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During the long, cold, dark evenings of winter, it’s easy to create a cosy feel in your home by turning on the lights and cranking up the heat.
Jumping into a steaming hot shower after a long, cold trip home from a hard day at work is something you deserve – letting the steady, hot, flow thaw those frozen bones is so good – for the electricity company!
This time of year electricity bills can skyrocket out of control – extra lights, left on longer; heating; hot water; the clothes dryer – churning through the power and upping the bills! Now is the time to think about how you can still have a cosy, warm home and nice hot showers with soft, dry clothes and beat the power companies at their own game.
To keep you and your home warm and cut heating costs you can:
1. Close the curtains as soon it starts to get dark. Keep the cold night air out as much as possible. The heavier the blind or drape, the better the insulating effect. These days our blinds are closed and drapes drawn by 5pm, and the difference in keeping the chill out of the house is noticeable.
2. Use lamps for reading, writing, watching TV. You don’t need to have all the lights on to do these things. Or invest in a book light - you'll find them in book shops, $2 shops, online, and they run for ages on a single AA battery and give plenty of light to read or knit.
3. Switch to energy saving light bulbs. The initial cost may be more, but they last longer, are much more energy efficient and therefore cheaper to run. Check your state government programs to see if you are eligible for any free upgrades, then take advantage.
4. Check for drafts around windows and doors. Even a slight draft can increase the cost of heating a room. Use ‘snakes’ or ‘sausages’ against the bottom of external doors to stop drafts from sneaking in underneath.
5. If you have ducted cooling, get a cover over the rooftop box. The difference in temperature will be almost immediately noticeable.
6. Invest in some fluffy slippers and wear them. Keeping your feet warm goes a long way to keeping the rest of you comfortable.
7. Put on a jumper. Layers help to insulate your body against cold. It's winter, so dress for winter!
8. Make some wheat bags to warm up and put them in the beds 20 minutes before bed time. Takes the chill off, costs less than an electric blanket and they’re nice to put your feet on.
9.I nvest in a low-flow showerhead and a timer. You’ll still be able to enjoy a hot shower, and the timer will let you know when to get out. Again, check your state government to see what upgrades are available to you free of charge.
10. If you don’t use every room in your house, don’t heat it. Close the vents and doors. If you live in just one or two rooms consider heating just those rooms. A heater with a thermostat can do an efficient heating job at a reasonable cost.
11. Don’t use the clothes dryer. A $7 clotheshorse over a vent or in a sunny window will dry your washing for free for years and years (mine are so old it cost $5 and I was using them when all the kids were still at school) – and you won’t have a lint filter to clean either!
12. Use your solar chargers for phones and tablets, or charge them in the car when you drive. Even in winter they will work. They make be a little slower but they will charge your devices using the power of the sun - for free!
13. Eat for the season. Enjoys soups and stews and roasts that are filling and warming. Use your slow cooker or pressure cooker or microwave or air fryer instead of the oven to save power and a little money.
14. When you use the oven (or the air fryer or the toaster oven) make sure it is full so you're not wasting the heat or power. Plan your baking so that the oven is always full, and then leave the door ajar when the baking is done to let the residual heat help warm the kitchen.
15. Boil the kettle in the morning and fill your thermos. I do this out of habit all year round and it not only saves a little money, I don't need to wait for the kettle to boil to make my cuppa.
Here's a list of the costs of running some household appliances, courtesy of Ergon Energy.
Jumping into a steaming hot shower after a long, cold trip home from a hard day at work is something you deserve – letting the steady, hot, flow thaw those frozen bones is so good – for the electricity company!
This time of year electricity bills can skyrocket out of control – extra lights, left on longer; heating; hot water; the clothes dryer – churning through the power and upping the bills! Now is the time to think about how you can still have a cosy, warm home and nice hot showers with soft, dry clothes and beat the power companies at their own game.
To keep you and your home warm and cut heating costs you can:
1. Close the curtains as soon it starts to get dark. Keep the cold night air out as much as possible. The heavier the blind or drape, the better the insulating effect. These days our blinds are closed and drapes drawn by 5pm, and the difference in keeping the chill out of the house is noticeable.
