Embrace Energy Efficiency

How to do it now!

Nine easy-to-do actions will save tonnes of CO2 going into the atmosphere and save you a lot of money.

1. Install insulation in ceiling, floor and walls. The heating and cooling requirements of your house are reduced dramatically if the house is well insulated. By installing high R-value insulation bats, foil and other products you can maintain a constant temperature in your home and reduce your heating/cooling bills. In addition, sealing up all those leaks around the house will help keep the cool out in winter, heat out in summer and save you money too.
2. Install compact fluorescent globes or LED lights (light emitting diodes). Compact fluorescent globes use approximately one fifth the energy of incandescent globes (generating only one-fifth as much greenhouse gas as ordinary globes), produce the same amount of light and can last up to 10 times longer. While compact fluorescent globes cost a little more, you’ll make up the cost and more through their longer lifespan and reductions to your energy bill.
   
   LED lights are becoming more readily available. LED lights are extremely energy efficient and long lasting. LED lights create less heat than traditional lights which means they last significantly longer; around 50 times longer than incandescent or 5 times longer than compact fluorescents. LED Lights are a relatively new technology and can help you save up to 90 per cent on your lighting costs. There are alternatives for every type of light - incandescent, downlights and outdoor lighting. LEDs are also completely non-toxic containing no mercury. They are significantly more expensive than compact fluorescents but the technology is advancing very quickly and prices are coming down.
   
   Incandescent light globes are currently being phased out and should no longer be sold.
3. Shift to double-pane windows. Although it can be expensive, double-pane windows will create big savings on your energy bill especially during the cold and hot months of the year. In addition to double panes, energy efficient features to look for on windows include tinted glass coatings, low-emissivity (low-e) coatings, and multiple layers of glazing.
4. Block the summer heat. Install blinds and sun shades or plant deciduous trees to prevent the summer heat from over-heating your house.
5. Circulate air. Install ceiling fans for cooling in summer and circulating rising heat in winter, and decommission your air-conditioner.
6. Rug up in winter. Turn your heating thermostat down a couple of degrees (say to 20°Celsius) and wear a jumper in winter. Every degree over 22°C adds about 10 per cent to your heating bill!
7. Wash in cold water. Cold water washing is effective and power efficient. You will save power and money by washing in cold water.
8. Let nature work for you. Use your clothes line rather than the clothes dryer.
9. Turn off the power. Switch off appliances and electrical equipment at the power point and greatly reduce your household carbon pollution and power bills. Many hardware stores now sell powerboards, which have a remote control on-off switch, so you can now turn off the stand-by power of systems without having to climb under the TV or sound system.

Another reason to improve energy efficiency and increase your homes sales price. In 2007, the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) commissioned a statistical report, Energy Efficiency Rating and House Price in the ACT, modelling the relationship between the energy efficiency rating (EER) of houses and house prices in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The report found that a statistically significant relationship does exist, meaning if a house has a higher EER than another house (all things being equal), the house with the higher EER will command a higher price.

Check our rebates page for rebates relating to energy efficiency.

Why this action is important?

Science is telling us that we need to live more sustainably – more in tune with nature. In order for humans to establish a sustainable civilisation we must mimic and aspire to the efficiencies found in nature. This action is intended to engage people to understand the effect of their behaviour in terms of their long term returns (financial, environmental and intergenerational). Through our actions, we will better understand that living sustainably does not mean living in a cold, dark place, but merely making a few simple changes to our daily lives.