5 Ways to Save up to 13% on Your Next Power Bill

• Close curtains or blinds in the morning – to keep the day’s heat out. The best curtains are thick, fitted close to the window, wide enough to cover the window frames at the sides.
• Consider window tinting – which can cut heat transfer through windows by half, it’s also a fraction of the cost of double-glazing.

2. Check your appliances

Standby power – appliances left on standby can add more than $100 a year to your power bills. The usual suspects are home entertainment appliances, like TV’s, stereos, game consoles and computer equipment. Plug them into multi-plug boards so they can all be turned off properly at the same time. Turn off other appliances like white goods like the washing machine at the wall to save more power.

3. Save on lighting

• Lighting is one of the easiest places you can save energy around your house.
• Turn lights off when you’re not using them.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient ones and save $100 or more a year in your home.
• Coupled with smart use and good lighting design, energy-efficient lighting can brighten your world and lighten your power bills.
• Energy-efficient light bulbs use up to 80% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, so you start saving money the moment you make the switch.

4. Save on hot water

Heating water is expensive, so using less hot water has a big impact on your energy bills.

• Use an efficient shower head – it still gives you a great shower, but uses much less water. To check the flow rate of your shower, put a 10 litre bucket under the shower – if it fills in less than a minute, your shower head is wasting water. An efficient shower head has a flow rate of 9 litres per minute, or less.
• Use cold washes – unless you have an especially dirty load. Modern washing machines and detergents clean well using cold water. A hot water wash uses 90% more electricity than a cold wash.

5. The importance of insulation

Good quality insulation helps keep the heat in during winter and out during summer. This makes your house easier and cheaper to heat properly, and more comfortable and healthy to live in. The priority for insulating your home should be the ceiling, followed by walls. Hot air rises. So for most homes, making them easier and cheaper to heat properly starts with good ceiling insulation. It’s generally the easiest, cheapest and most effective insulation to install.

For more information relevant to your home call Spanos ElectriCool on (07) 3523 6418 for expert advice.