Could these 5 ordinary appliances be making your bill spike
Getting a higher electricity bill than you were expecting can really come as a shock. If you have received a higher bill than usual, there could be many reasons for this. In most cases, a higher bill comes from using more electricity without realising how or why, especially if the weather has been particularly hot or cold.
Here are five appliances that could make your bill spike and what you can do to save energy
1. Your air-conditioner
The average central or ducted air conditioner uses 6,000 watts of electricity every hour*. This equates to a cost of around $1.70 per hour^. If you’ve had your air-con on during a hot spell (for over 24 hours), this could add up to $40 or more a day to your bill for each hot dayI.
Your air-conditioner also uses more energy for colder temperature settings, so having a chilly house can come at a higher cost.
See how you could save energy...
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On hot days, try to cool your home in other ways before you turn to your air-con.
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Pedestal fans use a lot less electricity when you want to get the air moving – and you might want to open your house at night when the breeze is blowing.
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On those days that only the air-con will do, we recommend setting your air-conditioning thermostat to 24C in Summer (and 18C in Winter) and only use it in the times and spaces you need it.
2. Your plug-in heater
When the mornings are getting chilly, it’s easy to be tempted by the stack of cheap heaters on display at your favourite discount or department store. The price tag might be cheap – but running that cheap heater can come at a cost.
A typical space heater can use up to 1,200 watts of electricity an hour**, this can really add up day after day. For example heating a kids room for 5 hours every night (for a full bill cycle of 61 days) equates to a cost of around $1.70 per day, adding an extra $103 to your bill^^.
See how you could save energy...
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When you’re buying a new heater, look for the energy star-rating and try to buy as high a rating as possible.
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Don’t try to heat your whole home at once – just heat the areas you need and try to keep that heat contained by closing doors.
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Use throw blankets and look up ‘hygge’ home ideas to get inspiration from the Scandinavian way of making life warm and cosy.
3. Your clothes dryer
There’s no doubt throwing a load of clothes into your dryer can feel like the best option on a busy day – but it’s not the cheapest option.
Clothes dryers use a lot of energy and generally need to be running for a long time to get through one load, let alone the rest of your week’s laundry loads. In summer, running your dryer could make your house even warmer, which might mean you’re tempted to switch the air-con on or lower the thermostat to compensate for the warmer air without realising it.
See how you could save energy...
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Use your clothes line as much as you can. Being one of the world’s sunniest and windiest places makes our WA climate perfect for air-drying.
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If you live in an apartment or can’t use your clothes line, try a drying rack and save your dryer for only when you really need to use it.
4. Your solar hot water system
Everybody loves a hot shower, but most homes don’t need to have a lot of hot water ready for any time of day. Hot water heating via the booster switch might account for a lot of your home’s energy costs, especially if your solar hot water booster switch is on all the time.
See how you could save energy...
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Keep your booster switch off during the day only turning it on when you really need it, instead of keeping the booster switched on constantly.
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Consider a timer you can set to turn it on and off at the times of day when you most need extra hot water.
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Use the cold wash setting on your washing machine whenever you can.
5. Your pool pump or water pump
If you have a pool, sprinkler system, pond or water feature, the pump might be using more energy than you realise. For example, an older pump might use a lot more electricity than the more energy-efficient models available today.
A typical 1.5 horse power (1100 watts) pumpII running for the recommend 8 hours a day in summer (for a full bill cycle of 61 days) equates to a cost of $2.49 a day, adding an extra $152 to your bill***.
See how you could save energy...
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Make sure you have the right size and type of pump for the way you use it.
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Each pool or water pump is different, so check with your manufacturer for the recommended amount of time to use your pump over the day or week.
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It’s important to keep your pump in good working condition and choose the most energy-efficient model with the highest star-rating you can.
A few small changes to the way you use your appliances can really make a difference to the way you use electricity over each billing period.
Try our Synergy Energy Tool to find out what makes up your bill and get tips to reduce your bill, on our Energy Saving Tips page.
*The actual cost of using the appliance will vary depending on a number of factors including the make, model, age and efficiency of the appliance, thermostat settings and how it is used by you. Estimates exclude purchasing and installation costs and other costs associated with the use of the appliance.
^ Cost and potential savings are estimates only calculated using the current Home Plan (A1) tariff and based on the average energy consumption of a 6,000 watt ducted air conditioner (Source: Ausgrid's Appliance energy usage guide for typical wattages)
ICalculations assume daily energy consumption using the following formula, at the recommended 24C:
(Wattage × Hours Used Per Day) ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
(6000 watts X 24 hours) ÷ 1000 = 144 kWh per day
144 kWh per day x $0.283272 per kWh = $40.79 per day
** Cost and potential savings are estimates only calculated using the current Home Plan (A1) tariff based on the average energy consumption of a 1,200 watt medium fan heater (Source: Ausgrid's Appliance energy usage guide for typical wattages)
^^ Calculations assume daily energy consumption using the following formula:
(Wattage × Hours Used Per Day) ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
(1,200 watts X 5 hours) ÷ 1000 = 6 kWh per day
6 kWh per day x $0.283272 per kWh = $1.70 per day
II Cost and potential savings are estimates only calculated using the current Home Plan (A1) tariff and based on the average energy consumption of a 1,100 watt pool pump (Source: Ausgrid's Appliance energy usage guide for typical wattages)
*** Calculations assume daily energy consumption using the following formula:
1 horse power = 745.7 watts
(Wattage × Hours Used Per Day) ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
(1,100 watts X 8 hours) ÷ 1000 = 8.8 kWh per day
8.8 kWh per day x $0.283272 per kWh = $2.49 per day
The Home Plan (A1) tariff rate of $0.283272 inc. GST is true and correct at the date of publication (01/04/19).
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