How to save power at your home
o Switch the light off when you leave a room.
o Switch off appliances at the powerpoint when you're not using them. (yes even a tiny bit of power is being used when the PP switch is on)
o Turn off your TV/stereo/video/DVD player standby switch when it's not in use as it's using a lot of power in standby mode. Shop around for modern appliances that have ‘energy saving’ standby modes.
o Toss your incandescent light bulbs & use energy saving bulbs (CFLs)- their cost has nose dived in recent years & they last for 1000’s of hours - a real no brainer that a lot of people are using to save power.
o If your home has them or you're considering it - LED downlights are a terrific substitute to halogen type bulbs, use a fraction of the power & are an attractive alternative to conventional room lighting.
o Looking at new whitegoods? Check out their ‘star’ rating for energy efficiency.
o Front loading washing machines use less power than top loaders, plus most modern units just use cold water & heat water themselves when required.
o Have a clothes dryer? Only use it if you have to – hang your clothes up (or better still, ask the kids to do it!)
o Insulation – your roof space is a critical area to keep in the warmth in winter & cool in summer as well as draught proofing windows & doorways. Do you have old sash type windows? These are very draughty so a reasonable fix is heavy drapes or replace them - go for the extra expense of double glazed or laminated windows. Your energy savings will pay for them in the long run. Utilize thick roofing & wall batts if possible. Or choose an alternative – recycled paper based insulation can be ‘pumped’ into your roof or wall space. I’ve used this in my daughter’s bedroom roofspace & it made a massive difference. I wound up getting this for free from the government & the result was 2 great things – I got to save power & my favourite – save money. There are literally dozens of different products used for building insulation materials. Check out the ‘R’ value for insulation products which is a value of its thermal resistance.
o Seal any gaps there might be on the exterior of your home like window & door architraves, eaves & loose roof tiles. Easy & cheap fixes are caulk or adhesive backed stripping (foam, rubber etc.)
o Air Conditioning - Set your air conditioner to 75˚ to 80˚ instead of 65˚ to 70˚ in summer. If you’ve got an old split system A/C, try to place your inverter or compressor unit in the shade or a cooler area if possible. A great system I did see once was a very high pressure misting device used in the vicinity of the inverter to cool the area around it utilizing “latent heat of vaporization” as used in some greenhouses. A great way to save power in your home as it doesn’t have to work as hard. On the flipside, modern inverters can operate in full sun conditions efficiently even up to 140˚! Another great tip for using your A/C is when to start using it on any given day. If you know your local forecast for the day is rather warm, start to cool your house/room earlier in the day as your unit will work very hard, thus using a lot of power to cool down a hot room rather than keep a cool room at your desired temperature for as long as you like.
o Hot Water Heaters. Set them at 140˚ - 150˚ this will be fine for adults & decrease it to 120˚ - 130˚ if you’ve got kids. Switch it off if you’re going away for a while. Solar H/W systems are great but critically need to be fixed south facing. Depending where you live & how much sunlight you get per day, you’ll still need to use the H/W boost on short winter days & obviously cloudy days too. “Heat pumps” are a relatively new innovation utilizing latent heat in the atmosphere to warm your water as well as an ‘air conditioner in reverse’ to heat the water on cool days or to your desired temperature. I’ve just had 1 installed & it’s fantastic + incredibly it’s cheaper to run than my old solar H/W system! What’s this system done for me? Another chance to save power – 1 of my favourite hobbies! They are expensive but I feel really good about it because it’s energy efficient AND I’m using rain water for it – win win.
o Cooking. Your microwave oven is a proficient energy user as it only cooks your food compared to just heating your conventional electric oven. But, try to avoid using it to defrost something – plan ahead & let nature do it. As for conventional ovens, if you can upgrade, get a fan forced oven as they’re more efficient too. Try to use wise practises like using a lid on your pots & pans. If you’re a carnivore, you can use other methods to cook now & then like having a BBQ & if you don’t have 1 – go out & get yourself a kettle oven. They are fantastic, the flavour is to die for & you’ve got many options to use for fuel like briquettes, charcoal, wet & dry wood etc. Bonus – it’s a way to save power & money.
