Keep cost out in the cold

By CHRIS DANIELS consumer reporter

They don't build them like they used to - which is good news, because our nation's older homes don't make the grade when it comes to saving electricity.

The energy services manager for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, Russell Baillie, has first-hand experience.

His home in Sandringham, Auckland, shows how energy can be conserved and how it is wasted.

A stuffed material "snake" stops the winter breeze blowing in under the back door.

In the kitchen a microwave oven and a stove are plugged into the wall, but Mr Baillie says both should be turned off at the wall - because of their clocks. Experts have deduced that 10 per cent of household electricity goes on "standby losses," when appliances are turned off. Turning the television and video off at the wall can save up to $3 each month.

Forty per cent of all household energy costs come from heating hot water. Of that energy, around 15 per cent is lost through poorly insulated pipes and hot water cylinders, said Mr Baillie.

Cheap foam insulation, available from plumbing shops and places such as The Warehouse stores, could easily be put around exposed pipes on the cylinder.

An insulating cylinder-wrap, which looks like a sleeping bag, is around $90 yet can save $50 or so a year by preventing heat escaping.

The temperature of hot water in a house can also easily be changed, saving power instantly.

After the mains switch to the hot water cylinder is turned off, the water temperature on the cylinder can be adjusted down to the recommended 60 degrees.

Lounge windows in Mr Baillie's home come in for special attention. The curtains do not go down to the floor - a sure-fire energy waster.

Mr Baillie has, however, made an effort to keep cold air out of the family lounge by sticking strips of adhesive insulation tape onto the window frames.

But these pointers are just a start, he says, with energy-saving light-bulbs and insulation under the wooden floor all helping to save big dollars on power bills.

Feature: Electricity

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority