How to: Lower the heat and your Energy bill this Summer

Joshua Chadwick By Joshua Chadwick March 11th

Have you ever noticed that your energy bills tend to increase over summer? Have you ever wondered how much electricity you are using in your homes every day? The number one drainage of energy in the average home is from heating and cooling systems.

It can be justified to have the air conditioner running during the hours of a scorching Australian summers day but did you know that you may actually be letting the cool air escape from your house and the hot air sift in? There are plenty of simple and easy ways you can reduce your energy bill while still keeping cool this summer.

Close windows, doors and vents!

If you are going to use your cooling system, be sure to close all windows and doors in your property. Try to limit the amount of rooms you are staying in and close surrounding doors and vents around the house. This keeps the cool air in a smaller space. By doing this, rooms will cool down quicker and you don’t need to keep your air conditioner on for as much time. Keeping vents open in unused rooms is a big waste of energy.

Seal those cracks

A bit of home DIY does not go astray. In addition to doors and windows, cool air can be escaping through cracks and spaces throughout your house. These cracks are often surrounding your windows and doors. Windows and doors will naturally wiggle around in their frames as time goes on, it’s a good idea to go around your home and fill any gaps around window and door frames with insulation.

Clean your AC

The ultimate goal for you in summer is to limit the amount of time you are running your air conditioning for. In addition to that, the lower your temperature is set, the harder your air con has to work and subsequently the more energy you will be using and more you will be charged. It is also important to make sure your AC filter is clean. A dirty air con filter can restrict air flow and thus works harder to pump air around your home.

Turn the lights off

Try to hold out on turning the AC on for as long as you can. Keep lights off and windows covered, light from the sun and artificial light from the light bulbs can radiate heat and cause your house to be hotter (as well as drain energy). It might be a good idea to consider planting trees around your property, particularly near windows that attract the most sun or even to cover your cooling system. If your cooling system is shaded, it will cool your house more efficiently. I am a huge fan of ceiling fans. Ceiling fans can cool the temperature in the room by 2-3 degrees. The best thing is they only cost about 2 cents per hour to run.

Turn it ALL off

As well as cooling systems, there are other things that can be draining electricity in your home. A lot of people don’t realise this but even when you turn appliances off, they can still be using up electricity. Turn switches off at the wall or even unplug electronics that you are not using. This ensures that your appliances aren’t eating electricity even when they are not in use.

Late night laundry?

You can lower your electricity bill by using electricity during off-peak hours. Use your washing machine/dryer and dishwasher early in the morning or late at night. It is recommended to wait until after 6pm. Electricity suppliers charge less for energy consumed during off-peak hours.

If you need help connecting or changing energy suppliers, give MyConnect a call on 1300 854 478 and we can organise your no lock-in connections with one easy phone call.

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Joshua Chadwick
Joshua Chadwick
SENIOR EDITOR