Reducing your power bill

[Jason]

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

[Aussie-Garden]

A combination of good insulation, lighter coloured Colorbond roof and double glazed windows and sliding doors certainly made a huge impact on out inside temps. We don't use heating at all. Even over the past week of -1 to1 degree nights.

The 10.3kw solar system we had installed last October has been the best move so far. Not sure if we would have done it without the rebate being offered in Victoria. Hope to get a battery for it in the future.

[ryantavan]

I have 2 good solutions for winters. I have designed and 3d printer sealing caps for the cooler ducts. I have put the caps under the air blades. here I have put my very simple designs here 

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3928277 

The other solution which is very effective is to use bubble wrap in a way to be detachable when you want so I used to pieces of duct types in both sides of bubble wrap and then I used eyelet punch purchase here, https://www.bunnings.com.au/trojan-10mm-grommet-tool-kit_p0023181 to make a hole and attach the cover behind all windows. last year I dropped my gas amount $300 per 2 months bills.

  

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @ryantavan.

It's fantastic to have you join us and great to see you jump straight into the conversation with some helpful advice. Do those vent covers just push on or is there a hidden clip system? We look forward to seeing more of your projects from around the house and garden and I trust you'll find plenty of inspiration for them within the community. Please let us know anytime you need assistance with a project or have something to share with the community.

Mitchell

[ryantavan]

Thanks Mitchell, There is no clip or handles except a little handle in the centre of the bottom. it is just a simple design, I think the reason I designed this by 3D printer was only that I had just purchased my 3D printer at that time and I was so excited to make something useful but, it can be built also by just a piece of firm sheet. like https://www.bunnings.com.au/suntuf-600-x-1200-x-3mm-clear-pvc-handisheet_p1010176 and maybe adding a simple knob similar to https://www.bunnings.com.au/prestige-30mm-brushed-nickel-round-knob_p3962355

The idea is very simple, yet super effective because all the heat goes just under the ceiling and the cooling duct is the best way for the heat to escape. 

[Aussie-Garden]

Love those covers @ryantavan.

We make sure we close ours and I have looked at purchasing covers in the past, but the cost for the entire house put me off.

A person I worked with, would use squares of clear contact which I guess would work, but I'm not keen on getting up and cleaning the sticky residue off each vent when it's time to remove them.

You now have me thinking again. Thanks for the inspiration. 

[Prof]

I've just received a power bill for $1129.00 !!!  That was approx. $400.00 more than the power bill for the same time last year !!!

I couldn't believe it..What had caused the bill to increase so much !?

I hadn't even been using my theatre very much..which can consume a bit of electricity..

Thinking on it..the only electrical appliance that had been added from last year was an oil heater..

I had put it in the bedroom to warm up the room on those very cold mornings we've been having..I had it on a timer to come on at 5.00 AM.

.

It turned out that this oil heater is not very efficient and I had to turn the thermostat up to max to get the room even warm!!..

It was only rated at 1500W. but when I checked the electricity usage it was using almost as much as my 7Kw. aircon !!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!

It has now gone into the bin...

If you have this type of oil heater be very wary of just how much electricity it's consuming !!

[MitchellMc]

@Prof,

I've found bar heaters also consume a significant amount of energy versus the amount of heat they output. Our two-person household consistently used the equivalent of a seven-person household according to the graph on our electricity bills. I struggle to comprehend how the seven-person household manages to keep themselves warm, as when we do use the heater it barely takes the chill out of an enclosed loungeroom.

A couple of years ago I installed a small 1.6kw window aircon because I couldn't imagine my wife being pregnant in a weatherboard house with no cooling at all. Oddly enough not only does it cool the loungeroom significantly on the hottest 40 degree days but it keeps the room toasty warm on the coldest ones also. I have not seen a rise in my electricity bill since installing it which has been fantastic. We've gone from around $890 a quarter in winter with the bar heater to $500 with the air-con. 

Mitchell

[Prof]

Hi Mitchell,

"Our two-person household consistently used the equivalent of a seven-person household".. Yes exactly and that's what was shown on my last bill and I'm a single household !!!

At the moment I'm using a small ceramic heater..It warms the room nicely and I only needs to be on for a short time..but I'm planning on putting in a small aircon..like you did..They seem to be the most efficient of all..