CHANGE YOUR POWER HABITS - dpac.tas.gov.au · the energy. • If your oven has a fan forced option,...

CHANGE YOUR POWER HABITSThe little things can deliver big savings on power bills.

the benefi ts of an energy effi cient home

Making small changes to habits and choices around the home can have a big impact on your energy costs. Choosing to use energy efficiently is one of the easiest ways to reduce energy bills and be environmentally friendly while maintaining or even improving comfort levels. Energy efficiency is basically using less electricity and gas to produce the same level of performance, comfort and convenience.

You may be surprised at the range of things you can do, and many changes cost very little. This guide gives you some simple and effective advice, showing you how to easily review your habits in each part of the house.

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Heating and cooling your Home efficientlyHeating a house contributes to 50 per cent of the energy bill in a typical Tasmanian family home. Changing habits and making small changes can lower your power bill. You can easily carry out the following suggestions:

• Reducelossofheatbyclosingdoorstoanyroomsthatarenotoccupiedandpullthecurtainsorblinds.

• Switchoffheaters/airconditionerswhenyougooutorgotobed.Ifyouwantthehousetobecomfortablewhenyouarrivehome/getupinthemorning,useatimertoturnyoursystemonabout15minutesbeforehand.

• Neversetthethermostatatatemperaturebeloworabovewhatyourequire.Settingitlowerorhigherdoesnotmaketheunitcooldownorwarmuptheroomfaster.

• Makesureyourthermostatissetproperly.Overthecoolermonthstrysettingyourthermostatatthelowestpossiblesettingandincreasethetemperaturegraduallyuntilitiscomfortable.

• Eachdegreeofextraheatinginwinterorcoolinginsummerwillincreaseenergyuse byabout5to10percent.Tryadjustingyourroomtemperaturetoaround18–21°Cinwinter.

• Ifyourheaterhasatimer,makesureitdoesn’tturnonwhenyoudon’tneedit,likeonwarmerdaysorwhenyou’reonholiday.

• Dressfortheweather,especiallyifyoufeelthecoldmorethanothersinthehouse.

• Ensuredoorsealsareinstalledandtherearenoairgapsarounddoors,windowsandceilings(includingdownlights)orunusedopenchimneys.

2 CHANGE YOUR POWER HABITS | The little things can deliver big savings on power bills

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ly• Ensureallvents(e.g.inthekitchenandbathroom)havelouvresthatclosewhentheventisnotinuse.

• Ifyouhaveventsininteriorwalls,e.g.inolderhouses,fillthemwithinsulationand coverthem.Controllingventilationwhenyouareheatingaroomwillhelpreduceheatloss.

• Beawareofwhereyourheatgoes.Onlyheatareaswhereyouneedit.Ifyouneedheatforshortperiodsorinasmallspace,suchasabathroom,itismoreefficienttouseasmallradiatororfanheaterthancontinuouslyusingaspaceheater,evenwhentheroomisnotbeingused.

• Makegooduseofwindowfurnishings.Closingcurtainsorblindsassoonasthesunisoffthehousewillholdinthesolarheatfromthesun.Inhotweatherpullcurtains,blinds,orexternalshutterstokeepthesun’sheatoutofthehouse.

• Heavycurtainswithpelmetsarebetteratretainingheatthanverticalandvenetianblinds.Goodwindowfurnishingscanmakeabigdifference.

• Avoidsittingindraftscreatedbyairmovement.Draftscanmakeyoufeelmuchcolder.Moveyourfurnituretodeflectoravoiddrafts.

• Inhotweatheryoucansavesignificantcoolingenergybyopeningwindowsandcreatingair-flowthroughthehousetoallowthecoolernightairtopre-coolthehouse.

• Inwinteruseaceilingfanoraheattransferunittosendwarmairdownwards–especiallyifyouhavehighceilingsoranopenstaircase.

• Ifyouaretryingtocoolyourhouse,beawarethatlightsandallyourapplianceswillcauseyoutopaytwice-oncefortheirownelectricityandonceagaintogetridoftheheattheyproduce.

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Poorly placed heater Better placed heater

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3CHANGE YOUR POWER HABITS | The little things can deliver big savings on power bills

EffICIENTHOTwATERuSEHot water makes up about 25 per cent of household energy use. Taking the following steps to increase hot water energy efficiency will save on energy bills while maintaining similar levels of performance, comfort and convenience:

• Setthehotwaterthermostatbetween60and65°Constoragehotwatersystemsandaslowaspossibleoninstantaneoussystemstoavoidscalding.Butdonotdropthestoragehotwatersystembelow60°C,asharmfulbacteriacanbuildup.

• Takingafourminuteshowergenerallyuseslessthanhalftheamountofhotwaterittakesforabath.

• useashowertimertoremindeveryoneinthehouseholdtotakeshortershowers.

