9 easy changes to reduce your power bill today

Household electricity prices have increased by 63 per cent on top of inflation over the past decade, according to Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission. On average it was reported that Australians are paying $1,524 for their power each year. Lowering your household energy consumption could reduce your power bill by hundreds of dollars each year.

The less energy you use the more money you save. Here are nine tips to get you started so you can reduce your power bill.

1. Home energy audit

Thinking about how and when you use your energy can drastically slash your power bill.  Consider doing a Home Energy Audit.  There are free audit kits in most capital cities that you can borrow from your local library.

2. Standby power

Ever leave your charger plugged in even when you’re not charging your phone?  Appliances and devices are still using power even when they’re not on.  Switch off appliances at the power point when not in use – standby power contributes up to 10 per cent of your power bill.   

3. Draught-proof

Draught-proof your house – leaks can affect your heating and cooling.  Sealing cracks and gaps to prevent hot or cold air from coming in or out, is a cheap way to save energy.  It could be simple things like buying a couple of draught stoppers, which are about $10-20 each.

4. Power hungry appliances

Use your power hungry appliances during off-peak times and speak to your electricity company about changing to a Time-Of-Use plan. Smart monitoring technology like Reposit First can monitor your family’s overall energy usage giving you better control over your energy savings.

5. Curtains or blinds

Use curtains or blinds to keep the cold in and the heat out – heavy curtains and blockout blinds are a great way to stop the heat from the summer sun getting in.  Keep curtains and blinds closed throughout the day.

6. Air conditioner

Keep your air conditioner maintained and clean.  Check and regularly clean your air filter monthly. You’ll probably find you need to change it every 3 months, and don’t forget to check the outside condenser.  A dirty air conditioner works harder than normal, using more energy – which costs you more.  Your air conditioner will also last longer if it's clean and maintained often.

7. Washing machine

Use the cold cycle on your washing machine – washing your clothes in cold water can save you $115 a year.  Most machines will use the same energy for a half load as they do for a full load, so try using it when you have a full load.  Front loaders use less water and detergent and are more energy efficient than top loaders.  If buying a new washing machine is not in the foreseeable future use your cold cycle and try the fast wash option when you can.

8. Solar panels

Go solar, use our beautiful Australian sun to your advantage.  Add Reposit First to see when your panels generate enough energy to use your biggest power hungry appliances. It predicts your electricity usage and solar generation 24 hours in advance.  You can use these forecasts to recognise times when you have excess energy or when you should try to reduce your energy consumption to lower your bill.

9. Solar battery

Already have solar?  Consider investing in a solar battery  - Smart solar batteries, such as Reposit, let you use energy the way you want while still lowering your power bill.  Working with your solar panels, a smart solar battery system can predict how much electricity your panels will create, and will know when to store this in your battery to lower your power bills

Some electricity plans charge different prices at different times throughout the day for using energy.  A smart solar battery, will store the electricity generated from your solar panels in your battery for you to use at night when electricity is most expensive.

When your solar battery is full and your solar panels are producing more energy than your household is using, any energy you use at home during this time is practically free!

Find out more about Reposit Powered solar battery setups or get in touch to find out how you can capitalise on your investment, save energy and lower your bills.