Do you live in Sydney’s Inner West region? This area is the home of famous sites such as Queen Street, Central Railway Station, and Woolloomooloo Wharf. If you own a home or business there, you also might need the services of an electrician in Inner West. They are among nearly 141,000 electricians throughout Australia as of 2019.
Here are some electricity-saving tips you can use between electrician visits:
Tweak Daily Energy-using Practices
You don’t have to make wholesale changes to lower your energy bills. You can take necessary steps like turning off lights and TVs when you’re not using them or putting your computer in sleep mode.
Another essential step is to use appliances with high energy consumption less often. For example, you can wash clothes by hand or hang-dry them to reduce using washing machines and dryers.
Another practical method is to use your air conditioner less in the summer. For example, you can combine electric fans and dehumidifiers to create a similar effect as the primary appliance. Heating and cooling systems can take up about half of your monthly electricity consumption. So, if you use them less often or more efficiently, this can significantly lower your monthly bills.
Conduct Electrical Inspections/Maintenance
It’s crucial for your home or workplace to conduct routine electrical maintenance. Doing so helps ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. You should also have professional electricians conduct inspections from time to time. This is generally based on how old your home or work building is. However, on average, an inspection is required every ten years or so.
Routine maintenance is critical. It helps to make sure your electrical system and components are functioning as efficiently as possible. When that happens, you can also save money because the components have improved functionality. You can also experience higher electrical safety.
Buy Smart Power Strips
When electronics are switched off or switch to standby mode, they can still use power through something called “phantom loads.” That, in turn, can cause your electric bill to spike. Studies show that three-quarters of power consumed by household electronics happens when they’re turned off. This can end up costing you hundreds of dollars during the year.
A practical solution is “smart” or “advanced” power strips. They help to shut off power to electronics when you’re not using them. There are different ways power strips can be turned off, including:
- Specific times
- Inactivity times
- Remote switches
- Master device status
Use Energy-efficient Light Bulbs
The average Australian house uses 18 Kilowatt (KW) every day, and this figure is higher if you have lots of light bulbs. The problem with traditional fluorescent bulbs is they must be replaced quite often. This differs from more energy-efficient options that must be replaced less often. These include:
- Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)
- Light-emitting Diode bulbs (LEDs)
- Halogen incandescent bulbs
These bulbs can use over three-quarters less electricity than regular light bulbs and last up to 25x longer. This can result in major savings on your utility bills. One caveat is energy-efficient bulbs have a higher price tag versus traditional bulbs. However, since they last significantly longer, you can still save money in the long-term.
If your home has high electric bills, you can reduce them by taking some basic steps instead of revamping the entire electrical system. LED light bulbs, smart power strips, and routine maintenance by an electrician in Inner West can lower energy consumption and bills. A lower electric bill could light up your life!
