Top 6 Energy Savings Tips That Could Save You Money

Billy Explores Energy Saving Tips - Eat Raw Fish

Billy Gives Energy Savings Tips Advice Too

Did you think Billy Explores was only here to compare energy providers and make sure you get the best deal for your gas and electricity from our panel of providers? No way! You’re right about one thing – Billy is all about saving you money however there’s more than one way to do that. Getting the best energy plan for you is only the start of it. That’s why he’s got plenty of energy saving tips for your family.

In today’s modern world with more appliances and devices than you can poke a stick at, the average Australian household is using plenty of power compared to previous. A good chunk of that power use is unnecessary and does little more than take away your hard earned cash. Here’s some ways you can knock a few dollars off and save on your power bill.

Understand What Costs You Most

Understanding where you are spending the most on energy is the first step in working out how you can use less energy to help get your energy bill down. It can be tricky to work out exactly where you’re using the most power. That’s because your electricity bill isn’t itemised in a way that makes it clear, so this part takes a bit of awareness on your part. We have created some guides on how to best read your electricity bill, so be sure to read that.

In most homes, the main offenders are heating and cooling systems, and hot water use. Next up are things like your washing machine, dryer, and entertainment devices (TVs, laptops, gaming consoles). So even though it’s not an exact science, you should be able to get a good idea of where your energy is being used, and more importantly where it is being wasted.

Track Your Energy Usage

As we said above, it can be hard to know exactly where you’re wasting money on power, but it’s now getting much easier. One of the best ways you can track your energy usage is through a Smart Meter. These items are becoming available across Australia and can give you some extremely valuable insight into what’s costing you the most in energy consumption.

Most of these meters can link up directly with a display in your home, a web portal, or a smartphone app. This is a great way to get on top of your energy usage, and once you know where your money is spent, you can start putting things in place to reduce those costs.

We recommend contacting your energy provider to see if you can have a Smart Meter installed.

Time to Check Those Appliances

You know those stars you see on the front of washing machines? Well, we all probably know that represents an appliance’s energy rating, but if you’re like most people you probably pay more attention to the cost of the appliance rather than the energy rating. We’re all guilty of it, but just think – if you bought a washing machine with a low energy rating and saved $100 off the purchase price, how many individual wash cycles would it take before that $100 saving is eaten up by inefficient power costs?

Now, we can’t all just pull out piles of cash and go replacing every appliance in the house, but the energy rating is definitely something to think about. If you know you’re going to replace some appliances in the next few years, think about targeting the ones with the worst energy ratings and upgrade to something which is much gentler on your power bill as well as the environment. The Australian Government have a great Energy Rating Calculator you can use prior to purchasing your next appliance

Heating and Cooling Your Home

Air conditioners and heaters are known to be very power hungry. In some cases this can represent a third of your power bill. Take a step back for a minute and consider your last power bill, then work out a third of that bill. But let’s look on the bright side – such a massive cost also gives us a chance to save on energy costs.

One of the best ways to combat this cost is through insulation, but that in itself can be costly. However, there’s plenty of energy savings tips and things you can do to reduce your heating and cooling costs:

Only heat areas of the house you need – shut doors and keep the heat where you need it.
Close curtains and blinds to keep the heat where it belongs – inside.
Keep your air conditioner at a reasonable temperature. The higher or lower you go, the more it costs you. Around 23 or 24 degrees is recommended.
Where possible, use gas heaters or reverse cycle air conditioners. Electric heaters are nice and cheap at the shop, but there is NOTHING nice about getting bill shock after using it for a couple of months (electric heaters are prone to high usage).

Basic Every Day Usage

If you looked around your house and thought about every single way you use energy, you’d probably be astounded. It might not amount to thousands of dollars, but even small things like the clock on your microwave is using power 24/7. If you’re not using something, turn it off at the wall. The ‘standby’ modes on all of your appliances are using unnecessary power.

The list of small adjustments you could make around the house are endless. Here’s maybe one of the best energy saving tips we could ever give. Go through each room of the house and think of one practical way you could reduce energy consumption.

In the bathroom, perhaps using a timer to cut a minute from your shower.
In the kitchen, maybe you can use an electric fry-pan instead of the oven once a week. OR if you are like Billy Explores…just eat raw fish!!
In the laundry, wash in cold water instead of warm. It is also actually much better for your clothes in the long run. It will also most definitely contribute to saving on your electricity bill. Everything adds up.

Look For A Better Deal

For this one, you don’t even need to adjust your lifestyle, because your friend Billy Explores is here to help you. Stop by our energy comparison page, or call us on 1300 391 478. Let our partner iSelect give you all the information you need to get a cheaper deal available from our panel of providers on your gas and electricity.

Other Handy Energy Savings Tips

Here are some other handy tips on energy savings which will help you be the life of the dinner party: