Electricity and gas costs form a large part of household bills. You may feel you don’t have much control over these costs, but you have the power to reduce your bills. Individual behaviour and the choices we make have a bigger impact on our bills than most of us think.
What you can do
Our Reduce your energy bills guide will give you an idea of how much you can save and what impact you can have as well as an understanding of what’s behind rising energy prices and the key factors impacting your energy bills. There are some easy, practical and realistic steps you can take to help cut your bills and reduce energy consumption. You don’t have to do them all - initiating even a few changes can make a difference. The more you do, the more you can save.
Some actions don’t cost anything and you can start doing them today - like turning appliances off at the power point, not leaving laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily, taking shorter showers, and using a ‘solar’ clothes dryer (a clothes line or rack).
Others you can do when you need to upgrade appliances - like comparing the Energy Rating Labels of different appliances before you buy, or when you are building or renovating.
Some require an investment, like installing solar power, but there is a range of government assistance that can help with these.
Lighting
You could save up to 50 per cent of the energy used for lighting by making smarter lighting choices and using more efficient technologies. For useful advice on reducing energy costs in your home, see our information on installing energy-efficient lighting and using lights efficiently.
Heating and cooling
Heating and cooling makes up around 38 per cent of the average household’s energy use. See Improve heating and cooling, Draught-proof your home and Improve window efficiency for suggestions on how you can stay comfortable all year round - with reduced energy costs. This can have a really significant impact on your power bill.
Appliances
Appliances can account for up to 30 per cent of your home energy use. As our reliance on electrical appliances increases and energy prices go up, selecting energy-efficient appliances becomes more important. It’s not enough to purchase energy-efficient appliances - it’s also important to use them efficiently so that you’re not wasting energy - and paying the price.
Hot water
The cost of heating water forms a significant portion of most families’ energy bills. This can be about a quarter of total energy costs, so it’s important to use an efficient system that suits your needs. Reducing the amount of hot water you use will have a big impact on your bill, whether it’s by choosing a more efficient hot water system, using appliances efficiently or using water efficiently.
Renewable energy
One way to reduce your energy bills is to generate your own energy at home by installing solar power. You may be able to access government assistance to help with the upfront costs; and may even be able to sell your excess energy to your electricity provider.
