Greening your home: Saving the world one watt at a time

July 1 sees energy prices increase by almost 17% and with everyone pulling out their heaters in preparation for the chilly winter months ahead, its not the kind of news home owners want to be receiving.

On the other hand, these price increases force us to be wearier of our current energy consumption levels. Did you know that households contribute 12% of Australia’s energy consumption? Not only that, according to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, trends of household energy consumption will have more than doubled between 1990 and 2020.

And with ‘climate change’ taking the title of environmental buzz word of the moment, it’s scary to report that Australian households also contribute to 10% of our country’s greenhouse emissions.

But we all know that it’s the little things that count. Hot water and appliances for heating and cooling contribute 60% of an average household energy bill alone.  If you reassess your energy routines, you can save on your energy bills:

The Bathroom:
 - Reducing the time you spend in the shower to five minutes can save you up to $100 a year off energy and water bills.

The Laundry:
 - Putting your clothes through a cold wash can reduce the cost per cycle to as low as three cents a wash.
 - A washing machine uses the same amount of power for a half load of washing as it does for a full load so try and wait for enough dirty clothes to run a full load.
 - You don’t use hot water when you’re on holiday so before you head off on your overseas adventure, make sure you turn off your hot water system.
 - The dryer is part of every household but not an every-day necessity.  Instead, keep it as a back up for rainy days – it costs nothing to hang your clothes to dry naturally in the sun

The Living Room: 
 - Appliances, when switched off, stay on standby mode and continue to use power.  This account for 10% of your power bill so make sure you unplug appliances when they’re not in use.
 - Think about energy savings when purchasing electrical goods.  ENERGY STAR electronics use up to 75% less energy than standard electronics and electrical office equipment.
 - Make sure you turn off the lights when you leave the room.

Heating for Winter:
 - It’s very hard to heat a room when heat escapes through unsealed spaces. By closing blinds, stopping draughts from under doors and around windows, you can inexpensively insulate a room and in turn, reduce the cost of heating.
- Instead of turning on or up the heat this winter, wear warmer clothes or add extra blankets to the living room for curling up when watching TV.
 - Invest in an electric blanket – you can turn it on to warm your bed and then switch it off before you sleep and you will use less energy than heating the whole room.

Be sure to check out your state website! You could be eligible for a power saving rebate as well.

If we teach ourselves to be energy savvy, not only will you be saving a bit of spare change but, in the greater scheme of things, saving the world one watt at a time.

Resi Home Loans offers an ideal range of home loan and home mortgage products to suit your every need. To find the best home loans for you, check out our mortgage calculators and our current home loan rates today.