How to Minimise Your Electricity Bill
By HOUSPECT Building and Pest Inspections|February 27, 2019
It has reached that time of year where the electricity bill starts playing on the minds of all homeowners and in particular for those that live in South Australia. If you want to stay cool but don’t like the idea of having to pay over the odds for that comfort, there are ways to have the best of both worlds and minimise your electricity bill.
Windows are your Greatest Weapons
Window coverings are a real money saver when it comes to keeping the heat out. At the height of the day, when the sun is at its strongest, take advantage of window coverings to block out the rays and heat. This is especially important for south or west facing rooms which will soak up a large amount of heat during the daylight hours. Thermal curtains and shades are also a great investment if you live in South Australia.
Full of Hot Air
Is your home full of hot air? One, or many likely culprits combined could be responsible for allowing hot air to leak into your property. A little maintenance involving looking for draughts around windows, door frames and crawl spaces is the first place to start. Better still, you can contact your utility company to find out if they provide an energy efficiency assessment. This typically involves locating the places where you are wasting money and making maintenance recommendations designed to save on energy costs.
Check your Insulation
To minimise your electricity bill Insulation is absolutely necessary in the South Australian homes all year round. Homeowners are advised to ensure that walls and attics are properly insulated to block out unwanted heat. If your home is not properly insulated, the air con is left to deal with all the extra heat that is penetrating through your roof and walls unchallenged. Most insulation contractors use modern thermal imaging devices to demonstrate where heat is entering the property and becoming trapped.
Managing your Air Con
Heat moves from a hotter area to a cooler one, which means you need a fair balance when running your air con to achieve maximum efficiency. Setting an air con thermostat to around 78 during the day is good practice, so long as you remember to either set it lower in the evening or program the thermostat to adjust on its own. While this means the thermostat is running longer, you won’t have to run it the entire day to keep your home feeling comfortable.
Minimise Your Electricity Bill with the Utility Company Services
You have likely never considered the possibility that your utility company provides a full range of services, some of which involve helping customers improve energy efficiency. Get on the phone and speak to your utility company. Find out about services such as inspections and maintenance that will help you improve the energy efficiency in your home. Some of the recommendations you receive are going to involve upfront costs but you will see savings over the long term.
Ceiling Fan Efficiency
If you are going to use ceiling fans, use them efficiently. A ceiling fan should run counter-clockwise in order to pull cold air up from the ground and distribute around a room. This may take some discipline from the entire family, but make sure that you do not leave ceiling fans running in a room that is not in use. Staying cool often means being diligent about how and where you use energy, so get into the habit of turning ceiling fans off when they aren’t needed to bring down your electricity bills.
Some of the changes you make to minimise your electricity bill may involve renovations. Houspect can provide detailed and accurate building inspections to South Australia homeowners. Call your local offices today to learn more.
Windows are your Greatest Weapons
Window coverings are a real money saver when it comes to keeping the heat out. At the height of the day, when the sun is at its strongest, take advantage of window coverings to block out the rays and heat. This is especially important for south or west facing rooms which will soak up a large amount of heat during the daylight hours. Thermal curtains and shades are also a great investment if you live in South Australia.
Full of Hot Air
Is your home full of hot air? One, or many likely culprits combined could be responsible for allowing hot air to leak into your property. A little maintenance involving looking for draughts around windows, door frames and crawl spaces is the first place to start. Better still, you can contact your utility company to find out if they provide an energy efficiency assessment. This typically involves locating the places where you are wasting money and making maintenance recommendations designed to save on energy costs.
Check your Insulation
To minimise your electricity bill Insulation is absolutely necessary in the South Australian homes all year round. Homeowners are advised to ensure that walls and attics are properly insulated to block out unwanted heat. If your home is not properly insulated, the air con is left to deal with all the extra heat that is penetrating through your roof and walls unchallenged. Most insulation contractors use modern thermal imaging devices to demonstrate where heat is entering the property and becoming trapped.
Managing your Air Con
Heat moves from a hotter area to a cooler one, which means you need a fair balance when running your air con to achieve maximum efficiency. Setting an air con thermostat to around 78 during the day is good practice, so long as you remember to either set it lower in the evening or program the thermostat to adjust on its own. While this means the thermostat is running longer, you won’t have to run it the entire day to keep your home feeling comfortable.
Minimise Your Electricity Bill with the Utility Company Services
You have likely never considered the possibility that your utility company provides a full range of services, some of which involve helping customers improve energy efficiency. Get on the phone and speak to your utility company. Find out about services such as inspections and maintenance that will help you improve the energy efficiency in your home. Some of the recommendations you receive are going to involve upfront costs but you will see savings over the long term.
Ceiling Fan Efficiency
If you are going to use ceiling fans, use them efficiently. A ceiling fan should run counter-clockwise in order to pull cold air up from the ground and distribute around a room. This may take some discipline from the entire family, but make sure that you do not leave ceiling fans running in a room that is not in use. Staying cool often means being diligent about how and where you use energy, so get into the habit of turning ceiling fans off when they aren’t needed to bring down your electricity bills.
Some of the changes you make to minimise your electricity bill may involve renovations. Houspect can provide detailed and accurate building inspections to South Australia homeowners. Call your local offices today to learn more.
