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Rental Property Owner Report

The size of the area you are heating, the number of hours heaters are on, and the temperature setting all have a big impact on your bills.
In summer a comfortable and cost-effective range to set the thermostat is 25-27°C, and in winter it is 18-20°C

Dear Kathleen,

Congratulations on completing your own home energy assessment. This is an important step towards improving the energy efficiency of your home.

Taking action on recommendations in this report will improve your comfort, save you money and help protect the environment.

This report focuses on actions you can take as the owner of the property. At the end is a link to a second report which focuses on actions that you and your household can take living in the home relating to specifics such as appliance use and your energy bills.

Your energy usage is likely to be similar to the graph on the right. You are likely to achieve the most savings by reducing heat loss during winter and using heaters efficiently.

When you’ve read your recommendations, check out the links and resources at the end of this report and at www.climatechoices.act.gov.au.

If you live in the ACT, you can get free expert advice on saving energy in your home including additional support implementing these recommendations or checking your bills, by calling the ACT Sustainable Home Advice line on 1300 141 777 or emailing SustainableHomeAdviceProgram@act.gov.au.

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If you found your home energy assessment and report useful please let your friends, family and networks know.


Windows and draughts

Your recommendations

  • Draughts waste a lot of energy. Stopping them is the most cost-effective action you can take to make your home more comfortable and can reduce heat loss in winter by up to 25%

You can find more detailed information about draught-proofing, window insulation and window coverings in the links at the end of this report.


Heating

Your heating recommendations

  • Regularly check and clean the dust from your air conditioning vents and filters to ensure your system is running as efficiently and safely as possible. This can reduce running costs by 5-15%.

There is more information about heating your home in the links at the end of the report.


Fans are an extremely cost-effective way to keep cool in summer - they cost only 1 to 2 cents per hour to run.

Cooling

Your cooling recommendations

  • Keep your home cooler in summer by opening your windows, doors and curtains when it cools down at night, then closing them in the morning as soon as it starts to get warm outside.
  • Air conditioning units should be serviced annually. This will extend the life of the unit, saving you money in the long term
  • If you are thinking about buying a new cooling appliance, check the energy star rating labels (see https://www.energyrating.gov.au/). More stars mean more energy-efficient. Choosing a more energy-efficient cooling appliance will reduce energy consumption and help lower energy bills.

A plug-in power meter

Appliances

Your appliances recommendations

  • You can find out how much each of your appliances is costing you by getting a plug-in power meter (see photo). It will show how much power the appliance has used since it was plugged into the meter and will calculate the cost. You can buy power meters at hardware stores or online.
  • When the time comes to buy a new appliance, check the energy star rating labels (see https://www.energyrating.gov.au/). More stars mean greater energy efficiency. Choosing a more energy-efficient appliance will reduce energy consumption and help lower energy bills.
  • If you are an ActewAGL customer and planning to upgrade to a new, more energy efficient refrigerator, ActewAGL will take away your old fridge/freezer, dispose of it responsibly and give eligible customers a $30 discount on their next electricity bill. For more information please contact ActewAGL on 1300 136 008.

Pipe insulation (often called lagging) is low cost and readily available from most hardware outlets. Insulate the first 2m of exposed pipes from your hot water unit, especially those carrying hot water.
Hot water heat pumps are significantly more energy-efficient than conventional water heaters.

Hot Water

Your recommendations

  • Insulate all pipes going into and out of your hot water unit with foam tubing, known as lagging, to prevent heat loss, especially the two metres closest to your water heater.
  • Ask an electrician to check that the hot water storage tank thermostat is set at 60 degrees. Running costs will be higher if the temperature is set any higher. (To prevent the growth of Legionella bacteria in the tank, the thermostat should never be set lower than 60 degrees).

Insulation

Your insulation recommendations

  • Not applicable (e.g. if your home has another home above it).

Occupier Report

The occupier report focuses on actions that the people living in the home can take to reduce energy costs – either your household, if you live there, or your tenants, if you have rented it out.

View the Occupier Report


Links & Resources


For further information about your recommendations and how to implement them please contact:

For further information about ACT energy efficiency programs and technical advice, call the ACT Sustainable Home Advice line on 1300 141 777, email sustainablehomeadviceprogram@act.gov.au, or visit www.climatechoices.act.gov.au.

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