1. Reducing Your Energy Costs
Ever wonder why your monthly energy bill is higher than you think it should be? In many cases it may be
because the energy you purchase is not being used as efficiently as it could be. You can find this out by
doing a walk-through energy audit of your home. In most cases, you will find at least several things you
can do to reduce your energy bill and make your home more energy efficient. Some of the ‘Possible
Actions” you can do yourself. Others may need a contractor.
A quick overview (tick any/all relevant boxes)
Water Heating, Shower, and Baths
Electric storage
Gas storage
The type of water heater do you have?
Solar
5-star gas or electric heat pump
65ºC or more
Your hot water heater temperature setting? 62ºC
60ºC
15 litres per minute or more
Your shower’s hot water flow rate? 12 litres per minute
9 litres per minute or less
Long showers and deep baths
How long do you shower and bathe? Showers only or shallow bath
Short showers (3 min or less)
None
Do you have lagging (insulation) on your hot
Some
water pipes?
Lagging on cold and hot pipes
Clothes Washing and Drying
Always hot or warm
The water temperature you use for clothes Sometimes warm
washing?
Always cold
Always use the dryer
How do you dry clothes? Sometimes use the dryer
Always dry on the clothes line / clothes airer
Fridges and Freezers
Always running
Do you have a second fridge or freezer? Only on when needed
No second fridge or freezer
In a hot spot
Your fridge(s) and freezer(s) located? A sometimes warm spot
In a cool spot
o
Running at less than 3 C
Your fridge and freezer temperature Frosts up occasionally
Fridge does not frost up
No air gaps on sides and top
Your fridge and freezer ventilation? Some air gaps
Plenty of space around fridge
Are the seals on your refrigerator and freezer Yes
tight? No
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2. Lighting
Incandescent or halogen lights
Some fluorescents
What types of lights do you have?
Mainly fluorescents
Some LED’s
Lights left on all the time
Do you regularly turn off lights? Lights turned off occasionally
Lights turned off when no one in the room/area
If you have recessed ceiling lights, are they Yes
correctly installed? No
Thermal Envelope – This refers to refers to how well your home prevents heat from moving from inside to outside
in the winter and outside to inside in the summer.
No
Do you have the correct amount of home
Ceiling
insulation?
Ceiling and walls
None
Is there shading on your north facing
Some
windows?
Shade summer sun only
None
Is there shade on eastern and western
Some
windows?
Well shaded in summer
None
Are there curtains and pelmets over the living
Good curtains
room windows?
Good curtains and pelmets
Large gaps
Any there draughts from windows, external
Some gaps
doors?
No gaps
Yes
Is your roof vented?
No
Can you feel a draft around light switches Yes
and receptacles on outside walls? No
Heating and Cooling System -The single biggest user of energy in your home is the heating and cooling system.
It can also be the single biggest area for increasing energy efficiency!
Whole house
How much of your home do you heat and
All living spaces
cool?
Only rooms that people are in
Ducted whole of house or many electric
heaters
How do you heat your home? Single room heater
Warm clothes and occasional heater
Ducted whole of house
How do you cool your home? Single room air conditioner
Ceiling fans and night breezes
o
24 C or more
What is your living area temperature in o
22 C
winter? o
20 C or less
o
21 C or less
What is your living area temperature in o
23 C
summer? o
25 C or more
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3. Do you have your heating and cooling Yes
system checked annually? No
If you have a central air conditioner or heat Yes
pump, is the outside unit free of debris? No
If you have duct work, is it sealed and Yes
insulated? No
Pools, Cooking and Other
Heated and filter always runs
Do you have a pool? Solar or no heating, filter runs for less than 6
hours a day and regularly cleaned
Waterbed
Do you heat your beds?
Electric blanket used just before bed time
Electric stove and oven
Occasional microwave
What is your main form of cooking?
Microwave only
Gas cooker and oven
Turn on and off with remote control
How do you turn off your appliances? Turn off at the wall sometimes
Turn off at the wall most of the time
Left on for long periods
How do you turn your computer and Use Energy Star sleep features
computer monitor off? Monitor and PC turned off, or don’t have a
computer
Support Information
Checking your hot water temperature Measuring shower head and tap flow rates
If you don’t know your water heater’s To measure shower and tap flow rates: - turn
thermostat setting, measure the delivered the hot and cold water taps to level of flow you
water temperature by placing a thermometer would normally use during a shower and let it
under a running hot water tap that is closest to flow into a bucket for 10 seconds. Measure the
the water heater. Delivered water temperature amount of water in litres you have collected.
may be a few degrees lower than tank Multiply this volume by six and this will give you
temperature. the flow rate in litres per minute. Take care to
avoid spilling any hot water on yourself.
Measuring fridge and freezer temperatures Measuring living area temperatures
To measure the temperature inside your fridge Living room temperatures can be measured with
or freezer, place a thermometer to the back a thermometer near where people tend to be in
and bottom of the fridge or freezer and leave it the room or by the thermostat setting on the
for at least 5 minutes. If you have an infrared heater or cooler. Note: Do not follow the
thermometer, this will only take a few seconds. thermostat temperature as there may be a few
degrees difference between the thermostat
setting and the actual room temperature.
Checking for ceiling and wall insulation
When using a ladder, follow the correct
instructions originally provided with it. If you go
into the ceiling, only place your feet and hands
on secure rafters, avoiding to pinch electrical
cables under foot
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