Saving energy at home

Signing up to Greenchoice is one way you can make a real difference to how you affect the environment, by helping to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. You can help even more by reducing your total energy use, at work and at home. Thinking ‘green’ means saving water too. View our water saving tips.

Tips for saving energy:

Learn more about the Appliance Rating Scheme
Learn more about the Home Energy Advice Team (HEAT)

Saving energy on heating

Heating is a large part of your energy account, yet there are many simple ways of reducing the cost.

Keep room temperatures comfortable - high temperatures increase running costs.
Insulate your ceilings, walls, windows and under timber floors.
Install double glazed windows.
Close off the area being heated.
Block off chimney when not in use.
Use time switches to provide heating when required.
Install a pelmet and lined curtains that reach to the floor.
Instead of heating the entire bedroom, use an electric blanket just to warm up the bed.
Use reverse angle ceiling fans to force hot air down to floor level. They only cost around one cent per hour to run and can reduce your heating costs.
On sunny winter days, take advantage of free solar warmth by pulling back the curtains and letting the sun through the windows.

Save energy on cooling

Minimise energy used for cooling the home.

Close off rooms and sections of the house that are not being cooled.
Ensure regular servicing of cooling units by an approved servicing agent.
Don't set thermostats on cooling units too low 25°C should be comfortable rather than 22°C.
Leave fresh air and exhaust controls, where available, on cooling units in the closed position.
Shade windows with awnings or curtains.
If using air conditioning, set fans to high speeds for greatest efficiency.
Insulated homes retain cool air and minimise heat transference from the outside air.

Save energy on hot water

Hot water uses about 30 per cent of the energy consumed yearly in the average home, so be sure to:

check regularly for leaks - a leaking hot water system wastes water and uses energy continually
install a water restrictor or low-flow showerhead
check hot water taps for leaks
insulate hot water pipes for at least one meter from the storage heater to retain heat
have a short shower instead of a bath
switch off the hot water system when going away for more than two weeks
fill the kettle or jug from the cold tap.

Save energy on lighting

By replacing incandescent lights with standard compact fluorescent lightglobes, you may save up to 75 per cent of your lighting energy dollars (lighting makes up about 4% of your electricity account). This is especially true for high use areas such as kitchen, lounge and living areas.

Types of lights and fittings

Incandescent globes are the most common form of household lighting. They are cheap to replace and come in a wide variety of shapes and forms. They can be dimmed only and have an average life span of 1,000 hours. They are the least efficient as 95 per cent of energy consumed is given off as heat.

Quartz halogen lights are twice as efficient as incandescent globes. They have a life span of around 2,000 to 4,000 hours and come in a wide selection of wattages. They cost more to replace than incandescent globes.

Fluorescent lights are the most energy efficient of all light sources and are ideal for areas where lighting is required for long periods. Fluorescent lights fall into two categories tubular and compact. Compact fluorescents last up to eight times longer than conventional globes and use one-fifth the energy. Switching on and off reduces the expected life of the tube.

Save energy on fridges and freezers

Energy saving tips:

the temperature of your fridge should be set between 3°C and 4°C
lower temperatures increase energy usage
defrost ice build up
make sure doors seal properly
open doors only when necessary and close quickly
keep the condenser coils and seals dust free
keep the fridge out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources
don't put hot food in the fridge
run a second drinks fridge only when necessary

Save energy when you cook

Microwaves cook food three times faster than standard full size ovens, saving up to 70 per cent of electricity used for cooking.
Fan-forced ovens cost 35 per cent less to run than conventional ovens. They force the heat evenly throughout the oven, reducing your cooking time by one-third.
Save electricity by using efficient appliances like pressure cookers and electric frypans. They use about half the energy of a full-size oven.
Use pots and pans with flat bases that closely fit the size of the hot plate.
Cooked food must be kept at 60°C and above to stop growth of dangerous bacteria. At 80°C you'll be wasting energy.
It takes a lot of energy to bring food to the boil, but once boiling the energy setting can be cut by two-thirds. Some vegetables cook quicker in the microwave in less water, with higher retention of water-soluble vitamins.
Place food in the oven immediately after the oven is turned on and you'll save energy.
Use the oven light to check on food in the oven rather than opening the door.
Use dividers and steamers to cook vegetables in the same pot.
It's best to thaw frozen food in the refrigerator, later assisted by microwave if necessary.

Save energy in the laundry

Buy a washing machine that suits your needs and use it wisely.

Adjust the water level to match the load.
Use the soak cycle to remove stains.
Use the sud-saving option to re-use water from previous loads.
Consider using warm or cold water settings rather than hot.

Drying clothes costs nothing if you use the sun, but this isn't always an option. A clotheshorse can be used in a spare room or near a heater. Avoid using a heater just for drying clothes.

When you do use a clothes dryer:

consider using the fan only
set the temperature no hotter than warm
keep the vent free of lint and clean the filter after each load
switch the dryer off as soon as the clothes feel dry - never overload or underload the dryer.

Save energy in your home office

Implement paper-reducing strategies such as double-sided printing and reusing paper.
Use email instead of sending memos and faxing documents.
Purchase appropriately-sized copiers for your needs.
If appropriate, use laptop computers - they consume 90 per cent less energy than standard desktop computers.
When purchasing PCs, monitors, printers, fax machines and copiers, specify models that "power down" after a user-specified period of inactivity - and make sure the power-down features are enabled.

Save energy elsewhere in your home

Use your dishwasher more efficiently:

wait until the dishwasher has a full load
rinse dirty plates in a sink of cold water
use a good quality detergent and rinse aid
use energy saving cycles.

Install energy-efficient accessories and appliances to help reduce your consumption:

plug-in timers and time switches allow you to turn appliances such as heaters, fans, lights and air conditioners, on and off
remember to turn off the TV when no one is watching it
if you have a pool consider a two-speed swimming pool pump to reduce energy consumption and a pool blanket to reduce heat loss. Only use the pool filter in winter to keep the water clean.

Appliance rating scheme

When you buy an appliance you should compare the size, features, price and running costs. For electric and natural gas appliances the energy rating label provides a useful guide. It shows how energy efficient the appliance is and how much electricity or natural gas it uses each year. The energy rating label for airconditioners shows energy use per hour rather than annual cost.

The aim of energy rating labels is to:

encourage you to select an appliance that uses the least energy for the service the appliance is required to perform
enable you to take into consideration the annual energy cost of operating an appliance, and also its total (life cycle) cost
encourage manufacturers and importers to improve the energy efficiency of products that they supply to the market.

What electrical appliances carry an energy rating label?

You'll find energy rating labels on:

refrigerators
freezers
dishwashers
washing machines
clothes dryers
heat pumps (with output capacities up to 7.5 kW)

What natural gas appliances carry an energy rating label?

Energy rating labels also appear on:

natural gas space (room) heaters
natural gas ducted heaters (central heating)
natural gas water heaters

What about ratings for appliances that use water?

Domestic devices account for about 80 per cent of all potable (drinking) water use in urban Australia. The water rating label is a voluntary scheme that measures the water used by an appliance to achieve a set performance level. The maximum rating is five shaded As. The scheme currently covers washing machines, dishwashers, showerheads, toilets, flow regulators and taps.

Free advice on saving energy

The Home Energy Advice Team (HEAT) is a free and independent advice service to help you make your home more energy efficient. You can arrange an energy audit and may even qualify for government rebates on energy-saving changes to your home. For more information visit the HEAT website.

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