Rather than the proverbial ‘teaching your granny to suck eggs’, we asked YourLifeChoices members to share their tips for managing power usage. Here’s what you told us.
Your tips:
- install solar panels
- reduce electricity
- be careful with power.
While all these are great tips, it’s often the standard supply charges that make reducing power bills dif?cult. As the cost of installing solar panels may be prohibitive, your first step should be to compare your current charges against what is being offered by other energy retailers.
To do this, you should compare:
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the supply charge, (fixed daily amount)
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the price (tariff) you are paying for energy (how many cents per kWh or MJ)
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discounts offered
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incentives on offer
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contract period and payment options
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price increase terms – can you fix the price for a certain period
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any fees, including early termination fees or incentive payback terms.
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any fees for a paper bill or credit card payments.
Once you have decided on a new energy retailer, or decided to stay with your current provider, then you should look at how you use your power. These five simple tips may help reduce the energy you use.
Dress correctly
Layering clothes helps you to manage your body temperature more easily.
Drop the thermostat
Every degree above 20 can add 10 per cent to your heating bill. Conversely, the opposite is true in summer. So set your thermostat to 26 degrees or above to save on cooling costs.
Wash clothes in cold water
You can save around $115 per year by washing your clothes in cold water. It’s also better for your clothes.
Fix your fridge
Ensure your door seals are tight and don’t overfill your fridge. To prevent the motor from overheating, there should be at least a 10mm gap between your fridge and any wall.
Stop standby power waste
Up to 10 per cent of your electricity could be used by gadgets and appliances that are on standby. Take care to completely turn off appliances, or install standby power controllers.
