Ways you could save on your energy bills

Finding ways to reduce your energy bills, can make a difference to your wallet. We’ll share tips for:

• Keeping your home cool
• Keeping your home warm
• Saving on energy costs throughout the year
• Comparison shopping
• Accessing help to save on your energy bills.

Keeping your home cool

The Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water suggests these options to keep your home cool, whilst saving money:

• Opt for fans instead of turning on the air conditioner
• If using an air conditioner, select a cool not cold temperature
• Reduce heat from direct sunlight by using shade, curtains, or blinds on windows (especially north and west facing)
• When temperatures drop outside, open windows or doors on opposite sides of the room to invite airflow.

Select Reduce Energy Bills to learn more.

Consider these handy hints* to save you energy and money in the warmer months.

Keeping your home warm

Warming your home in the colder months of the year, may also use a lot of energy. To reduce your energy costs, consider:

• Only heating the rooms you are using
• Open your curtains when the sun is shining and close them before it gets dark
• Block draughts and cracks with window and door seals
• Use door snakes to stop draughts
• Dress appropriately for the season/temperature
• Snuggle up with some warm blankets.

Consider these top tips to save you energy and money during the colder seasons.

Some tips to help you save energy costs throughout the year

First take time to better understand your energy bills. To help, consider this guidance on how to read your energy bill.

Then consider whether you could save money by making changes such as:

• The time of day when you use certain appliances
• How you pay. As it may be overwhelming if bills seem to come at once, especially if each bill appears higher than usual.

 

Spreading the cost out, to make paying large energy bills easier to manage. Some energy companies offer an instalment payment plan or ‘bill smoothing’, so you can make payments monthly, fortnightly or weekly, instead of having to pay the whole amount in one go or in sizeable quarterly bills.  Contact your energy provider to ask about setting up instalment payment plans or bill smoothing.

 

Get organised and ready to make changes to your energy usage:

• Focus on the biggest sources of energy use around your home first, these will include your heating, cooling, hot water, refrigeration, and other appliances. Then consider what low-cost, simple, and high-impact changes could be made
• In many homes, appliances standby power, lighting and cooking make up most of the rest of your household energy bill. Growing sources of energy use around the home include entertainment systems, computers, and outdoor lighting. Then consider whether your personal preferences or habits are affecting your energy use and any changes you may like to make
• If you have an electric hot water system, consider replacing it with a solar hot water system or a heat pump water heater. Check out the Australian Government’s Rebates sorter for incentives and assistance to upgrade your appliances. If you rent, try asking your landlord or their letting agent about making the property more energy efficient
• If you have solar panels, you may choose to use appliances such as your washing machine or dishwasher during the sunny part of the day when you’re generating most energy yourself, rather than in the evening when you’re more likely to be drawing on the grid and paying for power.

And if you’re having a short-term financial difficulty, try speaking to your energy supplier.  According to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) retailers must provide additional help to customers that are having trouble paying their energy bills due to hardship. Guidance so you know what to do, can understand your rights and hardship information in other languages is available on the AER’s site.

Comparison shopping

If you haven't reviewed your energy plan recently, it may be worth taking 10 to 15 minutes of your time to reviewing what you pay today against alternative energy offers available using free and independent government energy price comparison tools and websites.

Select Switch to Save or Energy Made Easy to learn more about comparison shopping.

Accessing help to save on your energy bills

Each Australian state and territory offer its eligible residents help to manage the cost of living, including energy bills.

Queensland

Select Smart Savings to search for concessions and rebates for eligible Queenslanders. Notable savings for those eligible pensioners and concession care holders include the Electricity Rebate and the Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate.

South Australia

Select SA Government’s Concessions to learn more about the programs available for eligible South Australians on low or fixed incomes. Programs include ConnectEd a state government funded program that provides information and individual case management to help residents manage their energy, water and telecommunications use and bills.

Northern Territory

All rebates in the NT apply only to pensioners and concession card holders. An electricity concession of up to ​​$1,200 per household per financial year is available to members of the NT concession scheme. Select Electricity Concessions NT to learn more.

Tasmania

The Tasmanian Government offers a range of discounts and concessions which aim to achieve a balance in the standard of living and access to essential services for all Tasmanians. Select Tasmanian Government: Discounts & Concessions to learn more. The Tasmanian government’s annual electricity concession provides a daily discount to eligible residents at a cents-per-day rate. Holders of a pensioner concession card, a low-income healthcare card, an ImmiCard on bridging visa E or a Tasmanian concession card are eligible for the discount on their primary place of residence.

Victoria

A range of concessions are available to all Victorians who are on low incomes or experiencing hardship and need help to meet the rising cost of living. The Victorian Government publishes a Concessions & Benefits site with further particulars of the benefits available. The benefits include, the $250 Power Saving bonus a one-off payment for Victorian households to help ease cost-of-living pressures and encourage them to compare energy offers and save money.

Western Australia

In WA, the Household Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) program will assist 10,000 households experiencing hardship to be more energy efficient, which will not only reduce energy costs, but also energy emissions.

New South Wales

In NSW low-income households and people currently receiving Centrelink payments or benefits, may be eligible to access cost of living subsidies. Visit the NSW Government’s Concessions and rebate site to find out more. Visit Service NSW to learn more about the eligibility requirements.