Many people will tell you that the very best way to save money on your power bills is to install a home solar power system, and cut out the power bills all together. While that may be true, there are other things you can do to reduce your energy use, for rather less up front cost. And, if you are at some stage going to install solar panels, you will want to have first reduced your power use as much as possible anyway, so as to limit the size of the solar system that you will need.
So here are six tips for reducing your power use, for little cost:
- Switch out your traditional incandescent and halogen lights for CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) or LEDs (light emitting diodes). Both of these are far more energy efficient and also last longer, making them more cost effective in two ways.
- Turn your heat down two degrees in winter and up two in summer. This may seem like a lot when you first do it, in which case start with one degree. And put on that extra jumper or singlet and you will find it’s not such a big deal after all.
- Create some shade over any west facing windows. Okay, this may not be a cost-free option, but there are low cost ways of doing this – your choices range from building a pergola and growing a (preferably deciduous) vine over it, or covering it with opaque roofing, to having an awning or shutters put over your window. Even getting thick black out curtains on that window can help, but of course that will block the light as much as or more than the heat.
- Use cold or warm water for washing clothes instead of hot. If you have a traditional electic hot water heater, heating your water could account for 1/3 of your energy bills.
- Similarly, you can reduce your hot water use by avoiding rinsing dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, do not wash dishes with the water running, and reduce your shower length.
- Make sure there is plenty of room around your fridge and that it is not placed next to your oven or a heater vent. Many fridges are using far more energy than their rating would indicate, because they are not well located.
Follow these tips and you will soon find that you are saving money on your power bills, and reducing your carbon footprint to boot. And if you do ever decide to install solar power, be it with DIY solar panels or a fully installed system, ou will need to spend less there too, to acheive a truly energy efficient home.