o Switch off appliances at the powerpoint when you're not using them. (yes even a tiny bit of power is being used when the PP switch is on)
o Turn off your TV/stereo/video/DVD player standby switch when it's not in use as it's using a lot of power in standby mode. Shop around for modern appliances that have ‘energy saving’ standby modes.
o Toss your incandescent light bulbs & use energy saving bulbs (CFLs)- their cost has nose dived in recent years & they last for 1000’s of hours - a real no brainer that a lot of people are using to save power.
o If your home has them or you're considering it - LED downlights are a terrific substitute to halogen type bulbs, use a fraction of the power & are an attractive alternative to conventional room lighting.
o Looking at new whitegoods? Check out their ‘star’ rating for energy efficiency.
o Front loading washing machines use less power than top loaders, plus most modern units just use cold water & heat water themselves when required.
o Have a clothes dryer? Only use it if you have to – hang your clothes up (or better still, ask the kids to do it!)
o Insulation – your roof space is a critical area to keep in the warmth in winter & cool in summer as well as draught proofing windows & doorways. Do you have old sash type windows? These are very draughty so a reasonable fix is heavy drapes or replace them - go for the extra expense of double glazed or laminated windows. Your energy savings will pay for them in the long run. Utilize thick roofing & wall batts if possible. Or choose an alternative – recycled paper based insulation can be ‘pumped’ into your roof or wall space. I’ve used this in my daughter’s bedroom roofspace & it made a massive difference. I wound up getting this for free from the government & the result was 2 great things – I got to save power & my favourite – save money. There are literally dozens of different products used for building insulation materials. Check out the ‘R’ value for insulation products which is a value of its thermal resistance.
o Seal any gaps there might be on the exterior of your home like window & door architraves, eaves & loose roof tiles. Easy & cheap fixes are caulk or adhesive backed stripping (foam, rubber etc.)
o Air Conditioning - Set your air conditioner to 75˚ to 80˚ instead of 65˚ to 70˚ in summer. If you’ve got an old split system A/C, try to place your inverter or compressor unit in the shade or a cooler area if possible. A great system I did see once was a very high pressure misting device used in the vicinity of the inverter to cool the area around it utilizing “latent heat of vaporization” as used in some greenhouses. A great way to save power in your home as it doesn’t have to work as hard. On the flipside, modern inverters can operate in full sun conditions efficiently even up to 140˚! Another great tip for using your A/C is when to start using it on any given day. If you know your local forecast for the day is rather warm, start to cool your house/room earlier in the day as your unit will work very hard, thus using a lot of power to cool down a hot room rather than keep a cool room at your desired temperature for as long as you like.
o Hot Water Heaters. Set them at 140˚ - 150˚ this will be fine for adults & decrease it to 120˚ - 130˚ if you’ve got kids. Switch it off if you’re going away for a while. Solar H/W systems are great but critically need to be fixed south facing. Depending where you live & how much sunlight you get per day, you’ll still need to use the H/W boost on short winter days & obviously cloudy days too. “Heat pumps” are a relatively new innovation utilizing latent heat in the atmosphere to warm your water as well as an ‘air conditioner in reverse’ to heat the water on cool days or to your desired temperature. I’ve just had 1 installed & it’s fantastic + incredibly it’s cheaper to run than my old solar H/W system! What’s this system done for me? Another chance to save power – 1 of my favourite hobbies! They are expensive but I feel really good about it because it’s energy efficient AND I’m using rain water for it – win win.
o Cooking. Your microwave oven is a proficient energy user as it only cooks your food compared to just heating your conventional electric oven. But, try to avoid using it to defrost something – plan ahead & let nature do it. As for conventional ovens, if you can upgrade, get a fan forced oven as they’re more efficient too. Try to use wise practises like using a lid on your pots & pans. If you’re a carnivore, you can use other methods to cook now & then like having a BBQ & if you don’t have 1 – go out & get yourself a kettle oven. They are fantastic, the flavour is to die for & you’ve got many options to use for fuel like briquettes, charcoal, wet & dry wood etc. Bonus – it’s a way to save power & money.
