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Reducing your power bill

It's nearly winter and the temperature is starting to drop, particularly at night. Unfortunately, when the temperature drops, our power bills tend to rise dramatically.

In the discussion below, please share your tips for saving energy and keeping your power bill as low as possible.

What are some of the ways that you save energy in your home?

Jason

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Comments

CathD

I'm a big fan of the humble draught stopper. Cheap and can make a big difference to the temperature of a room. Also make sure your doors and windows are well sealed.

Isobel

I'm passionate about this topic. I would really like to reduce our dependency on electricity and maybe even go off the grid. I want to install solar panels on the roof and get some batteries that can store the electricity we would generate. I was really excited when I saw the Tesla Powerwall and hoping they become widely available and affordable soon. I've also just seen that Solarhart are offering batteries so must investigate...

Mick

A few years ago we got a couple of energy saving powerboards that turn all devices off (at the wall) rather than keep them in stand-by mode. So if you turn off the tv, the amplifier and PVR and the games console also go off. Same goes for the computer one - it turns off the monitor and the speakers as well. Devices in standby mode can use up a surprising amount of power.

Henno

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/1140#Comment_1140

Hi Isobel, I too am a fanatic on solar power and trying to minimise our impact on the environment. Minimising the profits of the power companies is also a good thing!

The Tesla Powerwall is just one of many alternatives out there and is quite pricey at the moment. Enphase have a similar solution but much more within reach of the regular Aussie. I'm still holding off on this storage idea as I'm sure the price will drop in the near future.

A good source for all things solar is solarquotes.com.au. I find this site very enlightening and a good resource for all things solar albeit it with some rather political leanings!

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/62816#Comment_62816

Henno, you & Isobel have earnt my unreserved thumbs up.

Your mention of solarquotes.com.au is a path that we took, but as you say, people need to tread carefully.

We'd previously commited to a company that touts itself (without naming names), that energy matters. Long story short, they wouldn't install, until we had a structural engineer approve the gang-nail truss triangulation modifications that were made to accomodate a ducted air conditioning install, some 30ish years ago. I went above & beyond compliance, by replacing the nail truss members that had been removed, while leaving in place the modded trusses that had stood the test of time. They didn't budge on their brainless stance, so we gave them the flick.

Madison Australia caught our attention on solarquotes.com.au, & with a cursory glance of my truss fix overkill, they gave an immediate thumbs up.

They sent fixed quotes for several options, all of which utilised superior panels that were conservatively rated, giving a higher capacity system, at a lower price. As luck would have it, the authorities refused the larger system capability install, as they'd already sanctioned our previously submitted 5Kw system. No problem, we went with the conservatively rated 4.8Kw system, & saved over $2K. Oh how I love poking my tongue at authority. : )

Crux of the matter, shop around, use solarquotes.com.au, & ignore the urge to go with companies that spend up big on advertising, but don't have a clue when energy matters.

Dale

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/93883#Comment_93883

We've used Solargain for two houses now. They were great both times.

We used to be a $500 a quarter electricity family. Our current 5kw system has halved it.

Go for it. 🙂

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/113241#Comment_113241

Solar with save you, regardless of how you use it, but setting high consumption equipment to mostly run while your solar system is productive, will save you even more.
It sounds silly to run an air conditioner during the day while no-one is home, but you'll need to run it less in the evenings, when you're paying peak tariff rates. Of course it all amounts to nothing if your house isn't insulated properly, so check what insulation you have, & how long ago it was installed. Insulation is the best bang for buck money saver, so even if you decide to retro install cavity insulation in your double brick home (like chose to do), you'll find that isn't cheap, but the interior temperatures are a lot more stable/consistent throughout, & your heater/cooler won't have to work as hard.
Don't get me wrong, insulation doesn't stop heat gain or loss, & that can be seen if researching purpose built ice chests. The very best of them do an amazing job, but can only maintain food storage temperatures for 5 days.
Shade your hottest (Western) walls to reduce the harsh sun bearing on it, then the cavity insulation slows it's ingress, & the air condition has an easier time coping. Having solar, good insulation, & setting the air con on a timer, will mean that you're cooling is mostly free. On that note, do not wait for the inner walls to heat up before switching on the air-con, it will not only have to cool the airspace of the interior, but also have to try to suck the heat out of that high thermal mass wall too. I found this all out the hard way, so learn from my mistakes & enjoy affordable comfort.

