Over the past decade, we’ve read and written about a wide range of technologies, techniques, materials, applications and practices that can help you reduce the energy consumption of your household.
Some are widely used, others are still gaining traction, and a few are niche ideas that are only suitable in certain circumstances. And, of course, some cost more to implement than others.
If you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one, there are some that you should consider incorporating. But even if you’re renting or a homeowner who isn’t in a position to do any construction, there are plenty of smaller ideas that you can adopt.
Here’s our list of 40 things we think you should know about, consider, and potentially implement.
Airflow: In summer, open windows and doors when the temperature drops in the evening and overnight to allow the natural flow to push the warmer air out of the house. That’s less warm air your air conditioner needs to cool the next day.
Appliance setting: Use eco settings on your dishwasher, washing machine, dryer and air conditioner, and check that the fridge isn’t too cold (according to the CSIRO, the ideal temperature is 4 degrees for the fridge and -15 to -18 degrees for the freezer).
Behaviour modification: Change your habits. Turn off lights when leaving a room. Don’t switch them on at all when daylight is available. Unplug devices you rarely use. Switch things off at the wall, Decide what you want before you open the fridge door. Have shorter showers. Lower the thermostat by one degree (you won’t even notice the difference). It all adds up.
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV): We’re moving toward solar panels that are integrated into building materials, such as windows and roof tiles. The future is more seamless solar energy generation without sacrificing aesthetics.
Ceiling fans: These are not just to circulate cooler air in warmer weather. Because hot air rises, rooms are warmest up near the ceiling, which is not particularly useful when we tend to live closer to the floor. You need less heat if it’s in the right place.
Computing: The average desktop computer uses around 200 watts of power. The average laptop uses about 80 watts of power.
Cooking: Use a microwave, air fryer, slow cooker, or pressure cooker instead of an oven when possible, as these consume less energy. On the stove, use lids to keep the heat in and reduce cooking time.
Curtains and blinds: Those large expanses of glass can be both good and bad. In winter, you want to get as much warmth from the sun into the house as you can. Curtains open. But when it’s cold and miserable outside if your valuable heat is hitting freezing windows, that’s a big, expensive waste of energy. Thick, heavy curtains closed.
Double glazing: Double-glazed windows have a sealed air gap between the two panes which acts as an extra layer of insulation, reducing the amount of heat escaping (with the added benefit of reducing noise infiltration).
Ducted heat transfer: A ducted heat transfer system in your ceiling circulates heated air from high-traffic areas to cooler parts of the house. It can also redirect the warmer air that accumulates in the roof cavity down into the living spaces.
Efficient water heaters: Heat pump hot water systems extract heat from the surrounding air and consume up to 70% less energy than traditional electric hot water systems while tankless water heaters heat water on demand.
Energy Audit: A professional can assess your home’s energy use and identify areas for improvement.
Energy Star appliances: Many appliances – notably refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers – are rated according to their energy efficiency. The more stars the better.
Energy monitoring systems: If you install a device and/or app that monitors energy usage, you might be surprised how many things you can identify where you can reduce consumption.
High-efficiency HVAC systems: Some heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are significantly more energy efficient than others.
Home battery systems: If you have a rooftop solar array, it makes sense to store any excess energy generated from your solar panels for later use (also see Zero Hero, below).
Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS): A HEMS provides real-time data on energy consumption, allowing you to track usage and identify areas for improvement. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), these systems are now becoming more autonomous, making the necessary energy-saving adjustments without any human intervention.
Induction cooktops: Induction cooktops use less energy than traditional electric or gas ranges because they heat cookware directly using electromagnetic energy,
Insulation: By adding more effective insulation to attics, walls, and floors, you can reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. There are also advanced insulation materials coming to market, including Aerogel insulation which offers significantly better thermal resistance than traditional materials and Phase Change Materials (PCMs) which absorb and release thermal energy to help maintain a stable indoor temperature.
LED lighting: By now, everyone should have got the message to replace old-school incandescent or fluorescent bulbs with LED bulbs that use less electricity and last longer.
