There is nothing worse than receiving your energy bill and being completely taken aback by the incredibly high payment you have been told you need to settle. It’s easy to forget that every little action you make at home is slowly accruing into a sum at the end of each month. Electricity prices are high and the genetic modification of money growing from trees still seems to be on the backburner – It doesn’t look either will be changing anytime fast.
In the meantime, we have put together a little go-to guide of how to save some of your hard earns by reducing your energy consumption. Saving energy doesn’t always require a huge change in lifestyle, it’s often the little things that will make a big difference.
1. Energy awareness!
Switch your lights off when you move throughout the house. Ensure you remember to turn off your heater, cooler and appliances when they are not on. Switching things off directly at the power point ensures appliances on standby are not using extra power. When not in use we recommend you turn your computer and even Wi-Fi off to save energy. Every little action counts and getting into good habits is an effective way to save on those hidden extras.
2. Swap your bulbs
Changing to energy efficient lightbulbs saves on cost, waste and lightbulb lifespan. Not to mention the bonus of fewer trips to the lighting aisle. Now coming in a huge range, the swap to energy efficient lightbulbs has never been so simple. Make the change and start replacing your bulbs as they die out. Keep in mind that as these long life and low energy globes contain Fluorescent tubes, compact fluoros (CFLs), HIDs and metal halides, therefore, contain mercury. Disposing and recycling these through your local council and community systems is integral in shifting to a sustainable cycle. Find out where you can recycle your globes here or go to your local council website.
3. Switch your powerboards
Sure, turning off appliances at the switch is well and good as long as you remember to do so. Changing to energy efficient power strips means that you no longer need to think about it. They will cut the power off when they detect that devices are in standby mode, automatically saving your energy usage. They are usually priced at no extra cost to conventional powerboards making them an excellent, edgeConX supported alternative.
4. Get in touch with the elements
A simple reminder that paying attention to upcoming weather patterns can help save a bit of cash. Knowing what the temperature will be means you can always be a step ahead and alter your actions to be the most efficient in saving energy. Hang out your washing instead of using your dryer. Put your blinds up when it’s cooler and down when it’s warmer. Know when it’s a good idea to start ensuring your house is weatherproof for winter. The edgeConX app is particularly helpful with this as it provides the weather of your current location and sends notifications with suggestions of when to switch your appliances on and off, saving money and energy.
5. Try (to research) before you buy
We recommended taking a little bit of time before you make your next appliance purchase to quickly peruse the energy efficiency of the various options in the market. Everyone loves a bargain, but often the cheapest appliances are the largest energy drainers and can account for 30% of home energy use. For large white goods, the government and industry program energy rating system is very helpful in displaying how energy efficient the product your buying is. The greater the energy rating the greater your savings and lower your carbon emissions.
6. Get energy fit
The edgeConX energy monitor requires a quick and easy install into your switchboard and will then wirelessly connects to your (free) and downloaded edgeConX app. The edgeConX app will continuously track, receive and display your live energy data allowing you to see how much you have spent, used and saved. Additional features like bill forecasting and appliance breakdowns let you know how much you will be spending and where your money is going. The edgeConX energy monitoring system is the easiest way to have transparent access to your energy. Learn more and buy it now today.
7. Go clean and green
The average Australian household generates an average of 14 tonnes of carbon per year. Which is the equivalent to driving a car 84,000km! Find out and calculate how much carbon your household is generating here. A simple and reasonably cost-effective means of reducing your carbon footprint is by using power generated from clean, renewable sources such as sun, wind and water rather than coal and oil. Learn more and switch to a green energy source or look into installing renewable options into your home.