In this guide, Canstar Blue reveals 10 simple, effective ways to make your home more energy efficient. Whether you’re renovating, building a brand new home or just keen to ensure your existing home uses energy more efficiently, check out the following ways to reduce energy wastage and potentially cut your energy bills.
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10 ways to make an energy efficient home:
1. Encourage natural ventilation
Ensuring your home has good natural ventilation can mean the difference between an unbearably hot night’s sleep and a cool, fresh home. With correct cross-ventilation, an evening breeze and natural air flow can flush out built-up hot air.
When renovating an existing home or designing a new one, ensure that there are openings opposite one another that will allow air to move freely. If you’re not able to change the positioning of your windows, adding ceiling fans and screened, lockable external doors will help to move stale air out and fresh air in, reducing the need for air conditioning.
Running an air conditioner or portable heating device can increase your power bills.
Check what running heating appliances could really be costing you this winter with Canstar Blue’s winter appliance usage cost guide.
Compare energy deals
Here are some sponsored deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid energy network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3900kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
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11% Less than reference price |
$1,614 Price/year (estimated) |
Go to Site |
Here are some sponsored deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Citipower network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
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10% Less than VDO |
$1,304 Price/year (estimated) |
Go to Site |
Here are some sponsored deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from our referral partners†. These costs are based on the Energex network in Brisbane but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4600kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area and to see other products in our database that may be available. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
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4% Less than reference price |
$1,990 Price/year (estimated) |
Go to Site |
2. Check for draughts
There are many energy-efficiency benefits of draught-proofing your property. Draughts can increase the cost of cooling or heating your homes as chill winds blow in in winter and heat invades in summer.
One of the best ways to locate draughts is to listen for whistling during windy weather, making note of the places that need attention. Other ways to check for draughts include lighting a candle in an enclosed room and watching whether the flame moves with a breeze, and darkening a room and looking for any chinks of light coming through gaps. There are cheap DIY ways to draught-proof a home, such as using a door snake at the bottom of external doors and installing weather stripping and a metal seal with a wiper to external doors.
If you don’t have the time or skill for more difficult draught-proofing projects, contact a professional draught-proofing company. Fireplaces, exhaust fans and roof spaces can all create draughts in homes, which a professional draught-proofer can prevent while not inhibiting their use. It’s important to use a professional too when dealing with ventilation around flueless and open-flued gas heaters, internal open-flued gas water heaters, gas heaters installed in a chimney and ducted heaters. Sustainability Victoria explains that fixed ventilation around these types of heaters is vital for their safe use and recommends asking a licensed gas fitter to advise on dealing with draughts around these appliances.
3. Install efficient appliances and fittings
Most large appliances in Australia are given a clearly displayed energy star rating. Choosing an appliance with a higher energy rating means that appliance uses less energy than comparable appliances to provide the same function and so lower running costs. If you still have old halogen light bulbs, switching to LED bulbs can also reduce energy usage. Similarly, water-efficient showerheads can help cut the amount of hot water your household uses.
4. Check your hot water system
Whether you have a storage or instantaneous (also known as continuous flow) hot water system, the system should be checked every year for leaks. It’s a good idea to schedule professional inspections to prolong the system’s lifespan and ensure its energy efficiency. For more tips, you can read our easy guide on cutting the cost of hot water.
Heat pump water heaters are considerably more energy efficient than electric systems but to maintain your heater’s efficiency, Solar Analytics recommends checking that the drainage lines are clear, replacing the air filters every six to 12 months and ensuring a professional maintenance check is done every two to three years.
If it comes time to replace a hot water system, speak with a professional about energy efficiency and weigh up the long-term costs to decide if a potentially more expensive but more energy efficient hot water system is better for your circumstances than a less expensive, less energy efficient system.
5. Minimise your hot water use
Between the kitchen, laundry and bathroom, water heating requires a lot of energy in the home. According to the Australian Government’s YourHome website, hot water use can account for 23% or more of household energy usage.
The fastest way to save energy on hot water is to use eco settings on dishwashers and washing machines, while also using cold water washes. Scrape dishes, skip handwashing and put the dishes straight into the dishwasher to avoid unnecessary hot water use. Shorten shower use to four minutes or less by brushing teeth at the sink with the water off while brushing, and turning shower off while shampooing or shaving.
6. Shade your home appropriately
A simple way to reduce heat absorption in the home is to provide proper shade to windows and outdoor areas. Adding wide verandahs will provide shade in summer, while still allowing the winter sun to stream inside. Retractable blinds and awnings provide shade to protect windows from sunlight, while allowing the light to enter in the evening and cooler months once retracted. Other ways to add shade include outdoor sails and large deciduous trees that provide shade in the summer and lose their leaves for the winter sun.
7. Invest in solar panels
While installing solar panels itself won’t change the energy efficiency of your home, it will mean that you are covering more of your energy needs with ‘free’ energy from the sun instead of costly grid electricity.
According to Sustainability Victoria, 30-50% of the energy generated by a photovoltaic solar system will typically be used in the home, with 50-70% exported to the grid. Not only can solar panels help make your home more energy-efficient, it can also be fairly cost-effective in the long run. Government rebates and competitive feed-in tariffs (FiTs), combined with the right number of solar panels and potentially a battery storage system can help cut your energy bills.
While your initial investment on a solar system will likely be several thousand dollars, you can determine how long those savings on grid electricity will take to repay that investment using a payback calculator.
8. Insulate your property
Insulation is one of the most important elements of home energy efficiency. Insulation can be added to existing homes as well as making up part of a new build or during a renovation. Correctly insulating ceilings and walls reduces the amount of heat entering the home in summer and keeps warmth in during the cooler months. Installing wall insulation may be something to tackle if renovating because the internal plasterboard has to be removed for the installation to be fitted into the wall cavity. However, installing ceiling insulation can be done without ripping out the ceiling, so it is an option even when not renovating.
There are online DIY guides on property insulation for those with the appropriate skill set, otherwise consult a professional insulator.
9. Consider double-glazed windows
Double-glazing is not only suitable for cold climates. Windows can be an energy drain by making your cooling and heating appliances work harder because heat travels straight through a single pane of glass. Double-glazing stops the heat flow, reflecting it inside in winter and outside in summer.
Double-glazed windows are made with two panes of glass with an air gap between them. New technology has taken energy-efficient glass one step further too, with thermal glazing. Thermal glazing incorporates double-glazing with a transparent coating for even better reflection of heat. Thermal glazing, when combined with double-glazing, can provide superior insulation when compared to standard single glazing.
10. Position your home correctly
Passive design means designing a building while considering the surrounding environment to maximise the use of sunlight and other elements of the local climate, such as wind direction. According to the YourHome website, passive design can help regulate your home’s temperature by using the sun’s heat to warm the home and cooling breezes to ventilate the home. The design of the roof, walls, windows and flow of the spaces inside will all help to create a more energy-efficient home.
While some of these tips require significant building or renovation work, others don’t have to cost the earth. Incorporating the energy efficiency ideas that fit your property and budget tips will help to create a more economical a home.
Compare electricity plans
Home improvements can only improve a home’s energy efficiency so much. Ensure you are paying the best price for energy in your area by comparing plans with Canstar Blue’s free comparison tool below.
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Ausgrid network in Sydney but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 3900kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Citipower network in Melbourne but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the Energex network in Brisbane but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4600kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Here are some of the cheapest published deals from the retailers on our database that include a link to the retailer’s website for further details. These are products from referral partners†. These costs are based on the SA Power network in Adelaide but prices may vary depending on your circumstances. This comparison assumes general energy usage of 4000kWh/year for a residential customer on a single rate tariff. Please use our comparison tool for a specific comparison in your area. Our database may not cover all deals in your area. As always, check all details of any plan directly with the retailer before making a purchase decision.
Image credits: William Potter/Shutterstock.com
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