Top Tips to save energy

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With many of us now working from home (at least some of the time), the team at Impact Security & Electrical have put together some tips to help you save energy and help keep those bills in check.

Air Conditioners/Ducted Heating  

Running the heater at 30C all day and working in a singlet and shorts may be the idea of a perfect winter day working at home, but it is a sure way to push that energy bill through the roof!!

  • Heat Yourself First – wearing warm clothes or using throw rugs rather than heating the entire house
  • Set the right temperature – setting the heater above 20C will use around 10% more energy for each degree higher. When cooling the house/home office each degree under 24C will use about 5% more energy.
  • Heat the space you’re in – try heating or cooling just the space you are working in, close doors, use draft stoppers, curtains & blinds to limit the energy use to one space

Lighting

Lighting accounts for around 10% of the average household energy bill, so any changes to your lighting usage can have a big impact on your bill.

  • Use Natural Light – place your workspace near a window or skylight to use natural light wherever possible
  • LED globes – if you have older style globes in your home, swapping to Light Emitting Diode (LED) globes could reduce your lighting energy use by up to 50%
  • Use only what you need – switching off lights as you leave a room and not using brighter lights than necessary is a simple way to reduce your bill

Energy Saving Power Boards

Consider the use of an energy saving power board for all your work tech. Just connect the main appliance (eg computer) to the main socket, then connect all the other appliances (monitors, printers etc) to the slave sockets. When you turn the computer off, power will be disconnected to the other appliances that are no longer being used.

Kitchen

Kitchen appliances typically total around 15% of the average household energy bill and whilst having easy access to the fridge is great, it can inflate your bill (and the waistline if you aren’t careful!!)

  • Minimise the number of times the fridge door is opened and kept/left open
  • It takes a lot of energy to boil water, so only fill it with the water you need
  • A slow cooker uses less energy than a conventional oven or stove top (and slow cooked meals taste amazing!!)

Save with Solar

Investing in solar energy supply can help save money on energy bills (and will help reduce your carbon footprint). By using the solar energy that your system generates, you can avoid using energy from the grid, especially if you have a solar hot water system. Contact Quick Fix Solar to discuss how solar can help you.

Check your energy plan – compare your energy plan to make sure you are on the deal that best suits your needs.