Roni

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/124185#Comment_124185

I agree with @Andy_Mann on insulating your home, it makes a huge difference. We are renting so we decided to do what we can easily to reduce the loss of cooling/heating our house. We found that simply sealing the doors had a massive impact not only for heating but is also reduced the noise coming from outside. If someone is building a new house or improving existing house I'd also highly recommend double glazing the windows because the long term gain from that is huge.

Henno

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/131491#Comment_131491

Guys, although many people hate the idea of TOU Smart Meters, once you install solar they can become your best friend in helping you reduce your power consumption. Having the three tariffs allows you to plan your consumption each day, forcing you to make decisions on when to run your appliances. This has the added benefit of saving you money as well as inspiring you to look for ways to save in other ways. Negotiating with your energy provider every year is essential. Don't take the easy way out! It's only a telephone call and 30 minutes of your time. It can save you $$$$

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/135947#Comment_135947

Well said Henno, & especially about annually discussing options with you energy provider.

I actually have a major gripe about off-peak tariff rates.

Some history:

Consumers who had electrically supplied storage water heaters, were given a "J Tarriff" (possibly called a different name in other states) meter, to record the consumption, & that consumption was charged at an "Off Peak" (discount) rate. The reason was, that if the load dropped under the stable load output of the on line generators, they had to shut down a generator & it's super-heated steam boiler. Though a reasonably lengthy process, it's a far longer, more complicated (delicate), & far more expensive process again, to bring back the boiler & generator back to service.

Bringing the huge mass of the steam turbine with it's extremely close tolerances, is a nightmare. The stator is very solid/thick (high mass), so that it will withstand the extraordinary high pressure of the steam being sent to it, while the rotor (the moving turbine blades) are far lighter, so expand quicker. Expansion rates have to equalised, so that the turbine blades don't collide with the stator. The lighter rotors still weight tonnes & spin at 3000RPM. As I hope you can now imagine, it's a very dangerous, expensive process, & it takes a toll on the machine's lifespan due to metal fatigue.

Thing is, the cheaper tariffs were introduced to guarantee a steady load overnight, & it was a great initiative.

I congratulate other states (I'm based in South Australia) that recognise that other equipment be hooked up to the cheaper supply meter, because now the steam turbine generators are way bigger than in the early days, & are even more difficult/expensive to double shift (shutdown & restore later).

Case in point, EVERYONE, should get discounted tariff rates overnight.

Things have change now, in that gas turbine generators (virtually jet engines with a generator tacked on), are all that are being installed now. They're cheap to install, & can be shutdown & restored at whim, which makes life easy for energy suppliers.

Gas turbine generation has been used, though sparingly for decades, to quickly cover extreme peak load conditions, once all of the cheaper to run steam generators were at capacity & unable to cope unassisted. They were used as a last resort, because they consumed extraordinary amounts of natural gas, which was very expensive compared to coal fired power stations. It was a financially driven decision, & at the time, with no thought of conserving natural resources.

So why, oh why, are we all accepting/financing such irresponsible exploitation/corruption by private companies & their investors, who more than likely aren't based in Australia, or give a damn about you & me.

Sorry for the rant, but it's something that dramatically affected my health close to 20 years ago, because it's been lie, after lie, after lie.

darylhewston

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139010#Comment_139010

I installed motion detectors in our hallways as the kids used to leave all the lights on. We too have solar and we place the dishwasher and washing machine on the inbuilt 'delay start' so they come on during the daylight hours (this is good as all the washing is done by the time we get home). Also a good way to reduce cool/heat loss is to close as many curtains as you can. Close up air-conditioning ceiling grills with painted mdf/chipboard to reduce heat loss in winter.

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141064#Comment_141064

Thanks for bringing up motion detectors darylhewston.

On that subject, people need to be aware that they may operate erratically if the light connected to it, isn't a high enough wattage.

We had that situation, & had to replace the LED globe, with a higher wattage globe in our passageway.

