What Are Your Tips for Saving Money on Electricity

pernunz on 11/06/2015 - 14:29

I just received my first electricity bill Alinta, South Australia, no GST and wondering if there are any ozbargainer tips to reduce electricity consumption.

I originally used this website: http://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/

The one tip I've kept to religiously is to keep my fridge and freezer full. Not necessarily with food, but boxes, bottles of water (fridge) and trays of ice (freezer) to keep it from working too hard.

We went away for a weekend and I turned off some appliances at power points (TV, Router, Microwave) and in the winter we've (my partner and I) used electric blankets in bed as opposed to running air conditioning.

So, in true ozbargain spirit, what are your tips for electricity savings?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • c64 on 11/06/2015 - 14:53
    +1

    wouldn't blocking air circulation would decrease efficiency in the fridge/freezer? i have no idea though …

    electric blankets???

    • rompastompa on 11/06/2015 - 15:37

      Yep, that's my understanding. I thought the temperature sensor is usually at the front of the fridge, so it'll appear warmer than it is.

      • forumninja on 11/06/2015 - 18:30

        Filling up the fridge/freezer will actually result in less air lost when the fridge/freezer doors are opened. Cold air lost means the fridge has to work harder to cool the warmer air.

    • nlsnnn on 14/06/2015 - 12:08

      your effectively reducing the refrigerated space. Less space means less capacity, means less power

  • the-mal on 11/06/2015 - 15:26

    So, in true ozbargain spirit, what are your tips for electricity savings?

    Standby power of TVs, computers, sound systems, game consoles etc chews up a large portion of electricity. Simple solution is to get some of those powerboards that have a "master plug" - when it's not drawing power it turns all the others off. For example for your TV/sound/game console hook the master power switch up to something small (like a DVD player) and use the DVD remote to switch everything on and off. Saves a bunch.

    As for computers - shut them down and turn them off when not using them (especially over night).

    The one tip I've kept to religiously is to keep my fridge and freezer full. Not necessarily with food, but boxes, bottles of water (fridge) and trays of ice (freezer) to keep it from working too hard.

    I think the science is far from settled on this. The tiny variation you may get from keeping it full you're probably destroying by the initial freezing of the items you're putting in there to make it full.

    http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=4352…

    I wouldn't bother with this one, I doubt you'll find any difference in your bills either way.

    Ensuring your fridge/freezer has good seals on it? That's a definite money saver.

    • Herp on 11/06/2015 - 19:10
      +3

      Standby power of TVs, computers, sound systems, game consoles etc chews up a large portion of electricity.

      Not necessarily. I tested my setup (tv + HTPC + receiver + PS3) and it only used a couple watts on standby, calculated it to cost a few bucks a year. I'd be more than happy to pay that so I can just sit down and press the on button on the remote instead of sitting down, realising the power board isn't turned on, having to get up and turn it on then sitting back down (which I would do a lot).

      • Mr BoMBAStiG on 15/06/2015 - 09:38

        I agree. I want my PS4 to auto download updates, my media centre to be on call in an instant, my NAS to keep serving files and my Harmony Smart Control to continue to manage my living room. Yes this situation is specific to me but I think people need to weigh up the cost/benefits of a complete power down.

        Similar to the argument of running a plasma when they were an option. It was heaps cheaper to buy one and the even though there were higher running costs, they weren't that high so it meant that you probably still came out ahead financially compared to an LCD screen; and you had a better image.

  • nocure on 11/06/2015 - 16:46

    $160.18. Is that all…what ever your doing now is working..our last bill was $600.

  • ChrisLevo on 11/06/2015 - 16:55
    +1

    We bit the bullet two years ago and borrowed money to put in a large solar array.

    We almost have our money back, not having had to pay for electricity or gas (same provider, and the electricity credits pay the gas bill) since.
    We also got $600 credited into our account at the start of this year by AGL :-)

    We were not so interested in the feed-in tariff, more like not paying for electricity in the future, especially if prices keep rising.

    Systems are pretty cheap now, and it doesn't take that long to make it back.
    It just hurts at the start.

    • tg on 11/06/2015 - 18:29

      How large is the solar array?
      How much does it cost to install?
      What does the saving look like?

      • ChrisLevo on 11/06/2015 - 19:01

        5.8kW
        Around $8k
        No electricity or gas bills, and $600 credit at the start of the year.

  • dasher86 on 11/06/2015 - 17:12
    +2

    Put on another layer of clothing instead of using the heater.