2. Use lamps for reading, writing, watching TV. You don’t need to have all the lights on to do these things. Or invest in a book light - you'll find them in book shops, $2 shops, online, and they run for ages on a single AA battery and give plenty of light to read or knit.
3. Switch to energy saving light bulbs. The initial cost may be more, but they last longer, are much more energy efficient and therefore cheaper to run. Check your state government programs to see if you are eligible for any free upgrades, then take advantage.
4. Check for drafts around windows and doors. Even a slight draft can increase the cost of heating a room. Use ‘snakes’ or ‘sausages’ against the bottom of external doors to stop drafts from sneaking in underneath.
5. If you have ducted cooling, get a cover over the rooftop box. The difference in temperature will be almost immediately noticeable.
6. Invest in some fluffy slippers and wear them. Keeping your feet warm goes a long way to keeping the rest of you comfortable.
7. Put on a jumper. Layers help to insulate your body against cold. It's winter, so dress for winter!
8. Make some wheat bags to warm up and put them in the beds 20 minutes before bed time. Takes the chill off, costs less than an electric blanket and they’re nice to put your feet on.
9.I nvest in a low-flow showerhead and a timer. You’ll still be able to enjoy a hot shower, and the timer will let you know when to get out. Again, check your state government to see what upgrades are available to you free of charge.
10. If you don’t use every room in your house, don’t heat it. Close the vents and doors. If you live in just one or two rooms consider heating just those rooms. A heater with a thermostat can do an efficient heating job at a reasonable cost.
11. Don’t use the clothes dryer. A $7 clotheshorse over a vent or in a sunny window will dry your washing for free for years and years (mine are so old it cost $5 and I was using them when all the kids were still at school) – and you won’t have a lint filter to clean either!
12. Use your solar chargers for phones and tablets, or charge them in the car when you drive. Even in winter they will work. They make be a little slower but they will charge your devices using the power of the sun - for free!
13. Eat for the season. Enjoys soups and stews and roasts that are filling and warming. Use your slow cooker or pressure cooker or microwave or air fryer instead of the oven to save power and a little money.
14. When you use the oven (or the air fryer or the toaster oven) make sure it is full so you're not wasting the heat or power. Plan your baking so that the oven is always full, and then leave the door ajar when the baking is done to let the residual heat help warm the kitchen.
15. Boil the kettle in the morning and fill your thermos. I do this out of habit all year round and it not only saves a little money, I don't need to wait for the kettle to boil to make my cuppa.
Here's a list of the costs of running some household appliances, courtesy of Ergon Energy.
Appliance |
Running Cost Per Hour |
|
Kitchen
Breadmaker Bottled Water Dispenser (cold) Coffee Maker Crockpot Deep Fryer Dishwasher (cold wash) Food Blender Food Processor Frypan Garbage Disposal Griller Jug Kettle Microwave Microwave - Convection Stove (oven, large & small hotplates) Sandwich Maker Toaster (2 slice) Toaster (4 slice) Refrigerator / freezer (320-440L frost-free) Freezer (300L upright) Laundry Iron Clothes Dryer - 5kg Washing Machine Lighting 4 x 60W 4 x 36W Fluorescent General Television - Large Colour Television - Plasma Pay TV Receiver Box Video Recorder/DVD Player Vacuum Cleaner Waterbed - Queen Size Personal Computer Stereo Unit Heating and Cooling Airconditioner - Cooling (21,000 BTU) Airconditioner - Heating (21,500 BTU) Evaporative Cooler (portable) Evaporative Cooler (ducted) Fan (ceiling) Heater (2400W) Pool Filter/Sauna 1 kW Pump and Filter 1 kW Pump, Filter and Salt Chlorinator Sauna (4800W) |
5c 1c 14c 3c 19c 29c 7c 15c 13c 11c 26c 58c 58c 34c 35c 53c 18c 27c 44c 5c 3c 20c 47c 19c 6c 4c 5c 10c 3c 2c 37c 2c 5c 3c 43c 26c 4c 37c 2c 58c 24c 34c 117c |