Using less power is better for your budget and better for our environment.
If your mum or dad were constantly turning off lights around the house, you probably grew up in a home with good energy habits.
But with busy lives and the Territory’s tough conditions, it’s easy to use lots of power without too much thought, at the easy flick of a switch.
The good news is, using less power is better for your budget and better for our environment.
And there are plenty of simple habits we can all learn to keep down our power bills.
If you have solar, it might be programming your pool pump or washing machine to run during the day. We can all benefit from turning appliances off at the wall when not in use, turning air conditioners up one degree, and keeping the fridge door closed as much as possible.
There are many other simple steps we can all take to reduce our power use. Because good energy habits never go out of style.
Easy ways to save energy
Turn your aircon up
Set your thermostat to a temperature that keeps you comfortable in an energy efficient way.
- In hot months, set your aircon to a minimum of 24 °C to stay cool.
- In cool months, keep warm by setting your heating between 18-20 °C
Turn appliances off at the plug
Switch off devices and electrical appliances at the power point when you're not using them.
Devices such as gaming consoles, computers and TVs, still consume power in standby mode. They can account for up to 10% of your power bill!
Wash clothes in cold water
Washing your clothes in warm or hot water can use anywhere between 50% to 85% more energy, depending on whether you’ve got a front or top loader.
Choose cold water, which also helps your clothes look newer for longer.
Run your dishwasher on economy
Select the lowest temperature and shortest program on your dishwasher to save both water and electricity, and only ever run it fully loaded.
Running half loads doubles your water use and electricity costs.
Make the switch to LED globes
A good-quality LED can use around 75% less energy than a halogen light bulb and lasts much longer, so it’s worth making the switch.
Halogen bulbs are generally cheaper to buy, but more expensive to run and need to be replaced more often.
Turn off your spare fridge when you’re not using it
Do you need two fridges all the time? If you can sometimes make do with one, turn off the second one.
And set your fridge between 3 °C and 4 °C and your freezer between -15 °C to -18 °C. Every degree lower uses 5% more energy.
Show your pool pump some love
Regular upkeep can help your pump run more efficiently and use less energy.
Clean your skimmer basket, pool pump and filter, and clear your intake gates of debris. Choose a multi- or variable-speed pump instead of a single-speed one, and run it on a timer.
Don’t rely on your dryer
Even partially drying your clothes before using the dryer can make a difference.
Hang laundry outside or near your fan or air conditioner rather than throwing it in the dryer.
