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How to reduce your energy usage

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How to reduce your energy usage

Boiling water in kettle

Reduce your electricity usage and save money

Appliances and equipment account for 33% of the average home’s energy use. We have listed some excellent hints and tips on how to manage and use your appliances to ensure you can reduce your energy usage.

Kitchen appliance smart energy usage 

Dry with a dish rack, not the dishwasher! Use the eco setting on your dishwasher and lightly dry with a tea towel, or allow your dishes to drain naturally. 

Food safety recommends your fridge is set between 3°C and 5°C. Every degree cooler uses 5% more energy or an additional estimated $5 per degree per year. 

Locate fridges and freezers in cool areas (away from hot garages, sheds or verandas) and out of direct sunlight to reduce their electricity use. 

Avoid overloading your fridge and freezer – leave about 20% free space around your food for air circulation.

If you have extra space fridge or freezer you can put bottles of water in there to take up the empty space, this helps keep the fridge or freezer cooler when the door is open

Check your fridge has a tight door seal. If a piece of paper sandwiched between the seal and the door stays in place your seals are okay. 

Use a microwave instead of your stove or oven to reheat your food. This will cut energy use and save time. 

Using a toaster instead of your electric grill to toast bread uses about 75% less energy. 

Only fill your kettle with cold water and only the amount you need. 

Use your kettle instead of the stove to boil water. Transfer the boiled water to your pot and then turn on the stovetop to cook food.  

Switch off your spare fridge or freezer if you are not using it, especially as we are in winter and not entertaining quite so much.  

Loungeroom  

A large-screen TV (used 7 hours a day) can use more energy than a family-sized fridge. Try to reduce viewing hours and ensure it is turned off at the wall when not in use. 

Newer TVs come with ECO viewing options. Explore your settings and turn off the ‘quick start’ option and ‘movie mode’ as they use extra power. 

If you have more than one TV, use the smaller one for everyday viewing – like the news. Better yet, use an ipad or small device to watch TV.  

General  

Invest in a power board to easily turn off hard-to-reach switches. Power boards with multiple switches allow more control. Unplug extra appliances like DVD players. 

Disconnect chargers from the wall and only plug in when your device needs to be recharged. This saves energy and extends the life of your devices. 

Stop vampire power in its tracks – switch off all appliances at the wall and cut your electricity use by up to 10%. 

Did you know that generally, a laptop computer uses less energy than a desktop? Regardless of which you use, try to get in the habit of shutting down and unplugging your computer whenever you’re not using it. 

Do you live in Hornsby, the North Shore, Wahroonga, Turramurra, St Ives, Pymble, Asquith, Pennant Hills and surrounds and need a local electrician you can trust? Give us a call today on 9477 2550.