Smart ways to reduce your household power consumption.

Concentrate on water and space heating, as these account for between half to three-quarters of the total energy use in most households.

Space heating

• Only heat rooms that are being used.
• Draught-proof doors and windows.
• Seal off open fireplaces when not in use.
• Use curtains, preferably those that are lined and floor-to-pelmet (or touching the window sill), and close them at night.
• Maximise the sunshine into your home during winter by keeping curtains open during the day and cut back trees that shade north-facing windows.
• Because polished strip-timber floors leak air through the joints, reduce draughts and heat loss from these floors by insulating them with foil underneath.
• Use thermostats and timers on electric heaters.
• Insulate ceilings and, if possible, walls.

Water heating

• Fix dripping hot taps.
• If your hot water cylinder doesn't have an a 'Grade A' label, wrap it with a cylinder blanket.
• Insulate the first metre of hot water pipe from your cylinder.
• Have a user-adjustable thermostat fitted and set it to 60 degrees Celsius.
• Use a low-flow shower head to supply water at 6 to 9 litres per minute.
• Limit showering time - a short shower uses much less hot water than a bath
• Wash clothes in cold water.
• Fill the kettle or jug from the cold tap and only heat the amount needed.

Lighting

• Use compact fluorescent lightbulbs in high-use areas.
• Turn lights off when leaving a room.
• Maximise the use of natural light.

Cooking

• Use a microwave or pressure cooker where possible.
• Use a steamer over a pot to cook more than one dish at a time.

Other tips

• Rather than use a dehumidifier, ventilate the house and extract moisture at its source using rangehoods and bathroom fans.
• Buy energy-efficient appliances.

More information

• RightLight 
  Helping you make energy efficient lighting choices.
   
• EECA Energywise 
  Practical information and advice to help you make energy efficient choices at home and on the road. 
   
• Saving energy at home - the Consumer guide
  Simple ways you can save energy without blowing the home maintenance budget.