If you are happy with how much your power is costing you at the moment, then this article is not for you. But, if you're like the rest of us and wouldn't mind shaving a little cash of those bills then read ahead. Here are a couple of small, easy changes to make to save yourself a bit of $$$.
1. Wash your clothes on cold
When you use a cycle with hot water, you're enlisting the help of your hot water system which = $$$. A hot water cycle can use 10x as much electricity as a cold wash.
2. Keep your heat in and the cold out
Heat is expensive. Keep the warm in by keeping the cold out. Close curtains as soon as the sun starts setting - keep that day's heat in. Make sure there are no draughts coming in through your windows and doors by checking they fit their frames.
3. Only heat up the room you're using
Depending on the type of home heating you have, try to lock the heat into one space by closing doors and using heaters in the one room you're in.
4. Switch out your old lighting
Replacing old incandescent lightbulbs with energy efficient LED lighting can save you $100s of dollars per year on your power bills.
5. Reduce standby power
Appliances left on standby can also cost you over $100 a year. Make sure you turn off appliances at the wall when you're not using them.
6. Turn off the lights
Duh. Turn off lights when you leave the room. So simple yet so easy to forget - try to make this a habit!
7. Keep your freezer full
Making sure your freezer is well stocked is a great way to reduce power. The frozen food acts as insulation for itself and means your freezer doesn't have to work as hard.
8. Dust off your white goods
This one might not be at the top of your to-do list, but removing dust from extractor fans on fridges and other big machines can reduce the amount of energy they need to run.
9. Compare Electricity providers
Those pesky telemarketing calls can actually end up doing you some serious good. Usually, these companies will try to beat whatever rates you are currently on to get you to switch to them. Make sure you do your research first, but it might be worth it to hear them out. Otherwise, have a look at some other providers online and see if you're paying too much for your bills..
Extra Tip: Use night visions goggles at night so you don't have to turn the lights on
Keep this one on the down low...