Saving Energy at home

Here are some energy saving tips and ideas for home.

Living areas

• Capture the sun’s warmth by opening curtains during the day and closing them before it gets dark
• Keep doors, curtains and blinds closed in heated rooms and in the evening
• Place heaters away from windows
• Block off unused fireplaces
• Use the thermostat and timer on your heaters so they automatically turn on and off as required
• Don’t heat rooms you're not using
• Unplug unused appliances or switch them off at the wall. Even standby mode uses energy
• Seal off draughts

Bedrooms

• Use a hot water bottle
• Put an extra blanket on the bed instead of using your electric blanket

Bathroom

• Install a AAA-rated water efficient shower head
• Shower with the windows open to avoid moisture forming - dry air is easier to heat

Laundry

• Wash full loads
• Choose a front loading washing machine
• Use shorter wash cycles
• If you're using the clothes dryer, fill it - it's more efficient to dry a full load
• Clean the clothes dryer lint filter after use
• Use the low heat setting on your dryer whenever you can
• Ventilate the clothes dryer to the outside
• Switch to cold water when you’re doing the laundry

Kitchen

• Only switch on a full dishwasher and use the economy cycle
• If your dishwasher can generate its own hot water, use this function - it's more efficient than using hot water from your cylinder
• Defrost food naturally instead of using the microwave
• Use a microwave or toaster instead of the oven or stovetop whenever you can
• Avoid opening oven doors too often - each time you do the temperature drops by up to 15°C
• Fridges and freezers operate most efficiently when they're full but not overloaded
• Set your freezer at -18°C and your fridge between 2°C and 5°C for greatest efficiency
• Leave space around the back of your fridge or freezer for air to circulate
• Avoid placing your fridge or freezer next to your oven or stove, or in direct sunlight
• Use cold water for the kettle