Brrrr! Feeling the cold winter snap?
Energy saving tips
We reckon that you should be on the fairest power deal, full stop. It shouldn’t be up to you to save energy to make a regular bill affordable. That said, there just isn’t a way around the fact that winter = more power use = higher bills. So, it’s always worthwhile having some energy savings tips up your sleeve to help you make it through with no crazy surprises.
How energy hungry are different appliances?
Our appliances make up a big part of our bills. Hot water cylinders make up 28% of all power bills (according to EECA)! That’s some serious power hunger. But different appliances have a different impact on your bill, so knowing how much each appliance costs can help you save some mullah.
LED bulbs are worth their weight in gold
Nervous about the long winter nights eating into your lighting budget? Energy efficient lightbulbs can slash 80% of a household’s lighting costs - around $400 per year, or 20% of the average household’s total electricity cost!
LED bulbs also have an estimated 10 year life so the savings really add up over time.
Just changing a few bulbs in the house can make all the difference - read more over on the EECA energy efficent light bulbs tool here.
Cooktop or slow cooker? Make a stew to suit you
Cooktops are some of the most power hungry units - they use on average 1.7 units of power per half hour. That's nothing to scoff at! The good news is that you've got alternatives - the humble slow cooker.
A slow cooker uses on average a teeny tiny 0.043 units of power every half hour. To put that in perspectve, you'd need to use it for a whopping 19 hours to match the cooktop's half hour. Considering that most slow cooker recipies are around 6-8 hours - baby, you got a stew going.
Holy hecker, heat pump over heater any day!
We all know that the basic heaters are a bit of a money-sink: the average fan heater is 1.2 units every half hour. That's why, if you have the choice, use your heat pump! For that same half hour, you'll only use 0.5 units of power!
You can read more about heat pumps, and what yours might cost, over on the EECA website.
Drip dry or tumble dry? Drip, drip, drip.
The clothes dryer. While it makes all those sheets feel warm, it can be a bit of a sink on the bill. Sitting an average 0.875 units per half hour, and typically taking 1-2 hours to run, it can start to stack up!
Instead, why not give the good old fashioned washing line a spin? Get the washing machine running overnight, and hang it up bright and early in the morning! By the time you come home for your stew, those sheets will be crisp and clean.
We're here to help
If you have any questions about your power bill or spot prices, give us a call on 0800 435 425 or fill out our contact form - we're happy to help.
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And while you wait, why not check out a few blogs about the winter bills, like Not your usual tips to save on power this winter