Low-flow fixtures: Low-flow taps and showerheads reduce water heating costs. An unrated showerhead uses up to 25 litres per minute while a low-flow one uses just 7 litres per minute. If you haven’t installed a water-efficient showerhead, your money is going down the drain.
Natural light: Maximise daytime light usage to reduce reliance on artificial lighting.
Passive House design: We’re big fans of this building standard that emphasises energy efficiency through design choices such as orientation, airtightness, and natural ventilation. You can read more about it in this article.
Pipe insulation: Insulating your pipes helps prevent heat loss. You could save up to 10% off your heating bill each year by insulating exposed hot water pipes.
Reflective roofing: Using reflective materials or coatings on rooves minimises heat absorption.
Rug up: In winter, wear warmer clothes, put a rug over you (or wear an Oodie) when sitting on the couch, and use thicker bedding. Keep in mind that we lose a lot of body heat from our heads (as well as armpits and groin, just by the way) so a hood or beanie is more than a fashion statement.
Sealing gaps: Weatherstrips and caulking will help seal gaps and cracks around windows, doors, vents, pipes, and the like, to prevent air leaks, particularly the infiltration of cold air in winter, which can significantly compromise the efficiency of your heating.
Self-shading windows: This concept uses sensors and microprocessors to automatically adjust shading based on the amount of available sunlight and the time of day, to ensure proper lighting and comfort. Less heat coming in during summer and more natural warmth when the winter sun is hitting that side of the house both equal lower energy use.
Shade trees: Plant trees and shrubs strategically to provide shade and reduce cooling costs.
Smart appliances: Refrigerators, ovens, and washing machines that can be monitored and controlled remotely, optimising their operation times for off-peak energy usage.
Smart Home automation systems: These systems allow you to control lighting, heating, and appliances through your smartphone or voice commands. And, being an automated system, AI is on its way to do the optimising on your behalf.
Smart lighting: Smart switches and bulbs can be controlled remotely to ensure lights are off when not needed.
Smart meters: Digital meters provide detailed information on energy usage, helping homeowners manage their consumption more effectively.
Smart power boards: Smart power boards (also called power strips) cut off power to devices when they’re not in use.
Smart thermostats: Programmable or smart thermostats optimise your heating and cooling schedules, based on a number of data points.
Solar panels: Nobody in Australia needs an introduction to rooftop photovoltaic arrays, given that our sun-blessed country leads the world in penetration of household solar panels.
Solar water heating: Solar water heating systems provide something like half of your hot water needs, on average. The savings you get will vary throughout the year, with thermal systems providing nearly all your hot water in the summer, but less during the winter months.
Waste heat recovery: Technologies that recover, store, or use waste heat can reduce energy losses and lower final energy demand.
ZEROHERO: If you have a home battery, it makes sense to feed your excess solar back into the grid when it’s worth the most. The simplest way to do that is by setting your battery’s charge and discharge times.
If you can use more power during the day and less during the evening peak, that frees up your excess to go into the grid at that time of greater demand. GloBird Energy’s ZEROHERO plan is designed to give those who can follow that usage and feed-in pattern the best return on investment on their home battery with the least fuss.
Zoned heating and cooling: Implement zoning systems to heat or cool specific areas as needed, so that you’re not wasting energy heating or cooling areas that nobody is occupying.
Knowledge is power
Ever since we started GloBird Energy, we’ve made it part of our mission to give people – whether they’re our customers or not – as much information about energy-related topics as possible.
We believe that the more you know about any topic, the better placed you are to make good decisions about how to manage those things.
We’ve always acknowledged that, despite our best efforts, the nature of the Australian energy market is such that we won’t always have the lowest offer for everyone, but we’re committed to being more than competitive for as many households as possible.
You can rest assured that we fully understand how hard it is for many people to make ends meet, so keeping bills as low as possible is not optional but imperative.
If you’re not a GloBird Energy customer, we encourage you to visit our website and spend just a minute getting a quote to see whether switching to us will save you some money.