By becoming more energy efficient at home, not only do you save energy but you also reduce your impact on the environment and help prevent climate change. Plus, by using less energy, you save on your power bill! 

Below are "Seven Top Tips" on how to save electricty at home. Many of them are free. Some of them require you to spend a small amount initially, but can result in significant energy savings in the long term: 
 

1. Turn Off Appliances
• When you're not using appliances, unplug them or switch them off at the wall. 5% of home electricity is consumed by appliances being on standby. This includes Television sets, computers and gaming consoles, ovens, heated towel rails and more. 

• Turn off chargers at the wall when batteries are fully charged e.g. cellphones and laptops. 

•Automate the turning off of appliances. Invest in a timer (they plug in easily between the appliance and the wall) to turn these appliances off for periods when they are never used. 



 

2. Reduce Water Heating

• Have showers instead of baths and keep your showers short. You'll use less electricity on maintaining the temperature in your hot water cylinder this way.  

• If you have a Mains Pressure Hot Water System, fit a water efficient shower head.

• Wait until the dishwasher is full before you use it - and use the economy cycle.

• If your dishwasher can generate its own hot water then use this function as it's more efficient than using hot water from your cylinder. 

• Rinse dishes in cold rather than hot water. 

• Fix dripping hot taps. Replace the washer.

• Ensure you have a tempering valve in your plumbing system that reduces the hot water temperature in your kitchen and bathroom to 55° Celsius at the tap (but keeps it 60° Celsius in the cylinder to prevent the growth of Legionella bacteria). Otherwise,  ask a plumber to quote on installing one. 
 

• Install a hot water cylinder wrap. This will insulate the cylinder and retain more heat.

Click here to Browse Insulation Products

 

3. Improve your Heating Efficiency

• Close the doors, windows and curtains of the room you're heating (Allow for some ventilation however.) Close curtains at dusk to keep the heat in. 

• Use weather seals to weatherproof your house and prevent air leaks around doors and windows. You can lose about a third of your precious heated or cooled air through cracks and gaps around the house.  

See our products for Keeping Heat In  for a range of weatherseals.

• Install a ceiling fan to distribute heat in winter and cool air in summer.

• Use a thermostat and timer on your heaters so that they only come on when you need them and automatically turn off when they reach a certain temperature.

• Capture as much sun as possible - keep windows clean and make sure trees don't obstruct the sun.

• Invest in a heat pump as they can heat or cool a room using less electricty than other standard electric heaters or air conditioners. They also filter the air.

• If you use stand alone heaters, place them away from windows so they heat the room more effectively. Turn off heaters in rooms you're not using.

• Block off your fireplace when you're not using it.

• If you don’t have an extractor fan, shower with the windows open to avoid moisture forming - dry air is easier to heat and better for your health.

• Put an extra blanket on the bed instead of using your electric blanket.

•On electric cooktops use the appropriate burner for your pot size.  
 

4. Use your Fridge Efficiently

Refrigeration counts for about 10 per cent of home energy use.

• Don't overload the fridge with food. Let food cool down before putting it in the fridge or freezer.

• Avoid placing your fridge or freezer next to the oven, stove or in direct sunlight.

• Avoid opening the fridge doors more than you need to - take all the food for a meal out at once and shut the doors straight away.

• Defrost your freezer regularly to reduce the ice build-up.

• Use the most efficient temperature settings. Usually this means to set your freezer at -18°C and your fridge between 2°C and 5°C.

• Do you have a second fridge? Turn it off if you don't need it all the time.  

• Check the seal on your fridge: if you can close the door on a small slip of paper and pull it out easily, you need a tighter seal. Check with the manufacturer or appliance retailer or repair shop. Apart from saving power, your fridge temperature will stay more constant, meaning your food will last longer, you won't have to clean it out as much as less water will collect, and the fridge will last longer, as it wont have to work as hard.
 

5. Save on Lights

• Switch off any lights that you're not using. 

• Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with energy saving light bulbs (CFLs). A 20W CFL produces as much light as a 100W incandescent light but uses only a fifth of the energy. Plus they last up to ten times longer meaning you have to replace them a lot less often.

• Choose the appropriate strength of bulb for the area - i.e. don't use a 100 watt bulb for a bedside lamp when a 60 watt bulb would be sufficient.

• Clean your lights and lampshades regularly to get the maximum light.  

• Install motion sensors on your outside lights so that they only turn on when they need to and don't remain on constantly.

• Paint walls a light colour to reflect more light.

Click here to Browse Energy Saving Light  Bulbs

 

6. Wash and Dry Clothes Efficiently

• Use shorter wash cycles in the washing machine.

• Wash your clothes in cold water.

• Dry washing on your clothesline rather than in the dryer.  

• If you have to use the dryer, make sure your clothes are well spun first.Ventilate the clothes dryer to the outside and clean the dryers lint filter every time you use it.  Also fill it - it's more efficient to dry a full load.


 

7. Install Adequate Insulation

• Insulate your ceiling, walls and under floor. Pink® Batts® insulation placed in walls and ceilings can significantly reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Up to 42% of heat is lost through the roof and 24% through the walls. Maximising your thermal insulation in these locations ensure your home is kept warm and will help lower your heating requirements. This means the insulation pays for itself in savings on energy bills! Insulation can also help reduce mould growing on the inside of your walls and ceilings to create a much healthier home.

Browse our Insulation products online.

• Block draughts around doors and windows. A three millimetre gap under a door can create a significant cooling air flow. You can use sweep seals under doors and self adhesive foam on the tops and sides of doors. There are a range of weather seals for windows too.

• Use a door ‘snake’ to keep draught out of rooms that you're heating.  

These are all things that you can start doing today to help save energy. By reducing the energy you use at home, you'll reduce your impact on the environment and help to prevent climate change. Plus it'll lower your electricity bill!