You May be Surprised.

In the average Hunter home hot water and heating and cooling systems account for up to 60% of energy usage. That's a lot of energy!

Let's look at Energy Usage around the Home and some Simple Ways to Save

HOT WATER (37%)

  • Hot water can account for up to a third of a household's annual energy usage. Installing a low flow shower head and taking shorter showers can reduce your energy costs by up to $100 a year.
  • Switching from an electric hot water system to gas, solar or heat pump can reduce greenhouse emissions* by up to 75%, which is the equivalent to leaving a small car at home for almost a year.

HEATING & COOLING (22%)

  • Gas heating emits only a third of the greenhouse gas emissions* of electric heating and has lower running costs
  • Avoid over heating or over cooling your home. Set your room temperature to a comfortable 23-26 degrees in summer and 18-21 degrees in winter. Setting colder or warmer by one degree can increase energy use by up to 10%.

LIGHTS (9%)

When buying new light globes, make sure you opt for CFL* (energy efficient) light globes as they are 80% cheaper to run and last up to fifteen times longer than incandescent globes. You can now find a wide range of sizes and styles to suit different light fittings.

KITCHEN APPLIANCES(9%)

A half full dishwasher uses the same amount of energy as a full one, so wait until you have a full load before starting.

REFRIGERATION (7%)

Fridges run all day so are large consumers of electricity. Running an old, second hand fridge can cost over $200 a year. Consider getting rid of it or switching it off when not in use (leaving door slightly ajar).

LIFESTYLE APPLIANCES (4%) & STANDBY (6%)

Appliances left in standby mode are using power and can add up to 10% of household energy consumption. Make sure you turn off appliances like your TV, computer and printer when not in use.

WASHING & DRYING (3%)

  • washing your clothes in cold water can reduce energy use by up to 80% when compared to a warm wash load
  • front loading washing machines use less water than top loaders, which means that on a warm wash they use less energy.

Consider an Electricity Monitoring Device

One of the best ways to manage your energy consumption is to measure it. You may well be surprised by how much energy you use – when and where. There are a range of devices available in the market that can either be wired into your switchboard or simply monitor the consumption of individual appliances. You can borrow these energy monitoring devices from your local library thanks to a program being run by Hunter Councils. Contact your local library for more information on the "Focus on Energy Reduction" program and the Power Usage Meter Kit.

We can all make a difference - big or small. Little changes in our usage and behaviour can have a significant impact on the environment.

Please refer to the Together Today Glossary for more details

Useful Links

Visit http://www.eco-button.com/aus/A2.1.home.htm for more information