• Coveracontinuallyheatedoutdoorhottubwhennotinuse.

• Turnoffthehotwatersystemwhenonholidays.

• usemixertapsinthecoldpositionunlessyoureallywanthotwater.Beawarethattheentirehotwaterpipeisusedevenifyouwantjustalittlebit.

Ifyouownyourhomewealsorecommendyouundertakethefollowingsteps.Ifyouareatenantaskyourlandlordto:

• InstallAAAratedshowerheads.Otherthanbaths,showersusuallyusethemosthotwaterinahome.

• Immediatelyrepairdrippinghotwatertapsandleakingappliances.

• Insulatethetankandallhotwaterpipes,especiallythosethatareoutside,andalsoinsulatethefirsttwometresofthecoldwaterpipeleadingintothetank.Careneedstobetakenwheninsulatinganyothermetalfittingsattachedtothetank,especiallypressureandtemperaturereliefvalvestoensurethattheycancontinuetoworksafely.Youshouldseektheadviceorassistancefromaplumberwheninsulatingthesefittings.

• Callaplumbertoinspectyourhotwatercylinderiftherearecontinualsignsofwatercomingfromthepressurereliefvalve–asteadydripsoonwastesalotofenergy,waterandmoney.

• Serviceyourhotwatersystemaccordingtothemanufacturer’sinstructions.

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ligHting your Home efficientlyLighting makes up about four per cent of Tasmanian household energy use. Here are some tips to reduce its impact on your power bill:

• Makethebestuseofnaturallightforaroom.

• Turnofflightswhennotneeded.

• Onlyusethelightsinaroomthatareneeded.

• useLED,fluorescentorcompactfluorescentlamps(CfL)insteadofincandescentglobes(theordinaryolderstyleglobes)–theyrequirefivetimeslessenergythanordinarybulbsforthesameamountoflight.Incandescentglobeshavenowbeenphasedout.Thetablebelowshowsthesavingsfordifferentlightscomparedtotheolderstyleincandescentglobes:

Lamp energy savings compared to an incandescent bulb

Type of lamp Power usage compared to an incandescent bulb

Halogen 70%

cfl 20%

led 10%

Source: Energy Saving Trust UK

• Avoidusinglowvoltagehalogendownlightsforgenerallightingastheyarenotenergyefficient.Lowvoltagedoesnotmeanlowenergyconsumption.CompactfluorescentandLEDreplacementsfordownlightsarenowavailable.

• Cleanlampsanddiffusersregularlyas dustcauseslossofefficiency.

• usetheminimumwattagelampto providerequiredlightforthearea.

• Ifyouownyourhome,usetimersor sensorsonoutdoorsecuritylightsor ifyouareatenantaskyourlandlord toinstallthem.

• Ifbuildingorrenovatingahomeand installinghalogendownlightsuse asfewaspossibletoachieveyour lightingneeds.

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cooking efficientlyCooking accounts for about nine per cent of Tasmanian household energy use. Here are some handy hints and tips to make your cooking more energy efficient:

• useamicrowavewhenconvenientratherthananoven,astheyuselessthanhalf theenergy.

• Ifyourovenhasafanforcedoption,useit.fanforcedovensareabout30percentmoreefficientthanconventionalovens,whichcanwasteupto90percentoftheenergyused.

• Makesureyourovendoorsealiscleanandingoodcondition.

• whenusingakettle,boilonlytheamountofwaterneeded.Boilingtoomuchwastesenergy.

• Efficientcookingmethodsincludeusingpotswithfittedlids,simmeringinsteadofboilingandusingapressurecooker.

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efficient refrigerationRefrigeration makes up about seven per cent of energy used in the average Tasmanian home:

• ManyTasmanianhouseholdsrunanadditionalfridgeorfreezereventhoughitisnotreallyrequired.Onlyturnitonwhenitisrequiredanddonotpositionitinahotgarageorveranda.

• Placeyourfridgeorfreezerinacoolspotoutofdirectsunlightandawayfromcookers,heatersanddishwashers.

• Makesurethedoorsealiscleanandingoodcondition.Itshouldholdapieceofpapertightlyinplacewhenclosed.

• Setthefridgethermostattobetween3°Cand5°C.Thefreezershouldbesettobetween–15°Cand–18°C.Everydegreelowerrequiresfivepercentmoreenergy.Afridgethermometerisagoodidea.

• Makesurethewarmaircanescapefromthebackofthefridgeorfreezerbyleavingaspacebetweenthebackoftheunitandthewall.

• Keepingthemetalgrillonthebackofthefridgecleanandfreeofdustandgrimeisimportanttoefficientrunning.

• Avoidoverloadingthefridgeorfreezer.Trytoleaveabout20percentfreespaceforgoodairmovement.