Shannon

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/135947#Comment_135947

Something I do is close all the evaportive cooling vents in each room to keep the cold breeze out and I also tarp up the evap unit on my roof , won't be using it for 6 months it also keeps the dust/dirt out of it making it easier to clean come summertime

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139011#Comment_139011

Well done Shannon, what you're doing is spot on, & for all the reasons that you mentioned. Big thumbs up from me, because I shake my head when I drive around, & I see that a lot of households have exposed evaporators in winter. I also wonder if they clean them before using them in summer, which if they don't, could be a health risk.

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141065#Comment_141065

Looking way back, I recall a winter cost saving, that was actually a lot of fun.

Rather than sit in the lounge to watch TV side by side with the heater on, we decided to move our TV into the bedroom.

Why heat the lounge, when we could be cosy watching TV in bed? We made the concession of bringing the remote with us, so that we wouldn't limit our options on entertainment, & amazingly, we discovered that the remote batteries lasted a lot longer than before, & ad breaks were fun. ; )

Isobel

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/142607#Comment_142607

Just read that approx 40 percent of household energy is used for heating and cooling. Passive design can be a smart way to decrease this. There are lots of great ideas in this article - http://modscape.com.au/blog/creating-sustainable-home-passive-design

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143699#Comment_143699

@Isobel

Love your modscape link, I'm passionate about the concept of passive design, & how it can dramatically slash energy consumption.

I'd love it if new subdivisions were orientated for optimal solar gain, & that there be government incentives to build, implementing passive design & super insulation.

Unfortunately, most builders give little or no thought to passive design.

davehutchy

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144522#Comment_144522

A timer and thermostat on the heater help a lot in keeping the bills down.

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145127#Comment_145127

Just found this interesting Home Insulation site:
http://howtohomeinsulation.com/

Kermit

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145599#Comment_145599

Some good tips and tricks in this video:

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145965#Comment_145965

My intent in this post is to offer guidance, but I'm aware that it may ruffle feathers.

There's been lots of discussion on how to tweak existing homes to conserve energy, or do things smarter, but I think it's even more important that people weigh up potentially higher energy consumption, when planning their renos.

If a reno will bring endless pleasure, & money's not an issue, then by all means go for it.

Unfortunately most people aren't in that position, but energy onsellers aren't selective, they'll happily supply the extra energy to customers that get seduced by consumerism.

If anyone plans to take out an insulated wall (as an example), & open rooms to the outside with expanses of glass, sliding or not, they will pay for the priviledge, & keep paying for it. Even double glazed can't match the R-rating of a well insulated wall.

I urge people to take caution when planning renos, they're costly enough to do as it is, without the extra burden of the ongoing energy charges that aren't going away.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145965#Comment_145965

I hope everyone managed to stay warm over the weekend. It was a really cold one down here in Melbourne.

Feel free to share your tips for how to winter-proof your home.

There's also some great advice in the video below.

Jason

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146261#Comment_146261

@Jason

While I like most of that video, suggesting the double glazed alumimium framed windows from the Bunnings catalogue, doesn't sit well with me.

Aluminium is a good conductor, so for the frame to be thermally insulative/effective, there needs to be an insulation barrier to separate the outside conductive frame, from the inside conductive frame.

As an analogy, it's a bit like using large uninsulated steel beams as the structural framework, then splurging on high R rated walls between them. The uninsulated steel frame, provides an easy path for unwanted heating, or heatloss.

If anyone has small wooden framed windows, forget double glazing, it's not cost effective.

For those with large aluminium windows, I'd highly recommend installing a persplex panel on the interior side of the frame, a small distance apart from the existing glass, making sure that the enclosed air gap is intimately sealed, so that the insulative value of the air gap won't be compromised.

I'm sorry Bunnings if I've put your nose out of joint, but this is a DIY forum, & if you promote expensive sub par products for customers to save money, I will pass on what I know, so that Workshoppers can make an educated decision.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146509#Comment_146509

Thanks for your feedback @Andy_Mann, I will pass it on.

Jason

Isobel

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146261#Comment_146261

The big one from me is to have a few rugs on the couch so I stay warm and cozy when reading or watching TV rather than being tempted to keep putting the heater on higher.

