With energy costs on the rise, do you also worry about electricity bills piling up? Because we sure do. What’s worse? Energy retailers have been running programs that have proved to be unsuccessful and resulted in more and more Victorians being disconnected from power.
To confuse you, energy providers do not provide concise bills and add tons of technical terms so that you can’t figure out the main source of your high electricity bills.
But you know that every problem has a solution. We at Direct Point Electrical work with the sole purpose of serving our community, so we have tried our best to come up with a list of tips that will help you reduce your bill costs by a huge margin.
Not only this, but these tips will also help you reduce energy wastage as a part of your contribution to society.
Be Mindful
- The most basic step is to turn off all the lights, ac units, fans and other appliances when not in use.
- Better yet, invest in energy saving appliances, they might save you a lot of money in the long run. For example, LED bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and tend to last longer.
- Avoid using unnecessary lighting when it’s sunny outside, open the curtains, let the room breathe.
Take a Look at Your Heating System
- Your central heating system could also be one of the causes of a high electricity bill. An improperly programmed thermostat can cost you a lot of money.
- Try to maintain a temperature of 26 degrees or above in Summer and between 18 & 20 degrees in Winter to save energy.
- Switching out your old thermostats with new ones or even better, smart thermostats would save at least 10% on your bill. Energy consumption increases greatly if you raise the temperature above 20 degrees.
- A better option would be to wear warmer clothes as it will not only reduce your bill but is also an environment friendly alternative.
‘Save it’ in the Kitchen
- Apart from air conditioning units and heaters, your kitchen is one of the most energy consuming areas of your house. Think about it, the stove, refrigerator, blender, oven etc, that’s a lot of load.
- Ensure that the seal of your refrigerator works properly and is airtight. One of the simplest ways to check that is to stick a piece of paper in the door and shut it. Try pulling the paper out, if it comes out without any hassle, then the seal is not airtight and is wasting a lot of energy by letting all the cooling out. Refrigerators function on the principle of keeping a cool temperature inside it, so if all the cooling is being let out because of a loose seal, it will have to work more to function properly.
3. Also, keep the coils of your refrigerator clean to save energy as clean coils mean more efficiency.
4. Using a microwave is much more energy efficient than using a stove because its energy consumption is marginally less.
5. Try to buy a dishwasher that is energy efficient with high energy saving ratings and air dry your dishes instead of using the heat dry cycle feature on it
How to Choose Your Energy Supplier
- Choose an energy supplier that provides affordable plans.
- Australia has a lot of options in terms of energy suppliers. As a responsible citizen and consumer, you should consider all possible options and choose the one that helps you save the most. You can do this by keeping a regular check on your bills and comparing them.
Curb Bathroom Wastage
Smart work is the way to go if you want to save energy and money.
- We waste a lot of water and electricity in the bathroom. Reducing your shower time and using low flow faucets and shower heads save a lot of water. Make sure to turn off the taps when they’re not in use.
- Choose an energy efficient washing machine and keep switching them every few years as old appliances consume more energy.
- Cleaning out your machine’s lint trap every time you use the dryer increases its efficiency. Increased efficiency means more savings. An even better option would be to forgo the dryer completely and air dry your clothes.
- You should also update your hot water systems from trusted plumbers because as it is for every appliance, efficiency decreases after the appliance gets a little old.
Insulation is the way to go
- Investing in insulation is one of the smartest decisions you can make towards energy savings. You don’t need to invest much into air conditioning or central heating in this case to keep the house comfortable.
- The major heat loss occurs at the roof of the house, so insulating it is the most important part
- Insulating is not enough, quality matters as well. Each insulation type has a different rating and is suitable for certain areas of the home. If done smartly, a lot of money can be saved.
Are you environmentally conscious?
Solar energy is the future. At present, only a partial amount of solar energy is being harnessed. Australia is rich in sunshine, and we should be making the most of it. It is one of the most cost-efficient options available.
Installing solar panels can hugely reduce your bills and if you invest in some sophisticated systems, you will not have to worry about irregularity in its functionality as it will work efficiently even on cloudy days.
We hope that these tips prove to be of some help to you. At Direct Point Electrical, we provide our customers with the best options which are light on the pocket and environmentally friendly as well.
We provide all kinds of services such as maintenance, lighting, security alarms etc. You can reach us at 1 300 317 328 and to read more such blogs, visit our website.