Energy Saving Tips
"Your guide to saving more than just money"
If you are one of the many Australian householders looking at your power bill and wondering if there is any way to keep it from rising, we're here to help.
While you may not be able to have a say on the rates power companies are going to charge you to power your home, you do have a say in how much you use each day.
By trimming back a little bit of your usage, you can see a whole lot of savings at the end of the month. Here's a look at a few ways to see that power bill drop relating to the lights in your home:
Turn the Lights Off - This seems to be common sense, but so many people leave more lights than necessary burning in their home every day. It's not intentional. But think about it. How many times have you walked into one room, turned the light on to find what you were looking for, and walked out without turning the light off. You are so focused on the item you were looking for, you completely forget about the light you just turned on and it will keep burning. If you have kids, you can also get them in on this by making it a game to see who can catch the most lights being left on in the house. Every minute saved is a few pennies back in your pocket.
Use Natural Light - We have grown so accustomed to artificial light that many of us don't appreciate that Mother Nature is offering the best light bulb of them all. Open the blinds, pull back the curtains and let the sun illuminate your home. It's plenty bright, and it's free.
There are a number of things you can do to cut a few corners on your power bill other than turn off the lights. Let's look at some of your other daily activities and how you can save a little money:
Home Computer - Do you leave your computer on all night? How about when you go to work, or leave it for a few hours to watch television? That's power being wasted as your computer whirs away. At night, you should power down your computer. When you are going to go away for a little while, you can either turn it off, or at least put it to sleep and turn the monitor off to add a little savings to your power bill.
Cleaning - When you are ready to do laundry, run the dishwasher, or complete any other cleaning job in the house, make sure it is worth doing. That means make sure there is enough laundry to do a full load, or the dishwasher is full, so you are not wasting power on a less than ampleamount of cleaning.
Appliances - What type of appliances do you have? There are many energy-friendly appliances on the market these days. While we're not recommending going out and replacing all of your appliances right now, they will eventually need to be replaced. Make sure to choose new appliances that are rated as energy savers.
Looking for a few more ways to cut your power bill? How about these:
Clothes - Have a backyard? Why not dry your clothes on a clothesline. A clothes dryer takes a lot of power to do its job. That could mean money in your pocket if you instead hang your clothes out to dry.
Air Conditioning - If you generally use air conditioning to keep your home a little more cool and comfortable, it may be time to adjust the temperature on the thermostat. Moving the temperature up just a few degrees will not be unbearable, but will make a major reduction on your power bill.
Hot Water - How hot do you really need your water? Check your water heater. The higher the temperature, the more your heater is working, all day, to keep the water in the tank that hot. A few degrees here can mean a little less work, and a little less energy used, each day.
What time are you using power? - Did you know that the price of the power you use changes by the time of day you are using it? There are peak and non-peak hours for power usage. A peak hour, when power use is most popular, is more expensive. Contact your power company to find out what hours are peak hours and try to adjust using your major appliances to the non-peak hours of the day.
The Balance Between Going Green and Costing a Lot of Green
It's a delicate balance to be met, cracking down on emissions while keeping power bills from going out of control, but one the government of Australia says it will not mess up.
The current government in Australia was voted into office on a platform of a greener government. While there are many who say the new emission and pollution standards will only add to the increase in prices of energy and fuel, the government says they cannot back down.
When it comes to what the residents of Australia want, officials say last years election shows that they wanted to see an environmental change, as noted in their votes. That is something the current government is not willing to let go of.
Meanwhile, more recent polls show that residents aren't really sure what they want, right now. As they realise one of the consequences of putting those restrictions in place could be a higher price for energy and fuel, they aren't so sure what they want to happen.
Over 60 percent of voters agreed that they want to do something to better the environment. But, as soon as the idea of paying more for power bills came into the equation, many were not as supportive. Many even admitted while they had supported greener regulations in the past, they never realised there were financial consequences that could impact their bottom line in monthly power bills.
So, what options do residents have as the government regulations go into effect, and possibly lead to a hike in power costs? Make sure you are getting the best power services at the best price. Some companies offer up to 25% FREE GreenPower Accredited electricity, so take time to compare prices on services in your area. It's very likely there is a better deal to be had that can put money back in your pocket for the same power coverage your currently have.