Energy Saving Tips For Your Home in 2022

Energy prices in Victoria are set to increase over the course of 2022. This has resulted in many households searching for effective immediate, or long-term systemic ways of reducing energy bills for today to make it through the winter, and for years to come. From reducing shower times to installing ceiling insulation batts, here are a few ways Melbournians can reduce their energy bills in 2022.

Wholesale gas prices have increased 50-fold in Victoria over 2022, requiring the regulator to implement price caps to protect consumers. The AEMO (Australian Energy Market Operator) has set a $400/ GJ market price cap and a $40/GJ administered price cap. Victorians will luckily not be seeing a 40-50x increase in their gas and energy bills this year, instead, ‘customers on the Victorian default offer will be 5% higher, meaning an increase of $61 annually.’

With inflation and cost of living pressures coming into full effect over the winter of 2022, many Victorians are working out whether they can afford to heat their homes or whether they should save money and tolerate the colder temperatures instead. Many older Victorian homes are very poorly designed when it comes to energy efficiency, so here are a few tips that you can implement around your home to save money on those energy bills.

Small things that will add up over time:

Turn off/ unplug appliances that are not being used.

Appliances such as TV’s, gaming consoles, computers, washing machines and dishwashers can suck small amounts of power whenever they are left on standby instead of being properly turned off or shut down. This means consumers are paying for electricity when they aren’t even using the appliance, leading to the nickname ‘vampire appliances.’  Whilst leaving a single appliance on standby for an hour once or twice makes a minimal difference; turning off these appliances consistently can have a significant impact on an annual electricity bill. A Console or washing machine can save ~$15 each per year.

Cold water clothes wash

Save even more money on your washing machine by washing clothes with cold water! Unless your clothing is dirty or you need the water to be warm for a specific reason, you can save a lot of energy by doing cold washes or reducing hot washes to one in every 3 or 4.

Lower heating by one degree

If you like setting your thermostat to 22 degrees, try reducing it to 21, if you like setting it to 17 degrees, try reducing it to 16. Whatever temperature you find usually comfortable, try reducing the temperature simply by one point. This strategy will reduce the energy required to keep your home at the desired temperature – and the drop of one Celsius should barely be noticeable.

Reduce shower times

This one is straightforward. If you are currently having long showers every day, try reducing them to about ~5 minutes to save significantly on your electricity and water bills.

Energy-efficient appliances/ lightbulbs:

Most modern appliances will have an energy efficiency rating sticker on them, appliances with a higher star rating will be more energy-efficient and it may be worth considering selling some of your older appliances for an upgrade if they have poor energy efficiency. Incandescent lightbulbs have been traditionally used in households for the last century, however, they have been phased out for more energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) bulb alternatives. According to energyrating.gov, “replacing an average household full of halogen bulbs with LEDs could save you $253 – per year!”

Seal your house

Unwanted draughts from incorrect or faltering sealing on windows and doors can make your heater work on overdrive to maintain the desired temperature. On a cold day consider searching for where air may be leaking into your house through incorrect sealing and purchase some window/ door seals from your local hardware store.

Insulation

One of the best ways to make your home more energy-efficient over the long term is with high-quality insulation, via the installation of wall and ceiling insulation batts. Modern Victorian homes have specific energy efficiency standards and insulation requirements. However, many older homes prior to the introduction of the 1993 Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme do not have sufficient insulation standards for their local environments. On average, 25% of temperature leakage in a detached home will occur through the roof, this percent will increase for apartments/ units with shared walls- as semi-detached dwellings conserve temperature more effectively. Therefore, it is essential to have good quality ceiling insulation batts installed to reduce temperature leakage through your roof.

Sometimes you must spend money to make money in the long run. Some of these savings will require a bit of upfront cost, such as the installation of ceiling insulation batts, but may end up generating significant long-term savings on your electricity bills, and potentially increase property prices. Do some research and analyse your bills to work out if these investments are worth the upfront cost.

Whilst many of the suggestions on this list you can easily implement yourself; installation of wall and ceiling insulation batts may require some professional help. To learn more about our Melbourne home insulation services fill out our contact form or call us at 03 8339 7111 to get in touch with a member of our insulation essentials team.