Aussie summers summers are anything but mild! It’s hot, hot, hot out there! Especially when we’re about to celebrate Australia Day with BBQ and aircon on a hot day. To beat the heat and humidity, many of us crank up the air conditioning, take a dip in the pool, or refresh in a cool shower. All of these activities use electricity, and according to Origin, Australian homes use 40 per cent of their energy on cooling. That’s a lot of energy and in the end money.

The Origin Energy web site offers these energy saving tips, which Billy Explores thought would be great to summarise for everyday Aussies! Of course, a great way to save money on your electricity bill or energy bill is to compare energy providers or compare energy prices through Billy Explores! It’s so easy to see if you can get a cheaper electricity deal that will meet your needs from our panel of providers. Billy also has some great tips here and here.

To start your energy bill comparison journey, just click below.

 

Top Tips To Save Energy In Swimming Pools

Aussies love swimming pools, and given our summer who wouldn’t given the heat! However as much as we love the water, Origin says that an in-ground pool can use as much as 30 per cent of your home’s electricity bill. That’s a lot of extra dough Aussies have to fork out for their swims. Rather than not using the pool and heading to beach, enjoy the pool with these energy saving tips (or consider getting a reliable solar power system ):

1. Check to see if your pool can be connected to an off peak meter tariff.
2. Install a timer to turn the pool filter on and off automatically.
3. Cut the time you use the pool pump from eight hours to four hours a day during the Spring and Autumn months.
4. Install a pool cover. Up to 200 litres of water per day can be lost through evaporation and by using a cover you can reduce water waste by up to 80 percent.
5. Replace your pool lights with energy efficient (LED) products.

Top Tips To Save Energy

1. Before reaching for the air conditioner remote, try cooling your house with fans. You can also close your curtains and shut your windows to prevent the sunlight from heating your home.
2. If the mercury is soaring, and you can’t resist the cool reprieve of air conditioning, don’t turn it lower than 24 degrees. According to Origin, every degree lower than 24 degrees could add about 5–10 percent to your unit’s energy consumption.
3. If you’re using a heating or cooling system in your home, make sure you’re only heating or cooling the area you’re working in. Have your gas-ducted heating system zoned, so that you can isolate the living areas or the bedrooms, rather than heating or cooling the whole house.

Top Tips To Save Energy On Hot Water

Hot water also uses up a large percentage of your home’s energy – around 25 per cent according to Origin – and is also the largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the average home. The good news is, there are some simple ways that you can reduce the amount of hot water you use:

1. Stick to short, four-minute showers. You’ll save water, energy and money.
2. Switch from a standard shower head to a 3-star rated head. You could reduce your hot water by half.
3. Leave your mixer tap in the cold position, so hot water isn’t wasted cooling in the pipe.

Top Tips To Save Energy On Appliances

Origin says that hot water units, air conditioners and clothes dryers are the three most expensive appliances to use. When you are about to use an appliance, it’s good to ask yourself whether there is a lower energy option you could be using? So Billy has helped Aussies and summarised these tips from the Origin web site, for saving electricity on your appliances:

1. Dry your clothes on the line as there is no shortage of sun in Australia!
2. If you have a second fridge, only turn it on when it’s needed and set the fridge’s temperature to between 3 degrees and 5 degrees. For freezers, set them between -15 degrees and -18 degrees. If they are set any lower than that and you will be using around 5 per cent more energy.
3. Check if your fridge door is sealed properly by placing a strip of paper between the door and the fridge. If the paper can be pulled out easily, it might be time for a new seal.
4. Turn off small appliances, such as kettles and toasters, when you’re not using them.
5. Try and do your ironing in large batches – that way you won’t waste energy heating and reheating your iron each time.
6. Modern dishwashers use half the energy, and one sixth of the water, compared to hand washing, according to a German university study. Just make sure the dishwasher is full before you put a load on.

Compare Energy Providers Through Billy Explores!

Of course another easy way to save money on your electricity bill is to compare through Billy Explores. Save time and effort and potentially see if you can get a cheaper electricity bill is through Billy Explores. To start the journey and maybe make the switch today, just click here.

Health Insurance Comparison Links

You’ve done your energy comparison, so why not take the time to do a health insurance comparison Australia, or also explore life insurance cover and do a life insurance comparison?

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