Money Saving FAQ

All the questions that you have about electricity saving and money saving at home are answered here

I want to start energy saving at home. What everyday tips can you give me?
There are plenty of simple measures you can carry out at home to help you save energy. Take a look at our Electricity saving tips or cut your electricity bill pages for a list of easy-to-implement ideas.

Should I implement energy saving measures at work?
It is certainly a good idea to start saving energy in the workplace as well as at home. A 20% decrease in energy bills can be the equivalent of a 5% sales increase in terms of the bottom line.

Is it expensive to start energy saving?
Many energy saving measures are completely free so you don’t have to spend anything to start saving energy and money! Measures such as fitting roof insulation will obviously cost money but the savings can make it worthwhile.

What kinds of energy saving products are available?
There are many energy saving products now on the market which are worth looking into as they can result in significant savings. Visit our other green products page where you will find a list of energy saving products and books.

Does Turning Down My Thermostat By a Degree or Two Really Make That Much of a Difference?
Turning the temperature down by just one degree C could help you reduce your heating bills by as much as 10%.

If I Change to Low Energy Light Bulbs, How Much Will I Really Save?
It depends a bit on what sort of light bulbs you’re using at present and how much you have the lights on, but as a general guide, each one should save you $6 or $10 a year – and if you’re changing from high wattage conventional bulbs or you use your lights for more than a few hours daily, the saving could be around double that.
Another big bonus is that they live for anything up to ten times longer too!

Switching Lights on and off Uses More Energy than leaving them on, doesn’t it?
No, not really. Low energy bulbs do use more power when they come on, but it’s only equivalent to a minute or two of actual running time. Switching them on, off and back on again in quick succession may shorten their lives – but if you’re going to be away for more than a quarter of an hour or so, turning them off is the best thing to do.

Can I Really Make Savings if I Stop Using “Standby”?
Yes, you most certainly can – especially when you consider that, according to the latest figures, about 10% of the average household’s electricity is used to keep appliances on “standby”.

What are the Simplest Ways to Start Saving Energy?
As well as turning down the heating, changing your bulbs, switching off unused lights and stopping relying on “standby”, there are a number of simple, cheap ways to start making savings.
Making sure your hot water system is properly insulated. It’s a good idea to check the temperature of your water cylinder’s thermostat – 60 degrees C is plenty hot enough. Finally, don’t forget that a dripping tap can waste enough hot water each month to fill up two baths – so fixing a worn washer makes a lot of sense and it’s hardly an expensive job to do!
Spending a few dollars on draught excluders – and then a couple of hours to fix them – is another low cost approach to help cut down your heat losses, though the cheapest way of all to reduce wasted heat is simply remembering to shut your curtains when it begins to go dark.

How can I use my washing machine most efficiently? 
Wash at 30?C as often as you can. Most modern detergents work well at 30°C or 40°C.Washing clothes at 30°C rather than higher temperatures uses around 40% less energy.
Try not to use half-load settings, but wait for a full load instead, and dry clothes outside as often as possible. If you need to tumble dry, adding an extra spin cycle on the washing machine will mean you need to tumble dry for less time - the extra spin uses less energy than running the tumble dryer for the extra time.

Is it more water and energy efficient to use a dishwasher than wash up by hand? 
This depends very much on how you do your washing up, how efficient your dishwasher is, and how you use it. It is possible to wash up by hand efficiently, if you use a bowl and watch how much water you use. However, if you have an efficient machine that you fill to capacity and run on an eco cycle, then this is likely to use less water than washing up by hand a number of times per day, especially if you tend to wash dishes under a running tap.
Question

What percentage of heat is lost through uninsulated walls?
Uninsulated walls can lose as much as 33% of the heat in an uninsulated home. Cavity wall insulation can reduce heat loss through the walls by 40%.
Question
 
What are the best things I can do to save energy in my home? 
Insulation

• Did you know that nearly 50% of the heat lost from an average house is through loft spaces and walls?
• By insulating these areas not only can you reduce your power bills, you can also make your home warmer.
• By installing loft insulation to a depth of at least 270mm (10"), you could save over a third of your heating costs.
  If your home is un-insulated, up to a third of your heat can be lost through the walls alone.
• Insulating cavity walls provides one of the biggest energy savings in the home, significantly reducing heat loss through the walls and saving around $300 a year.

Heating

• Replacing a 15 year old boiler could save you a third on your heating bills.
  By upgrading your heating controls, you will improve the efficiency of your heating system and can cut heating costs by up to 17%.

Windows

• Around 20% of the heat lost from an average home occurs through the windows. By fitting double glazed low emissivity with integral draught sealing this can be reduced by more than half.
• Replacing the single glazing in a typical 3-bed semi-detached house with low-e double-glazing can save around $300 year.

Want to know more? Take a look at Home electricity saving tips page

You have more unanswered questions? check our other FAQ pages