You can do many things to reduce the amount of energy you need to keep your home comfortable all year round.
If you are planning to build a new home, make your home energy efficient from the start. You'll recover the upfront costs with savings in the long term. A well-planned, energy-efficient home may also increase the value of your home. With good design, you can reduce your energy bills without compromising your comfort. See our information on passive design in heating and cooling and building and renovating for energy efficiency.
For your existing home, there are also many ways to reduce energy bills, improve comfort and help reduce your impact on the environment. See our information on energy efficiency in the home.
Save on heating costs
Try these ideas to reduce the need for mechanical heating:
- Insulate your ceiling, roof, walls and floors if possible.
- Seal draughts around doors and windows with weather strips - these only cost a few dollars per roll and stop air coming in.
- If your heater has timer switches and a thermostat, set them to heat the room to between 18°C and 20°C just for the times you're usually at home.
- If your heater has a filter, keep it clean to improve airflow and efficiency. Read the maintenance instructions or contact the manufacturer to find out how to protect your health and safety.
- Close doors to rooms that you are not using, such as the laundry and bathroom.
- If you have windows or vents that are permanently open, keep the doors to these rooms closed.
- Open curtains during the day to let in the winter sun. Close curtains at night to stop heat loss.
- Use rugs or carpets on timber or slab floors.
- Consider double-glazing to insulate windows.
- Cover the tops of curtains with pelmet boxes to reduce heat loss through glass windows.
- Fit downlight covers and vent covers to prevent heat rising from your rooms into your ceiling.
- Dress appropriately to stay warm and reduce the effects of draughts. Put on a jumper before turning on the heater.
Choose an efficient heating option
If you are buying a new heater, consider what type of heater will suit your circumstances.
See the Your HomeTechnical Guide for further information about heating and cooling choices. You can also speak to experts and retailers about various options and their benefits and disadvantages.
Before buying a new heater, think about:
- Does the room need mechanical heating or will it be enough to eliminate draughts, improve insulation and dress warmly?
- How many rooms need to be heated and how big are they?
- How much will the new heater cost to run?
- How often and for how long will you need heating?
- What options do you have for powering the heater?
- Does the heater come with a timer so that you are only heating the room when required?
Save on cooling costs
Try these ideas to reduce the need for mechanical cooling:
- Insulate your ceiling, roof, walls and floors if possible.
- Shade windows from the summer sun. Deciduous trees can be an attractive way to shade windows, walls and your roof.
- Close curtains to keep heat out when the sun is on the windows.
- Keep windows shut in the hottest parts of the day.
- Open up your home to breezes when it's cool outside.
- Make the most of natural airflow by opening low-positioned windows to bring the breeze in and high windows to let the hot air out.
- Consider using roof ventilators, vented ridges, ventilated eaves and ventilated ceilings to allow heat to escape from your roof space.
- Remove obstacles that can stop the flow of cool air through your house.
Choose an efficient cooling option
If you are looking to buy a mechanical cooling system, consider what type will suit your circumstances.
There are three types of mechanical cooling systems: fan, evaporative coolers and air conditioners.
- Fans are the cheapest to run and use the least amount of energy. If a fan is enough to cool your home, you can save a lot of money and energy.
- Evaporative coolers work well in areas with low humidity as the air can absorb water vapour. New evaporative coolers are usually the cheapest type of cooling to buy and are not very expensive to run.
- Air conditioners use more energy and create more greenhouse gas emissions than fans or evaporative coolers. They work most efficiently in well-insulated homes. All air conditioning systems must be installed, maintained and removed by a technician holding a Refrigerant Handling Licence.
Before buying a new cooler, think about:
- Does the room need mechanical cooling or is it enough to improve shading and ventilation?
- How big an area do you need to cool?
- How much will the new cooler cost to run?
- How often and for how long will you need cooling?
- Does the cooler come with a timer so that you are only cooling the room when required?
- Do you want one cool room or a system for more than one room?
- What options do you have for powering the cooler?