• Defrostmanualmodelsregularlyorwheniceismorethanfivemillimetresthick.Itwillrunmoreefficientlyafterbeingdefrosted.

• Allowhotthingstocoolbeforeputtingthemintothefridge.

• Serviceyourappliancesregularly,accordingtothemanufacturer’sinstructions.Anapplianceinpoorconditionusuallyusesmoreenergythanoneingoodcondition.

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EffICIENCIESfOROTHERHOuSEHOLDAPPLIANCESOther appliances account for approximately 5 per cent of Tasmanian energy use in the home. Here are some tips to help reduce their impact on your power bill:

• Dryclothesoratleastthelargeritemsonalineratherthanintheclothesdryer.Savetheclothesdryerforarainyday.

• usecold-waterwashingandeconomycyclestowashclothes.

• useappropriateloadsizesorcyclesforclotheswashersandclothesdryers.

• Ensurethedishwasherisfullbeforeturningitonandusetheeconomycycle.

• Select‘energysaving’or‘economy’settingsonappliances,ifavailable.

• Therearemanysmallitemsaroundthehousethatcanusealotofenergyoverayear,suchaspoolfilterpumps,electrictowelrails,transformers(evenwhentheyarenot inuse)andcomputergames.Ensuretheyarenotleftonunnecessarily.

• LargescreenTVsusemoreenergythanthosewithsmallerscreens.

• AnLCDscreenfordesktopcomputersismoreefficientthananolderstylescreen,usinglessenergyandtakinguplessspace.

• Switchoffcomputersandprintersifyouwon’tbeusingthemforhalfanhourormore.

• Rememberifthesedevicesfeelwarmtheyareusingelectricity.

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REDuCINGYOuR‘STANDBY’ENERGYuSEIn some cases standby energy can use 10 per cent of a household’s electricity use. Some appliances can use much more energy over a year in standby than in actual operation.

• BeawareofthestandbyenergyuseofelectricalequipmentsuchasTVs,videos,clocks,computers,faxes,microwaves,securitysystems,batterychargersandpowerpacks.

• Instandbymode,theapplianceisstilldrawingpowerevenwhenturnedoff.TurnofftheapplianceatitsmainOnswitchorpowerpoint.

• Oftenpowerpointsarebehinddesksorentertainmentunitsandcanbehardtoturnoff.useapowerboardfittedwithOnswitchesplacedinaneasy-to-reachlocation.Theilluminatedswitchcanremindyoutoturnthewholeboardoffwhen notinuse.

• TheENERGYSTAR®programappliestohomeentertainmentequipmentsuchascomputers,monitors,printers,TVs,DVDplayers,audioequipmentandfaxes.

• Standbyenergyconsumptioncanbereducedbyusing appliancesendorsedwiththeENERGYSTAR®sticker.

Visitwww.energystar.gov.au tolearnmoreaboutthe ENERGYSTAR®program.

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REDuCINGPEAKLOADELECTRICITYuSECANLEADTOPRICESAVINGSThe growth of total overall electricity demand in Australian households is tending to level out. However, the amount used at peak demand times keeps going up. This means that electricity network providers need to expand the infrastructure just to meet this peak load, leading to higher electricity prices all the time for everyone.

Sowhilesavingpowerisalwaysimportant,itisespeciallyimportantatpeaktimes.InTasmania,thesepeaktimesarewintermorningsandevenings.

Peak load energy saving tips:• useaslowcookertopreparedinnerduringtheday,insteadofswitchingontheoven

intheevening.

• Turntheheateronearlieratalowertemperature,ratherthanlateratahighertemperature.

• Runthedishwasherorwashingmachineovernightoronweekends,especiallyinwinter.R

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No Interest Loans SchemeThe No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) of Tasmania provides loans at no interest to eligible people for the purchase of new energy efficient appliances, including refrigerators. For more information call 1300 301 650 for the cost of a local call.


Making small adjustments to habits and choices around the home can have a big impact.

Other information available in the SAVEenergy SAVEmoney series:

LOCATION, LOCATION,

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The benefi ts of buying or renting an

energy effi cient home.

the benefi ts of an energy effi cient

home

GUIDE TO ENERGY

EFFICIENCY TERMS

Helping you understand the jargon.


home

STAR RATINGSYour guide to ongoing power savings.


home

LOCATION, LOCATION, ENERGY EFFICIENCY thebenefitsofbuyingorrentinganenergyefficienthome.

GUIDE TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY TERMS helpingyouunderstandthejargon.

STAR RATINGS yourguidetoongoingpowersavings.

For more information from the SAVEenergy SAVEmoney series:

visit: www.climatechange.tas.gov.au/ phone: 1300 13 55 13 to request a brochure

CHANGE YOUR POWER HABITS - dpac.tas.gov.au · the energy. • If your oven has a fan forced option,...

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