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Home Occupant 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 Jenny,

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

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

This report focuses on actions your household can take. At the end is a link to a second report focused on actions the owner could take.

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.

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

Windows and draughts

Your recommendations

  • By covering your windows effectively you can reduce your home's heat loss in winter and gain in summer by up to 20%. Hang blockout curtains and attach pelmets to stop cold air moving from your windows into your rooms in winter and to stop heat entering in summer. You can buy curtain rods that stay up with springs and don’t need to be attached to the wall, so you can take them with you. You can make your own temporary pelmets from cardboard - online videos can show you how.
  • Your windows are well sealed so this is helping you to reduce your energy costs significantly.
  • Your doors are well sealed so this is helping you to reduce your energy costs.
  • Having well sealed floors is helping you to save energy.
  • Attach pelmets above your curtains to stop cold air moving from your windows into your rooms in winter and to stop heat entering in summer. You can make your own temporary pelmets from cardboard - online videos can show you how.

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

  • Try to only heat your space to between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. This is a comfortable and cost-effective temperature range. Every degree higher can add 10% to your energy costs.
  • Personal heated throw blankets cost only about 3 cents per hour to run and can keep you very warm, even in a cold room
  • 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.
  • If you use air conditioning, 25 to 27 degrees Celsius is a comfortable and cost-effective summertime temperature range. Every degree lower can add 10% to your running costs.
  • 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%.
  • Keep all windows and doors closed when your air conditioner is operating to avoid wasting energy.
  • If the space you need to cool can't be closed off with doors, try zoning it off with curtains. (You can buy curtain rods that stay up with springs and don’t need to be attached to the wall.)
  • Air conditioning units should be serviced annually. If contacting the property owner or manager to request this, you could note that this extends the life of the unit, saving 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.
  • Use the eco setting if your machine has one.
  • Avoid pre-rinsing dishes, and use cold water if you have to pre-rinse.
  • A new, efficient dishwasher could save considerably on running costs. Look for a unit with an eco function and the best energy star rating you can afford.
  • Wash with cold water as much as possible. A hot wash can use up to 10 times as much energy as a cold wash.
  • Only use the washing machine when you have a full load.
  • Use the eco setting if your washing machine has one.
  • Use the free energy of the sun and wind to dry your clothes. Canberra is generally dry and sunny so washing dries quickly outdoors, even in winter.
  • On wet days, use a clothes rack indoors rather than a dryer as far as possible.
  • Try to use your drier only in emergencies.
  • Tumble dry on cool not hot as much as possible.
  • Check and clean your fridge and freezer seals, and replace any damaged ones. To test the seal, open the fridge door, place a piece of paper between the fridge and the door, and shut the door. If the paper doesn’t move easily when you pull it, it's a good seal.
  • A new, efficient fridge could save you more than $100 a year on running costs.
  • 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

Your recommendations

Up to 70% of your hot water is used in the shower.

  • 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.
  • The hot water storage tank thermostat should be set at 60 degrees by an electrician. 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).
  • To check whether you have an efficient showerhead, put a standard (9 litre) bucket in the shower, turn all other taps in the house and garden off, turn the cold tap in the shower on full, and time how long it takes for the bucket to fill. If the bucket takes less than 1 minute to fill, your showerhead is not efficient.
  • Aim to keep showers to 4 minutes or less. Use a shower timer or listen to a favourite song, to time your shower. Every minute you cut from your shower time will save about 20 litres of hot water if you have a conventional showerhead, which will also reduce your energy bills.
  • A 3 star showerhead will halve the amount of hot water and energy used per minute. Note: in the ACT a licensed plumber is needed to install a new showerhead. This requires permission from the property owner.

Lighting

Your lighting recommendations

Insulation

Your insulation recommendations

  • Most heat enters and exits through the ceiling. If your home does not have adequate ceiling insulation, consider providing the property owner report to your property manager or owner (see link below). It has more detailed recommendations about insulation.
The Energy Made Easy website compares all the plans available from all the energy retailers in your area. It can help you find the retailer and plan that best suits your electricity and/or gas use, which can save you a lot of money. https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/

Energy Bills

Your recommendations

  • Call your retailer and ask whether you are on the lowest cost plan for your energy use – some households are better off with a tariff based on the time of day, while others benefit more from a flat rate.
  • While all electricity in the ACT is from renewable sources, purchasing Green Power from your retailer is a way you can encourage more investment in renewable energy in Australia. https://www.greenpower.gov.au
  • Based on your responses you are on a typical electricity plan at present. To keep your costs down, it's a good idea to call your retailer annually to ask whether you are on the lowest cost plan for your energy use.

Electricity Usage

  • Your daily electricity usage in summer (20kWh) is 2.5 times the average (7.9kWh) for a household of your size.
  • Your daily electricity usage in winter (32kWh) is 2.5 times the average (12.7kWh) for a household of your size.

Property Owner Report

The owner's report focuses on fixed appliances, insulation and actions the owner can take. If you are renting, you may like to send it to the property manager or owner.

View the Property Owner 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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