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Household appliances

Sep 9

3 min read

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Whether you’re renting short term or long term, there are lots of simple, inexpensive things you can do to reduce energy and water use and save hundreds of dollars over the course of year without sacrificing comfort or lifestyle. Energy efficiency is all about using less energy to provide the same level of performance, comfort and convenience.

Household appliances account for up to 30% of your home energy use, so the type of appliances you choose and the way you use them makes a big difference to your energy consumption and bills. If you’re shopping for a new appliance, consider purchasing an energy-efficient model. Around 40% of home energy use goes to heating and cooling. In winter, consider setting your heating thermostats to 18–20°C. In summer, try setting your cooling thermostats to 25–27°C. Setting the thermostat to even 1°C higher (or lower) can reduce the energy used to heat and cool your home by 5 to 10%. When you’ve got the air conditioner or heater on, close off the rooms you’re not using by shutting internal doors. By draught-proofing your home and stopping heated and cooled air leaking out through gaps and cracks, you could reduce your energy bill by up to 25%. Try a sand-filled fabric draught stopper (like a long ‘snake’) to prevent air escaping under doors and use weather seals for windows, floorboards, skirting boards, skylights and cornices. Check with your landlord before fitting any weather seals.

Ceiling and pedestal fans cost around one cent per hour of operation and produce far fewer greenhouse gases than air-conditioners. Fans help to circulate air and can be used to improve the effectiveness of air cooling systems as well as to circulate hot air and improve your heating efficiency in winter. Around 12% of home energy use goes towards lighting. By switching to energy-efficient lighting and using lights efficiently you could halve your lighting costs. Replacing old-style incandescent globes with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light emitting diodes (LEDs) is an effective way to save on energy costs. CFLs use around 20% of the energy of an incandescent light globe and can last between 4 and 10 times longer. Many appliances and gadgets, such as phone chargers, game consoles, microwave ovens and stereos continue to draw power when not in use. This standby power can account for 10% of your household electricity use. By switching appliances and gadgets off at the wall when you’re finished with them you’ll cut both your energy use and your bills. If it’s got a little standby light or a clock—it’s using power.

The optimal temperature for your fridge is between 3 and 5°C; or between minus 15 and minus 18°C for your freezer. Every degree lower requires 5% more energy. Improve the efficiency of your fridge and freezer by removing any frost build-up in the freezer and leaving a gap of 5–8 centimetres around them for ventilation. If you have a second fridge for entertaining, only turn it on when you need it.

When machine washing, save energy and water by using cold water, and the shortest cycle possible, adjusting your water level to suit the size of the load and waiting till you have enough clothes for a full load. Dry clothes on the clothesline instead of in an electric clothes dryer—it’s cost free.

When buying a new appliance or fixture, consider a water-efficient model. A tap leaking at the rate of one drip per second wastes more than 12,000 litres of water a year. Save water by fixing any leaking taps as soon as possible. You can reduce your water use by installing aerators. Aerators limit water flow and can be fitted to the inside or outside of taps. If you have old inefficient showerheads, trying asking your landlord to replace them with water-efficient models as these use around one-third of the water and could save more than $160 a year on energy and water bills. When using a dual-flush toilet, opt for the half-flush where appropriate. If your landlord is replacing a single-flush toilet, consider suggesting a water-efficient dual flush model as it could save 55 litres per person daily. If this isn’t an option, you could buy a water displacement device or use a plastic bottle filled with water in the cistern to reduce its water capacity. A traditional green lawn can use up to 90% of your gardening water. You can reduce this by setting your mower to cut at 4 centimetres or higher. You can also reduce your garden water use by improving watering practices and choosing water-efficient products.

There is a range of government rebates and assistance available to property owners for making sustainable improvements. Many property improvements, as well as repairs and maintenance, are tax deductible

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