Easy ways to save on your power bill

Easy ways to save on your power bill

(without even noticing)

Auckland, 9 August 2017. As Kiwis wait for what are traditionally the highest power bills of the year, what simple steps can we take to keep costs down?

A recent Canstar Blue survey revealed that 36% of New Zealanders worry about how much their power bill will be, but further studies reveal that maybe we’re not being as smart with our power as we should be.

Canstar Blue spokesperson Emma Quantrill explains:

“It’s no surprise the added expense that comes with heating our homes over the winter is a financial burden that worries some people. But, our research also reveals that many of us are pretty lax when it comes to taking simple steps to reduce our power consumption in other areas.”

According to Quantrill, getting into good habits, not cutting back, is where we need to focus.

“Take clothes dryers for instance. Nearly half of Kiwis don’t remove the lint build-up after each load. This means your machine has to use more power to force the hot air through your clothes the next time you use it. Remove the lint, save energy.”

Clothes dryers aren’t the only appliances were our frivolous habits cost us cash. Here’s a quick (but by no means exhaustive) list on ways we can improve our habits and reduce our bills:

Lights: Use energy saving bulbs and switch them off when you’re not in the room. Simple!

Fridges & Freezers: To help regulate the temperature without making the motors work too hard, it’s generally recommended to keep you fridges and freezers around two thirds full. When stacking your food, also try and keep it away from the sides and top of fridge as this can hinder the air-flow circulation and again this will force the motor to work harder.

Entertainment equipment: We’ve all heard it before, but don’t leave your equipment on standby. It’s true, TV’s have come a long way in the last few years as far as energy efficiency goes and are no longer the biggest offender, but your DVD player and gaming consoles are power hungry little devils who will make you pay!

Laundry: Using a cooler wash means your washer does not have to use as much power to heat the water and washing a full load will also reduce the amount of times you need to use your machine. When it comes to you power hungry dryer, try to dry similar clothes together i.e. all the quick drying stuff together and then heavier items like jeans and thicker tops in a separate load. Don’t forget to keep the lint filter clean too!

Computer: The adaptors (the little black box on your power cord) used on the latest computers are designed to cut out once your computer is fully charged but on older models they don’t, so unplug them if they start to get warm or hot as this is simply the results of wasted electricity. Don’t forget about your printer, router, and modem too.

Phones and tablets: Chargers for your phone and tablet still use power when not in use, but not that much. The biggest money saver here is to stop charging your device as soon as the battery has been topped up. Over-charging can cause damage and shorted the life of the battery and buying a new one doesn’t come cheap!

Dishwasher: Although this is water and not power, the saving is so good we thought it was worth including. Modern dishwashers and detergents actually work better if they have food particles to cling onto so there’s no need to pre-rinse your dishes. The thousands of litres of water you will save by not rinsing could carve over $70 per year off your water bill.

Quantrill concludes:

“On their own, each of these small changes can be rather subtle but together they can make a noticeable difference to your energy consumption and your power bills.”

Most Satisfied customers

In the latest Canstar Blue survey, Bosch has been awarded the Most Satisfied Customers Award 2017 for clothes dryers in New Zealand.

For further information regarding this survey, please click here.

ENDS

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