourself, but also of your window coverings. Adding heavy curtains to your windows can help trap heat with ease, but you can also help this process by ensuring you close doors upon entering any room. Of course, if you’re in an open-plan home, it can be doubly difficult to conserve heat. Consider using draught stoppers to keep cold air from entering your front or back doors.

You can also potentially use passive design principles like being mindful of orientation, to help maximise your sun’s natural light and heat availability in the winter months.

Opt for energy-efficient bulbs

When it comes to household lighting, there is naturally a lot to consider aside from whether to go with a warm or cool tone. You should pay attention to the types of lightbulbs that you choose for your home’s interiors, as some can be more energy-efficient than others.

Outdated halogen light bulbs can be quite an energy drainer, and they should be swapped out for lighter LED or compact fluorescent alternatives. If you haven’t already gotten your home fitted with energy-efficient fluorescent or LED light bulbs, we highly recommend that you do so in time for the peak of winter.

Look for higher energy star ratings

Finally, as highly experienced electricians, we’re here to tell you that the energy star ratings on your appliances should absolutely not be ignored. These star ratings can be valuable in assessing the overall energy efficiency of your home. If you’re looking to minimise your electricity bill as well as your home’s carbon footprint, you will want to consider these handy little stickers.

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As you can see, there’s a lot you can do to make sure that you and your family are well-equipped to keep your home’s overall energy consumption nice and low. Feel free to check out our blog for more information on how your household can be energy savvy.

Alongside this, if you find yourself in need of domestic or commercial electrical services, be sure to contact All Electrics today on 03 8719 8776 to speak with one of our experienced electricians.