Did you know that 95% of homes can improve their energy efficiency within a few days? Whether you live in a large family house, or a small one bedroom studio apartment, you’ll still want to ensure that your home is as energy efficient as possible.

There are often small changes that you can make to create an energy efficient home which will keep you comfortable, help to save you money and preserve the planet’s precious resources. Why not assess just how energy efficient your home is by taking a look around or reading our top tips? It can seem time-consuming but you’ll quickly make savings and notice the difference in how your home feels.

Install Roof Ventilation

In our experience, one of the simplest ways to reduce the heat in your home during summer is to allow the hot air that accumulates in your roof space to escape using roof ventilators.  The temperature in the roof space can easily climb to 70 degrees Celsius on a warm day and, even with great insulation, this heat will eventually make its way into your living space.

There are lots of options to vent the heat from your roof space including wind driven and powered options, all of which can make a tremendous improvement to your living space comfort.

Invest in Window Film

Ever felt a window on a cold day? If so you’ll appreciate that windows are one of the most common areas where heat and cold can enter the home. Window films can help to reduce temperatures from the outside as well as insulating your windows. Learn more about window film.

Check Your Ceiling Insulation

If you see a diagram of where heat is lost in the home, the largest quantity is generally through the ceiling. With poor insulation, you could face expensive energy bills without enjoying the benefits of a warm or cool home. Ensure your ceiling is fully insulated with high-quality products.

Use Night Storage Heaters

Many energy companies offer tariffs, which see prices per unit used drop dramatically during the hours after midnight and before 7am. Night Storage Heaters are an excellent way of making your home more energy efficient and use large ceramic plates to store heat that would otherwise be lost.

Install Solar Panels

Many parts of Australia enjoy some of the best levels of sunshine in the world. Why not harness this energy by installing solar panels in your home? You’ll find your energy bills will decrease dramatically by using this renewable energy source, and you may even be entitled to grants and rebates from the government.

Use Rugs and Soft Furnishings

There is a lot you can do with your interiors to make your home warm and cosy. To avoid always turning up the heating or putting on radiators, why not try having woollen rugs on the floor, or keeping curtains closed when it gets cooler. Inspiration: 8 Cosy Rugs to Warm Up Any Room

Close Windows and Doors

It may seem obvious but you need to remember to always close windows and doors when you can. This avoids unnecessary heat loss straight away and you’ll be able to monitor and regulate the temperature within your home far more efficiently.

Use Draught Blockers

Just like having Window Film around your windows, draught blockers can be used effectively around doors and door frames to ensure that warm air stays in and cold air stays out. You’ll find this can quickly increase the energy efficiency of your home.

Consider Double Glazing (or high-performance window films – they are more cost effective)

If you own your property or have window glass or window frames that need replacing anyway, it could be worth researching the option of Double Glazing. Although it’s a fairly expensive and time-consuming process, it certainly leads to increased energy efficiency within the home. Read more about double glazing vs. window films.

Fill Up Your Appliances

Too many people set their dishwashers off when they’ve finished a meal, not when the machine is full. Same with washing machines, try to optimise their efficiency by always making sure that the load is worth doing. Once you start to become aware of this, you’ll quickly see how you can save on energy expenses.

Switch Off Lights

This is an essential habit to create for both yourself and your family. It’s one of the easiest ways of reducing your energy bills and simply requires you to think before you leave a room. Additionally, use lamps or smaller lights to avoid always having all of your main lights on when you’re in a room.

Turn Plug Sockets Off

It’s easy to forget to simply unplug a device or appliance and walk away. However remembering to turn off plug sockets at the wall will help to increase your household’s energy efficiency and instantly reduce your bills. It’ll take less than a second to do!

Avoid Standby Mode

Did you know that 80% of people leave one or more of their devices on standby all the time? That’s a lot of people with a lot of devices using up unnecessary energy. When you have the option of Standby or Switch Off, always go with the latter.

Make Energy Efficient Cups of Tea

It might sound like a strange idea but boiling more water than you need each time you make a cup of tea can lead to a lot of unused energy – which you still pay for. Only boil the amount that you’re looking to use and watch your energy bills decrease.

Take a Shower

On cold Winter days it can be tempting to have a bath to warm up. Once in a while, baths are fine however you’ll use substantially less hot water (and therefore power) if you stick to showers and try to monitor the amount of time you spend in them.

Hang Your Clothes Out To Dry

If the sun is shining, there’s really no excuse. Your clothes will dry quickly outside, and you won’t have to use the energy draining dryers that can cause your energy bills to creep up steadily. If you don’t have outdoor space or the weather isn’t dry, invest in a clothes horse or a rack to hang things on.

 

Defrost Your Freezer

Have you got a freezer that’s crammed full of food you don’t remember is there? Or perhaps it’s thick with ice? Both of these are examples of when your freezer will not be running to its maximum efficiency. Have a clear out and always make sure that there is no excess ice on the shelves.

Install LED lighting

LED lighting is an excellent option if you’re looking for serious cuts in your energy bills. Many LED lights use less than a tenth of what a normal light would use. These are a popular options in commonly used areas such as the kitchen or bathrooms.

Reset Your Hot Water Temperature

The majority of homes will never change their hot water temperature once it has been set up. However you can make your household more energy efficient by simply changing this a couple of degrees – it won’t have a noticeable effect on your comfort but it will affect your energy bills.

Change the direction of your ceiling fan for winter and summer

Ceiling fans use less energy than air conditioners. To make them even more effective, make your fan turn counterclockwise in summer to move air down and clockwise in the winter.

 

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