Simple Ways to Reduce Your Energy Consumption and Your Personal Contribution to the Climate Crisis
The vast majority of the power used in Australia is used in our homes.
1,228 PJ in 2019-20 used by households according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Compared to 910 PJ used by the next largest consumer, manufacturing.
Now 2020 was a weird year, but the stats have been similar for the last 5 years.
Reduce your energy use to save money and go green
Imagine if every household in Australia reduced its energy consumption by 10%. With the rising cost of electricity and gas, it’s a great time to look at reducing how much energy you use. Some of these are really easy wins – for you and our planet. Making a few small changes could help you reduce your personal contribution to climate change and global warming. If you haven’t already read our article on why change needs to happen this decade read it here.
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Use your power when the sun is up.
Even if you don’t have solar power, you might well be using someone else’s. Solar energy is clean power, green energy, renewable energy. Even better, use power between 9am and 3pm when many people are not in their homes, yet the green power is cranking. Use the timer on your dishwasher and washing machines to power them up, even if you’re not at home during these hours.
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Use timers.
Use a plug-in timer to turn things off standby, without having to remember to do it yourself! See our upcoming ‘Timer Wizard’ article for tips on how and where to use them. Visit our website to subscribe to our newsletter and get all our articles in your inbox once a month.
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Lighting:
Turn the lights off when you’re not using them, make sure you have energy-efficient lightbulbs and use motion sensor lights where you can.
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Heating/Cooling:
Change the temperature by 1 degree (or more) – heating and cooling our homes use a lot of power. Make sure you’re doing it efficiently. Synergy recommends ‘in winter, set your heating to 18 degrees and in summer, set your cooling to 24 degrees’. Only heat or cool rooms you’re using, close doors to others.
5. White goods:
If you need to replace them, choose ones with the highest energy efficiency rating. Check seals on ovens, fridges and freezers are working well. Defrost your freezer if it needs it. Tumble dryers use a lot of energy, but the sun’s rays are free as is the gentle breeze – use that wind energy.
6. Infrastructure:
Make sure your infrastructure is doing as much of the work as possible – use lined curtains and close them early to keep the heat in, plant shade-giving plants where your home is hit by the sun. Paint your roof and/or walls a light colour to reflect the heat.
Use less fossil fuels the time is now
This list could go on forever, but a lot of this you already know. Make the time to make the change. This is the Decade of Choice, but it also needs to be our Decade of Action. If you can’t act now, then schedule a time when you will. Find someone to hold you accountable and if you can’t find someone, contact us and we’ll do it.
Choose your ‘why’ – do you want to save money? Great go for it. Leave a liveable planet for your grandkids? Awesome, they’ll be thrilled. Do it for whatever reason motivates you. But do it. And do it now.