Cutting your home bills can be easy, gratifying - and good for the planet. Photo / Getty Images
Cutting your home bills can be easy, gratifying - and good for the planet. Photo / Getty Images
Investing in eco-friendly and efficient appliances in your home will wreak havoc on your power bills.
On average Kiwis spend $2000 a year on electricity. This is a meaty chunk out of anyone's budget. What's more, as we continue to use more electronics, we are spending more money every day on powering up our homes.
But cutting your home energy bills can be easy - not to mention gratifying. What's more, adopting energy efficient behaviours doesn't mean you have to go back to the Stone Age either.
We've itemised energy consumption to take you on a step-by-step journey of how to increase energy efficiencies and to get more money in your back pocket.
• Conventional electric hot water cylinders: Often poorly insulated, these are inefficient. Older, smaller (<180litres) and low pressure cylinders are particularly bad offenders.
Better
• Instant electric water heaters: Heat water on demand where it is used, eliminating loss from storage cylinders and pipes.
• Gas hot water storage systems: More efficient than electric cylinders and not affected by power cuts. Gas-on-demand systems are even more efficient.
• Solar: Solar has high installation costs, but low running costs. Free hot water when the sun is shining, but you have to revert to the traditional hot water cylinder when it's not.
Best
• Heat pump water heaters: Moderate installation cost. Three to four times more efficient than electric water cylinders. Can knock 66% off your hot water bill.
Before looking at upgrading, insulate well and you'll need a smaller heating system.
Poor
• Electrical heaters: Examples include panel heaters and oil-filled column heaters. The most expensive way to heat.
• Open fires: Inefficient - most of the heat goes up the chimney.
Better
• Heat pumps: At 13-18 cents / kWh, heat pumps are efficient and a good replacement for electric heaters.
Best
• Solar: Passive solar heating is the cheapest way to heat your home. Flooring materials such as concrete slabs and tiles absorb heat from the sun, and release that heat during the evening.
• Wood burners: A range of highly efficient models are available. The cheapest heater to run and carbon neutral. Can also be combined with a wetback to provide hot water heating.
• Pellet burners: Efficient, carbon neutral.
Photo / Supplied
Electronics (Household Energy Consumption: 18% and growing)
Poor
• Leaving electronics on standby and old models without Energy Star or efficiency rating.
Better
• Products with low standby electricity consumption (turning them off is best).
• Compare and choose models with good energy ratings labels. The higher the stars, the more energy efficient the appliance. All energy rated products display annual energy consumption figure in kilowatt hours (kWh).
Best
• Appliances with the blue Energy Star mark are among the top 10% of products in their category.
Photo / Supplied
Refrigeration (Household Energy Consumption: 11%)
Poor
• Old models with poor energy ratings.
Better
• Models with high energy ratings.
Best
• Models with the blue Energy Star label. Fridges can last up to 10-15 years so selecting the most efficient model will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Photo / Getty Images
Lighting (Household Energy Consumption: 8%)
Poor
• Incandescent or tungsten bulbs: Inefficient, converting just 5% of the energy they use into light. The remaining 95% is turned into heat. Short lifespan (1000 hours).
Better
• New generation halogens: Lower wattage and more efficient, new gen halogens will last twice as long as incandescent and are 30% more efficient.
• CFLs (compact fluorescent lights): CFLs use 80% less energy and last between 6,000 and 15,000 hours. Savings can amount to $111 over the life of the bulb.
Best
• LEDs: Five times more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs, and super cheap to run, an LED can last between 50,000 and 100,000 hours.
Photo / Supplied
Cooking (Household Energy Consumption 6%)
Poor
• Conventional flat top or coil electric hobs.
Better
• Ceramic-glass surfaces: Halogen elements deliver heat instantly and respond quickly to temperature changes.
• Gas: Heats food instantly and the lower the BTU output (British Thermal Unit), the more energy-efficient the stove.
Best
• Induction elements: Uses less energy than gas or electric.
This editorial series is made possible with funding from Energy Alternatives. To find out more about energy efficient products visit energyalternatives.co.nz.