  • tg on 11/06/2015 - 18:31

    Get a heat pump hot water system.
    Hook the cold air outlet from the heat pump system to the fridge to make fridge it more efficient.
    Hook the hot air generated from the fridge to the air inlet of the heap pump water system to make it more efficient.
    Viola! Energy got recycled! :)

  • Holysmoke on 11/06/2015 - 19:13

    Move to Powershop and really monitor your consumption: http://www.powershop.com.au/toolkit/
    $75 sign-up bonus as well: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/powershop_referral_links

    • Sweet3st on 11/06/2015 - 20:14

      Powershop looks interesting, but can you check out the shop without signing up?

  • boccos on 12/06/2015 - 07:41

    Do you have access to off-peak tariffs? Using/switching some appliances off-peek tariffs has an instant cost saving effect.

  • mskeggs on 12/06/2015 - 07:43
    +2

    The biggest users of power are appliances that heat, followed by appliances that run motors. Electronics are pretty trivial in comparison.
    This means you biggest usage is probably:
    - hot water if electric
    - air-con if you have it
    - space heating
    - non-CFL or LED light bulbs. Especially halogen downlights, which are wasteful and often open up drafts into the roof cavity.

    -for hot water, go solar, for space heating choose extra clothes and possibly an electric blanket. For cooling choose a fan. For heating and cooling, insulation and draft stopping makes a huge difference. Replace light bulbs with CFL, or better, LED. You will save the price of the LED bulb in six months compared to a halogen in high use places like kitchens.

  • inherentchoice on 12/06/2015 - 07:55

    Get a smaller fridge/freezer?

    Charge your phone at work instead of at home.

    • Member 0230 on 12/06/2015 - 09:48
      +1

      When I measured the power draw of an iPhone and iPad (using a Belkin Conserve unit), I think it was between $1-2 a year per device— truly insignificant. I expect most phones and tablets would be similar, happy to find out otherwise.

      • inherentchoice on 12/06/2015 - 13:08

        Perks of the job: can charge phone at work to save $1.50 per year.

        • Mad Max on 12/06/2015 - 17:43
          +1

          Have a shower at work and save on electricity and water. Double saving ;-)

        • [Deactivated] on 15/06/2015 - 08:17

          @maxi: Shower with your secretary. Bonus points.

        • Mad Max on 15/06/2015 - 13:18

          @Ninjastud:
          It could be a good idea, but don't forget that a divorce is very expensive. Go for the cheap option (real ozbargainer) and shower alone…at work ;-)

  • mmecholet on 12/06/2015 - 10:45

    Hot water system uses a lot
    Solar probably best, but expensive initial outlay.
    Heat pumps are good, but they usually use daytime tariff electricity (1-2kw daily) unless off-peak booster. Also expensive initial outlay.
    Off-peak is best (around half daytime tariffs). To save more, only turn HWS on, on alternate nights (or less frequently if you can get away with it; trial & error). If you are not using most/all of the hot water, then it’s like wastefully reboiling a (large) kettle over and over, without the benefit of using the water you’ve paid to heat each time.
    If not off-peak, turn on HWS each morning about an hour (trial and error again) before you want a shower. Turn off the HWS switch BEFORE you shower/ wash up/ consume any hot water. In a waist-high tank, this used to be easily enough for my daughter (now gone) & I – including bath!
    On domestic tariff I use around 2kw a day (creative one pot meals; large pot = enough for 4 meals; steam veggies on top; and rotate 2 water bottles night & morning between freezer & fridge) – and 7.5kw weekly on offpeak HWS (once a week + supplemented by boiling microwaved jugfuls for washing up; tank miles from kitchen!)
    Economy of usage becoming more important now that Origin have reduced their 20c/kw gridfeed payment to 6c/kw. The 1kw system I bought from them for $4495(!) in 2008 (being more envoiroMENTAL than economic back then) was subject to installation bungling, ultimately denying me the net meterage requisite for Qld government 44c/kw subsidy. Didn’t seem so important back then. Introduces a further aspect in the saving battle = who supplies the cheapest electricity? For me in Qld, it appears to be Click Energy’s 6c gridfeed, where the supply, 11 & 31 tariffs are respectively 81.92c, 24.91c/kw & 11.529ckw – GST inclusive.
    Anyone found any better before I make The Big Switch (to gain a further $25 rebate at end of 12 months)?

  • Euphemistic on 12/06/2015 - 13:50

    Smart usage of lighting.

    We have a back yard/verandah area that currently has four 100w spotlights for the yard plus two flouro lights under the verandah. I will get the circuits split soon otherwise you need to turn them all on or nothing. Then the 100w lights will be switched to 10w LEDs. Will Use less than 10% of the power there. We are in a new house, so haven't got round to this yet.

    Pretty much all other lights in the house are LED. Main lights off (around 18w), single 3w lamp on in the evenings while watching TV. It's enough light.

    Train your kids to turn lights off when not in use.

    AC if used is set to 20oC in winter, 25ish in summer, no need to make it uncomfortable in the clothes you would wear outside.

    I'm also waiting on a solar quote with some battery backup to take advantage of the sun and Offpeak rates.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/06/2015 - 14:02

    Before you spend any money thinking that it will save, do a cost benefit analysis.
    Solar returns are nowhere near what they used to be as energy companies realise they were losing money and they don't give a stuff about the environment. Consequently it could take you years to gain the financial benefit. Not a good investment if you think you may move home before it has paid for itself.
    Solar also means a change in habits to make the most of it. If you work normal office hours you are out of the house when the solar is working hardest, so savings on washing, ironing etc. will be lost.
    Led lights use less power, but they are not cheap, so work out the cost and how much you will save. Don't bother changing the ones that you don't use much.
    Same with heat pumps etc.
    Standby-older appliances use more on standby that newer ones which have better technology.
    Some use massive amounts, (I have a Sonos system that I have to remember to turn off as the amps stay active for a while before they go onto standby).
    Hot water-turn the temperature down so you do not have to use cold water to cool it down every time you shower.
    Fridge-make sure the fridge/freezer are not set too cold. Buy a cheap thermometer if you are not sure.

    • Euphemistic on 12/06/2015 - 15:49

      I agree, def do your sums for solar. We are in our new house for the long haul so a longer payback period is OK for me. I think of it as future proofing against price rises and will arrange to use our power appropriately with any new setup, hence a battery backup system. We also have money available to invest at the moment.

      I'm not expecting to reap the rewards of the previous scheme we were on with a 60c feed in tariff. We basically paid nothing for electricity since installing our 1.5kw system a few years ago, paid a little in winter and got money back in summer which broke even overall. This definitely won't happen with a new install.

      Looking at lighting, most of the LED upgrades I did were buying the $10 Aldi globes and retrofitting. They put out good light and instantly, not like CFLs that take ages to warm up. The immediate start was the biggest incentive for me, going from 15w to 9w isn't a massive saving. Buying LEDs at lighting shop, or even hardware prices just doesn't make sense. I'm not spending $40 or more to upgrade. Our previous house still had a few CFLs left, like above, the ones that weren't used much, but when we moved in there I replaced 26 100w globes with CFLs almost immediately, mostly by removing duplicates.

  • Mr BoMBAStiG on 15/06/2015 - 09:30
    +1

    Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning Tips

    When you get home and the temp is not what you want it to be, do not change the temp to the other extreme and blast it. Your air con system will strive toward the selected temperature at the same pace no matter what the goal temp is. E.g. when it's a 40deg day outside and you get home, don't put the air con on 18deg, leave it at 24deg and let the unit to it's thing.

    Get a thermometer if you don't believe me. During winter, if you have your unit set to 19deg, the air coming out of it will be close to 35deg as it tries to get the air it is pulling in up to 19deg.

    When it's winter, every degree over 18 will increase your bill by 10%. During summer, every degree under 25 does the same.

    Oh and insulation, if you own your own place, research all ways you can insulate. Windows, door frames, walls, ceilings, floors etc. Then look for bargains on how to insulate those things in the cheapest way.

    • Euphemistic on 15/06/2015 - 11:51

      Plus one, bugs me that people think setting the temp colder will get it to cool quicker. Most air conditioners put out cold air or warm air at a set temperature, the only thing they do is cycle on and off. For cooling if the air the unit is sucking in is warmer than the setting it will cycle on and pump out cold air. If the air getting sucked in meets the setting the AC compressor will turn off until the air warms again above the setting. The reverse for warming of course.

    • Mad Max on 15/06/2015 - 13:22

      This is Australia mate…A/C on 18 degrees in summer and 24 in winter.
      Not uncommon…

      • Mr BoMBAStiG on 15/06/2015 - 15:11

        You're right, it's not uncommon to see incorrect behaviour like that, which is exactly why I made my post. I live in the ACT so I know what it's like to try and manage sub 0 winters and high 30s summers.

        Put the AC on whatever you like, just enjoy your higher than need be bills mate!

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