Henno

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146510#Comment_146510

I might be a bit of an obsessive compulsive with this, but if I can save myself cash and help save the planet at the same time, then I'm OK with turning off lights when not in the room, switching off the HWS at the fuse box when we go away for the weekend and switching off my beer fridge every other day. Doing these small things all contribute to making things better for us all.

Isobel

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146510#Comment_146510

This is good news: http://www.domain.com.au/news/solarpowered-tesla-town-coming-to-inner-melbourne-20160721-gq9nbh/

Be great to see it become mandatory that new houses are built with solar panels and battery storage.

This is also great: Within the suburb will be communal charging stations for electric cars and interconnected bike paths.

Brad

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146509#Comment_146509

@Andy_Mann wrote:
@Jason
While I like most of that video, suggesting the double glazed alumimium framed windows from the Bunnings catalogue, doesn't sit well with me.
Aluminium is a good conductor, so for the frame to be thermally insulative/effective, there needs to be an insulation barrier to separate the outside conductive frame, from the inside conductive frame.
As an analogy, it's a bit like using large uninsulated steel beams as the structural framework, then splurging on high R rated walls between them. The uninsulated steel frame, provides an easy path for unwanted heating, or heatloss.
If anyone has small wooden framed windows, forget double glazing, it's not cost effective.
For those with large aluminium windows, I'd highly recommend installing a persplex panel on the interior side of the frame, a small distance apart from the existing glass, making sure that the enclosed air gap is intimately sealed, so that the insulative value of the air gap won't be compromised.
I'm sorry Bunnings if I've put your nose out of joint, but this is a DIY forum, & if you promote expensive sub par products for customers to save money, I will pass on what I know, so that Workshoppers can make an educated decision.

@Andy_Mann

I take it your refering to the Polar window and door range? I have been trying to look into them for the shed, while there is some info on the manufacturers page on windows the design page to order the doors has no info and limited options. Frustrating to the point of having a diy wooden option looking less stressful. With no store in SA having any of the range I can find the poor special orders people are stuck with the same lack of information. I don't see a way around a solid metal window transfering energy through the frame, it is a trade off to keep the gas seal...

Diy double glazing you do have to be careful of condensation in your air gap, humid days are a no no for making your seal and most of the pros use argon gas.

Andy_Mann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146720#Comment_146720

@Brad, I did some digging around after seeing your post about the lack of information regarding the Polar double glazed windows.

Here's their flyer pdf, which doesn't inspire confidence.

They are built to Australian standards, check out the COMPLIANCE section on page 4 of this link:

http://www2.polarwindows.com.au/Polar%20Windows%20Brochure%20Oct12.pdf

Here's the part that I'm referring to, so that there's no ambiguity.

COMPLIANCE

All Polar Eco-View Windows are compliant

to the relevant codes;

•

NCC (National Construction Code)

formally BCA

•

AS2047

•

AS1288, AS2208

•

AS/NZ1170

•

AS3959

All products are independently tested and

certified by NATA approved laboratories

and come with a 6 Year Warranty.

Polar Eco-View Windows are also members

of the AWA (Australian Window Association)

WERS (Window Energy Rating Scheme) and

the HIA (Housing Industry Australia).

End of quote.

The 6 year warranty is pathetic.

Thankfully, I looked elsewhere & came across these guys:

http://www.australianwindowsolutions.com.au/?gclid=CjwKEAjw5cG8BRDQj_CNh9nwxTUSJAAHdX3fQaXlw2Y7eBJgutms29ZeEMvr3kc_JEGk5g2Msiw2URoCDPPw_wcB

Check out the "Double Glazing - Benefits" from the left hand selection menu.

Once there, take particular notice of the conbtents of, "Energy Efficiency". ; )

Enjoy.

Brad

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/146881#Comment_146881

Bookmarked it @Andy_Mann

My main Polar gripe is the lack of technical drawings to know how much width is needed for framing.

They do hide an instalation guide for windows only and not to scale.

http://www2.polarwindows.com.au/help/InstallationGuide.pdf

Anyway I have a somewhat related problem to fix in the laundry before I can work on the shed doors and windows. New post time tomorrow.

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