The power to save
How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
– Anne Frank, Writer
Households are responsible for about one-fifth of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. On average over seven tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions come from each home. We all need to be mindful of simple ways to reduce the amount of energy we use at home.
| Where households use their energy | % |
|---|---|
| Source: DEWHA. 2008 | |
| Heating and cooling | 40 |
| Water heating | 21 |
| Appliances and equipment including refrigeration and cooking | 33 |
| Lighting | 6 |
What can I do?
Our comfort does not have to be affected by our want to reduce consumption, there are many options to reduce personal consumption that do not impact our way of life at all, three examples to get you started are:
- Borrow a home audit kit from our Library Of Things, this will give you a clearer picture of your consumption; heating and cooling our homes can be costly.
- Adjust your thermostat—every 1°C higher or lower adds 10% to running costs. Heating between 18°C-21°C and cooling between 24°C-27°C are the recommended temperatures.
- Try different ways to cool and heat your house. Open your home to cool or close it up for warmth, block out draughts around doors and windows, change your clothes or grab a blanket and think about adding furnishings like rugs and curtains.
Energy Savers
- Renew – Working to transform homes for climate and energy resilience.
- Energy Advisory Service – The South Australian Government’s free, independent information on a range of energy topics.
- Easy Energy Saving Tips