Ways to save energy at home

Around 30% of the energy used by the average household is from hot water. So one of the easiest ways to lower your energy bill is to cut back on any hot water you don't need to use, freeing up more cash for heating and other things.

1. Use the cold water wash cycle when you wash clothes, unless you have a particularly dirty load. A hot water wash can use 10 times more electricity than a cold wash, and modern washing machines and detergents clean well using cold water.
2. Cut down the long showers to save money. Reducing your shower time just a bit could save up to $900 a year for a family of four – a 15-minute shower costs about $1, while a 5-minute shower costs about 33c.
3. If you own a dishwasher, wait until it's fully loaded to run it – and put it on 'eco' wash setting if available. If you rinse your dishes before loading the dishwater, use cold water.

While you're at home, you'll need some lighting on — particularly in the evenings — but there are still ways to save energy.

1. It's a little thing, but switching your lights off when you're not using them will save you a bit off your energy bill.
2. Think about switching to energy efficient LEDs, even just in the rooms you're using the most. LEDs can cost a bit more upfront, but they use up to 85% less electricity than traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs, and could save you around $100 a year on electricity. They can also last 15 times longer. You can order LEDs online to be delivered by most hardware stores or supermarkets.