During winter, I would rather sit on top of heater in a T-shirt than put a jumper on. When it’s five degrees outside, inside my house, it’s like a toaster oven. Warm and delicious.
The thing is, during a global pandemic, when working from home, having a portable fan heater run all-day, plus lights, computers and even cooking appliances, is not conducive to a cheap electricity bill.
For the month of July 2020, my electricity bill was $600 for the month. (Yes, my jaw fell to the floor too). In a household that predominantly only houses just me, this bill not only shocked me but also made me take a good hard look at what I was doing wrong.
It was the kickstart I needed to make some changes that reduced my electricity bill by almost ninety per cent, and for anyone else who saw a huge jump in their bill, here are some tips on how I did it.
Throw out that fan heater
Even though we’re coming into the warmer months, if you’re still working from home in any capacity, you might still be using your heater on and off. If that’s the case, and it’s a cheap portable fan-heater, throw it in the rubbish bin.
They use between 1000 W – 2400 W per hour and cost between $0.30 – $0.70 per hour to use.
I replaced my small heater with a Dyson Pure Hot+Cool, which features a new diffused airflow mode that uses less energy. Not only that, but it is an air purifier and has a “cool” function which I can use during the warmer months without being charged a bomb.
Hang your clothes
I have a combined washer and dryer, and I’m guilty of throwing clothes in the dryer for the easier, more convenient drying solution.
I discovered it uses up to 2790 wattage per hour, not to mention the impact it has on the enviornment.. A $25 clothesline from Woolies looks a lot better than a $600 electricity bill.
Understand star energy ratings
This is something that I never really understood myself until I came face-to-face with having to fork out my life savings.
When you buy a new product, check the energy rating on your appliance. According to Real Estate.com, the Energy Rating Label was first introduced in 1986 and is now mandatory in all Australian states and territories for electrical appliances to carry the label when they are offered for sale.
The star rating gives a comparative assessment of the model’s energy efficiency and secondly.
Turn off what you’re not using
Were you ever that kid that had to repeatedly be told to turn a light off when you left a room? That was me.
According to Mr Electric, after 1,000 hours, a lightbulb can consume 60 kWh of electricity and at $0.11 per kWh, you best turn them off when you don’t need them. This goes for any other appliances that work in the background too.
While my light use was not remotely close to being a large portion of the energy bill, it’s a good place to start to change habits and to save energy.