10 Top Tips on How to Reduce Your Power Bill

For years people have been asking us how they can reduce their power bills with solar power.

The problem, of course, is that solar power is generated during the day and for many households, this is impractical as they are at work during the day and hence use most of their power at night.

Sure, you can set appliances to run with a timer, and you can run the base load of your house on solar power during the day, but you want more!

The key to reducing your power bills is to design a system that doesn’t require you to significantly change your lifestyle, and when you do need to change things, it needs to be a habit that doesn’t require much work. You want to minimise the time, effort and money spent installing and then maintaining your new energy usage setup, and then maximising the effect, which in this case means reducing your power bill as much as possible.

Top 10 Tips to Reduce Your Power Bill

There are plenty of ways to reduce power bills.

Some are small-scale changes that require a minor adjustment to your routines, while in other cases the purchase of some new household items is needed.

Lower energy consumption means extra money in your back pocket at the end of every month and is also great for the environment. Check out our top ten tips to help reduce power bills:

1. Buy Energy-Efficient Appliances

With over 10% of your household energy consumption coming from appliances, switching out older models for ones that have a better energy rating can result in huge savings. Make sure to look out for the star rating of an appliance and also its energy consumption rate. The better these are, the less it will cost you over the long term. Don’t just be swayed by a lower initial price as it's only part of the cost of running an appliance. 

2. Upgrade Your Windows 

A lot of energy is wasted through windows. Upgrading to double-pane windows can reduce your total heating bill by up to 25%. For those of you in parts of Australia that see several cyclones a year, storm windows are also fantastic at reducing heat loss.

In warmer areas, you can opt for windows with Low-E coating. These reflect more light away from your home, keeping it cool and lowering your air conditioning bill during those blazing hot summers.

3. Use Smart Power Strips

When items are plugged into the mains in standby mode, they still draw power from your system. These “Phantom Loads” are a waste of electricity. Smart power strips ensure that no energy is being drawn when something is not in use. So it keeps computers, printers, and TVs from hiking up your energy bill. They are a cheap and straightforward way to bring your energy consumption down.

4. Switch Energy Retailers 

Switching to another power provider is a surefire way to help reduce power bills with many offering discount rates for new customers. A quick phone call, or visit to an energy comparison website that compares suppliers can lower your bill by over $300 a year. If you live in Victoria, the Victorian Energy Compare is an independent tool created by the government. For other parts of the country use Energy Made Easy.

5. Change Your Habits

Often small changes can have a significant impact. Turning lights off when you don’t need them on, hand-drying clothes that aren’t too dirty instead of using a machine, and washing dishes by hand can have an enormous effect on lowering your energy bill. Keeping doors closed is also great for trapping both the heat and cold, stopping it from dispersing into empty rooms throughout your home and being wasted.

6. Get a Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats take control of the heating and cooling, giving you greater flexibility and control. Rather than leaving the air-con on all night, these can be programmed to run at a reduced rate at various times. They also alert you to any issues with your HVAC system and let you know when parts need to be changed, helping to maintain the efficiency of your setup and reduce costs.

7. Upgrade Your Heating

Cooling in the summer and heating in the winter, usually account for the most significant percentage of a household energy bill. Newer ducted heating and cooling systems give you greater control over the temperature in specific parts of your house. You can choose to only heat or cool rooms that are occupied and switch it off in other areas.

8. Insulate Your Home

Insulation helps to regulate the temperature inside your home. It helps keep a more consistent temperature by preventing air from leaking through windows, doors, and walls. Depending on where you live in Australia the level of insulation will vary, but it can be a good idea to insulate crawlspaces, walls, basements and lofts to help bring down your energy bill. 

9. Switch Light Bulbs

Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs use between 25 and 80% less energy than traditional lights. They also last up to 25 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs. Better bulbs are slightly more expensive; however, their longevity and cost efficiency are more than worth it. CFLs are also another good option but they aren’t as efficient as LEDs 

10. Install Solar

The best way to reduce power bills is to install solar and generate your power for free. A typical 8-10 kWh solar system can pay for itself in as little as 3 to 5 years and can then save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the system.

The surplus power that your panels generate throughout the day is then fed back into the grid, and power providers will pay you for generating excess electricity. When billing time comes around, the amount of energy you have sold back to the grid is calculated and then deducted from your energy bill. 

Many of our customers are essentially paying nothing for their power reaping the rewards of having one less bill to worry about.

Curious about how quickly your solar panels can start saving you money on electricity bills? Discover factors that affect your solar payback period through our in-depth guide. This resource covers everything you need to know before investing in solar power. Or get in touch with the 1KOMMA5° Team to start saving. 

Our solar experts will help you find the right system for your home.

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Get all the right information before installing a solar power system for your home.