Most Australian households think it’s not easy to save energy. But this couldn’t be far from the truth. There are many affordable home energy solution out there. Some of them don’t even need any investment. 

With some small changes to heating and cooling, you can reduce your energy costs by a lot. Efficient upgrades in your house appliances can result in significant savings. Smart monitoring systems and energy-efficient appliances are also getting cheaper. 

Due to all this, it’s straightforward to reduce your electricity costs. But like most home energy solutions, the first step is conducting proper research. That’s why we’re here with some affordable home energy solutions that you can use right now. 

1. Introduce efficient cooling and heating techniques

Heating and cooling the household uses up one of the highest percentages of energy. If you’re looking for a powerful home energy solution free of cost, this is it. With these techniques, you can save tons of power and money. 

Instead of using an air conditioner, opt for a ceiling fan. Fans use far less power than a traditional air conditioner. Sure, they may not be as potent, but you won’t notice the difference. Often, households have ACs installed in places they don’t need them. Using a ceiling fan in less-used rooms can help you save a lot. 

When night falls, you can draw up the curtains to better insulate your house. It’s a powerful technique that can help you save a lot on heating. When the temperature starts to drop, your rooms will hold on to more heat. There won’t be as much heat loss. 

2. Use a thermostat

Another excellent home energy solution involves using a thermostat. You can hook one up to all the heating and cooling appliances in your house. With a set target, you can ensure you don’t waste energy using these appliances when you don’t need them. 

These thermostats can record your house temperatures to suggest an optimal target. They will try to reach it with the least amount of energy use as possible. With a programmable thermostat, you can have your heaters and coolers synced up. 

On days when you won’t be home, you can lower the temperature target of the thermostat. This feature can help you save even more by not having your heaters work when there’s no one around. 

3. Buy more efficient kitchen appliances

Next to heaters and coolers, ovens are the most energy-hungry appliances around. An excellent home energy solution should seek to reduce the oven’s energy requirements. Another power hog is the stove. Some types of stoves use much more power than others. 

The appliances we’re talking about are inexpensive. You can opt for a convection oven. These ovens consume far less energy than traditional ovens. But this efficiency doesn’t come at the cost of potency. Convection ovens are as good as most other ovens. 

A microwave oven uses around 50% less power than a traditional oven. For small reheats, these are excellent. You don’t need a fully electric range for these menial tasks. 

If you want to use a more efficient stove, opt for a wood fire or pellet stove. They use less energy than furnaces or gas stoves since their source is more natural. Smart practices like not leaving the stove on for a long time will go hand in hand with these appliances. 

4. Use energy-saving light bulbs 

It’s self-explanatory, but lighting also takes up a lot of power. Having several inefficient light sources can drive up energy costs by a lot. The fees will skyrocket when it’s a large house with outdoor lighting. 

Using incandescent light bulbs is a no-go. They only convert about 10% of the energy they receive into usable light. The rest converts into thermal energy. By comparison, using LED light bulbs ensures much greater efficiency. 

LED light bulbs use 75% less energy and can last much longer than incandescent light bulbs. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to save power, look no further than efficient lighting. Any home energy solution should take advantage of energy-efficient lighting. 

5. Use your appliances in moderation 

I know. It isn’t easy to be aware of our energy use. But if we don’t start now, it can snowball into a big problem. With some small habit changes, we can stand to gain a lot in the long run. 

When you’re not using your computer, please turn it off. Even when idle, the computer electronics draw power from the wall. The same goes for chargers that remain plugged into the socket for long periods. Even when your electronics finish charging, the charges still draw power. Remove the chargers when you’ve finished charging your devices. 

Sometimes, a hairdryer can give you that silky smooth look you want. But hairdryers also consume a lot of energy. Consider using them on the low setting close to your hair to save power. Or on days you don’t need the flashy look, opt for towel drying. 

Even when washing your clothes, you can instead wait to have a lot of laundry piled up. This way, you only have to use the washing machine once. Refrigerators and freezers need more energy to cool when you place them in warm spots. Consider shifting them to a more temperate area in your house. 

With these small practices, you can save a lot of energy both in the short and long run. Home energy solutions with these habits will help you enjoy massive savings.

Conclusion

As you can see, saving energy isn’t difficult at all. Most of the time, we waste energy without even knowing it. That’s why being aware of our consumption habits is crucial. These are small tweaks and shifts to more efficient methods that anyone can do. 

Beyond the enormous energy savings, you can use more renewable sources of energy. Solar panels become more viable, as do solar batteries. Because you aren’t consuming as much, you are also benefiting the environment. And someday, you may even go off the grid and not use any fossil fuels. It’s a bright future out there, and it starts from the comfort of your home.