10 ways to save on your electricity bill

How many things are plugged in at your house right now? 10? 20? More?

Apparently, appliances can account for 25% of home energy use and although you may not be aware (I wasn’t), most appliances have a built in standby mode when they are not operating. These appliances use low levels of power that are needlessly hurting the environment and costing you more than you expect each month.

According to the National Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Committee, standby power consumption accounts for up to 10% of household electricity usage.  Standby power costs consumers over $950 million per annum and generates more than 6.5 Million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Ouch.

Most of us (well those that pay the bills) are aware of the impending energy price hike and so today Mamamia contributor Madeleine Babiolakis has prepared a quick guide to saving costs on your electricity bills

Commit these points to memory,  pass them on to your friends and your family and save yourself some cash to buy next year’s Christmas presents.

10 things you need to switch off at the power

While some appliances are impractical to turn off, others are damaging the environment and costing you more each month… and here’s the thing, you’re not even using them.

1. Air conditioner  – Air-conditioners are among the biggest consumers of standby power consumers in the home (2.9 %). Always remember to switch off the power point when the appliance is not being used.

2. Desktop computer – Computers make up 15.7% of total standby power use in the home. The device, even when shut down, consumes a large proportion of household energy.

• Leaving the computer running 24/7 would consume $12.14 per month, or $145.66 per year in electricity
• Even putting your computer on hibernation mode for 16 hours a day cuts the total bill to $4.57 per month. That’s saving an extra $100 a year.

3. Washing machine – New electronic models continue to use power even when switched off.

 

4. Television – Switching your TV off by the remote actually turns the device to standby. Remember to switch off on the actual appliance or by power point when not in use.

• A plasma TV consumes $0.95 per hour of electricity, which is equivalent to $38.89 per month.
• A TV on standby costs you $10.56 per monthly electricity bill, when it’s not even being used.

5. Fax, printer and scanner – These appliances have a high consumption of power on standby. Turn them off at the power point, unless they need to be on to print.

6. Kettle – While you might only have a tea or coffee a day, a kettle that is turned on at the power point produces a significant amount of standby energy. Save the money for a take-away by turning off your kettle off completely.

7. Mobile phone charger – These use unnecessary electricity when plugged in and not charging. Most phones only need to be charged once every few days (excluding the illustrious iPhone).

 

8. Electric toothbrush charger, cordless electric shaver, dustbuster – Turn off the changer when it isn’t required and only use when the appliance is running low on power.

 

9. iPod, stereo, Mp3 speakers – Though it is necessary to charge your iPhone or iPod at night, these appliances are wasting money by being switched off and using standby energy all day.

 

10. Microwave oven – This appliance is plugged in within most family homes 24/7. Turn it off at the power point to save money and energy each month.

Okay so now we know what to switch off but let’s ponder this – if you wanted to change your energy provider for a different one would you know what to do ?  Have you been sucked into a contract that you cannot escape because you don’t know if there is a cheaper alternative ?

Are you confused about energy plans? What are you doing to save on energy bills? If your behaviour has changed, what motivated it, the environment or $$??