With family budgets stretched to the limit, it’s little wonder that opening the electricity bill is enough to send most of us into shock. And while some factors are out of our control, there’s plenty we can do to save on our energy bills.

The Australian Energy Retailer has foreshadowed electricity prices could rise by as much as 20-25% in some Australian states in the coming months. It’s a significant blow to household budgets, so anything we can do to help ease the pressure is welcome.

We’ve put together a handy list of ways to save on your energy bills, from simple tips to do right now, to more long-term solutions.

How To Save On Your Energy Bills

There’s no avoiding the rising cost of energy – it’s an essential service after all, powering everything from our appliances, electronics, lighting, cooking to our hot water, pools, heating and cooling.

But there are still plenty of clever ways to help save on your family’s energy bills.

Heating and cooling tips

Keeping your home at a comfortable temperature is a must, but heating and cooling can account for 40% of your home’s energy use. So here are some tips:

• Choose energy efficient heating and cooling appliances.
• Set your thermostat to between 18°C and 20°C for heating and between 25°C and 27°C for cooling. Every 1°C higher for heating and lower for cooling adds around 10% to the running cost of your appliance.
• Try and get as much cooling and heating as you can for free! Open windows in summer when there’s a cool breeze, and keep the blinds and curtains closed at night in winter to keep in the heat.
• Make sure you have insulation in your ceilings and walls.
• Only heat the rooms you’re using.
• Don’t use the shower as a way to get warm (as tempting as it is!).
• Make the most of off-peak power: If you can, consider putting large appliances on, such as your pool pump, dishwasher or washing machine, during times of lower tariffs to soak up as much energy as possible and work with the grid to shift power use away from expensive peak times.
• Take shorter showers (four minutes or less is ideal).
• Use the reverse switch on your ceiling fans to circulate warm air through your rooms.
• Consider switching to an energy efficient water heater if yours is outdated.
• Think about investing in solar, with a trusted, leading name in solar: Solahart.

From rooftop solar hot water, to solar power, battery storage and heat pump water heaters, switching to solar is a long-term investment in reducing your energy bills.

Keeping track of your energy usage is also a great way to keep on top of your bills. Solahart recommends installing their Home Energy Management System (HEMS).

Products with smart energy management capabilities like HEMS allow Aussies to save on rising power bills and maximise their solar investment.

Solahart HEMS is the ‘brain’ of your solar set-up, monitoring and intelligently coordinating your connected appliances to use the energy you are producing from your solar system. The Solahart atHome web app gives you a real time view into the performance of your solar production and energy consumption, anywhere, anytime.

Another great tip from Solahart is to install a Solahart PowerStore®. Solahart PowerStore® is Australia’s first smart-connected electric water heater. It works with your solar power panels to capture excess solar energy to heat water – rather than sending it back to the grid. It’s similar to a home battery in that it stores energy in the form of hot water, reducing energy bills.

Product Marketing Manager Advanced Controls, Penelope Hunt explained, “Water heating is approximately 25% of an electricity bill. To maximise your solar investment, we recommend installing a smart water heater, such as Solahart PowerStore®, Australia’s first smart-connected electric water heater, that can store energy in the form of hot water.

“It’s a really cost-effective way to get the most out of your unused solar energy. If you’re not ready to invest in PowerStore, consider a Solar Ready water heater, they are great in an emergency hot water replacement incident and you can easily upgrade it to a Smart Water Heater at a later date. These intelligent water heaters are designed to maximise the excess energy produced from your rooftop solar and realise savings on your electricity bills.”

Appliance tips

Appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, tvs and gaming systems can be a significant power suck – accounting for about 15% of the home’s energy usage. So here are some simple ways to reign it in:

• Make sure you have a full load in the dishwasher or washing machine before running a cycle.
• If you’re in the market for new appliances, make sure you check the energy and water rating labels.
• Make use of that Aussie sun! Hang out clothes instead of using the dryer.
• Wash your clothes using a cold cycle so you’re not using energy to heat the water.
• Turn off appliances at the wall. This can save up to $250 a year!
• Set your fridge to a temperature of between 3°C and 5°C and the freezer to between -15°C and -18°C
• Check the seals on your fridge and freezer to make sure they’re not working overtime to keep cool.

Cooking tips

There’s no need to skimp on culinary delights, but cooking smarter is the way to go if you want to shave dollars off your energy bill.

• Use smaller appliances where possible – for example the airfryer or microwave instead of the oven.
• Make sure the seals on your oven are working properly and heat isn’t escaping (which means you’ll need to be cooking your food for longer!)
• Switch to a steam oven, which cooks in less time than a convection style.

Lighting tips

These are some of the easiest ways to keep a lid on energy costs – and the kids can even get involved!

• Start the kids early with a family mantra – never leave a light on when you leave the room.
• Switch out all light globes to energy efficient globes.
• Use sensor lights outside.
• Use the lowest wattage globe possible for the areas you’re lighting.

Finally, make sure you compare electricity plans from different providers, to see if you could be getting a better deal. And if you’re ready to make the switch to solar, chat to the experts at Solahart.

WOM Network is proudly working with Solahart to bring you this article. Solahart has built a reputation as a world leader in solar innovation and technology and invested millions of dollars into R&D and manufacturing and installed over 1 million solar water systems in over 70 countries around the world and over 1 million solar panels in Australia alone.

This article first appeared on Mouths of Mums.