As a super smart renewable energy solar panel owner, you’re already up to speed on the significant savings harnessing the power of the sun brings.
But what if we were to tell you there are heaps of other ways you can conserve electricity and save even more? Well, that’s exactly what we’re telling you in this article!
Here, we’ll briefly touch on the benefits of conserving energy, and then get to our top four list of ways to save energy around your home, alongside how solar power batteries can take your savings to the next level.
The Two BIG Benefits of Conserving Energy
You don’t need to be Einstein-level smart to know that the less electricity you use around your house, the lower your power bill. But there’s an additional savings benefit of ensuring your home is as power-friendly as possible – it increases its value, so when it comes time to sell, you’ll get a better price.
Another huge bonus of saving energy is the amazing impact it has on the environment. Every kilowatt you save is a step towards protecting our planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preserving our incredible flora and fauna for generations to come.
Energy-Saving Power Moves That Make Sense
With the benefits of conserving energy crystal clear, let’s now get to those savvy ways of transforming your home into an energy-efficient paradise.
Get a professional home energy audit
Doing a home energy audit is a great way to start your energy conservation adventure. It can really help you see what’s working well for you and where you can make improvements, so you can invest your time and money in the right places.
You have a heap of home audit energy options. If you feel confident, use this handy checklist or get your hands on a home energy toolkit available from public libraries and local councils.
Or you can engage a professional to do it for you. They’ll give you a report at the end with recommendations, and some even include air quality advice and insulation tips. The right insulation is key as it significantly reduces energy leakage and cuts down how much you need to heat and cool your home.
Make some simple routine changes
It’s easy to get stuck in routines at home but by consciously reflecting on them, and committing to making some changes, you can save some serious moolah. Here are some ideas:
- Shut the doors. If you have rooms and/or areas that don’t necessarily need heating or cooling (like cupboards, pantries, walk-in wardrobes), try to close any doors leading to them. It’s small but can make a huge difference to your power bill.
- Banish phantom power. Try to get into the habit of turning off lights when you leave a room and switching off appliances, devices, and chargers at the wall when you’re done. This quick flick can save you big bucks.
- Full loads only. Maximise your energy savings by running full dishwasher and laundry loads and use the high-spin setting on your washing machine to squeeze out as much water as possible.
- Layer up or strip off. Don’t automatically go for the air-con switch when it’s hot. Think about opening up some windows for cross-ventilation or even running a fan. How about removing a few clothing layers as well? The same can be said for wintertime – layer up and try to only heat rooms that are used, i.e. why heat the bedrooms during the day (unless you’re a shift worker!)?
Get smart with your appliances, fittings and fixtures
If you encountered flickering lights during your home audit, fix them. And if you haven’t already, consider converting your lightbulbs to energy-efficient LEDs and swapping out old showerheads for water-efficient ones.
Check out your appliances and see how they stack up in terms of energy use. If you can afford to, upgrade any old ones to energy star certified models as they perform better and consume less energy, saving you money in the long run.
Even better, get smart appliances. There are many internet-based options that can monitor and adjust your energy usage for you automatically, saving you big bucks in the process. Some examples are:
- Programmable thermostats that set temperatures according to your schedule.
- Intelligent power boards that automatically cut off electricity to plugged-in devices when not in use (be gone standby mode energy vampires!).
- Smart shades or blinds that adjust automatically based on the time of day, sunlight intensity or temperature, optimising natural lighting while minimising heat gain or loss.
- Smart outlets that monitor individual device energy usage, providing real-time insights into where energy is being consumed so you can identify those energy-hungry culprits, and adjust your habits accordingly.
Fully harness your solar panels
If you’ve already made the switch to solar panels, you know the remarkable benefits it brings to your home. But there is a way to supercharge the power of your panels and reduce your electricity bills down to zilch. And that’s by installing solar batteries for energy storage of excess power.
How does it work? It’s fairly simple tech. During the day, your solar panels capture more sunlight than you can use, so right now, you’re selling that back to the main electricity grid. But solar batteries allow you to store that excess power to use when the sun sets – the precise time when everyone is home and consuming oodles of power! And as a little side bonus, if you experience a power outage, you can use your backup power source – your solar power batteries.
We’ve found that by installing solar power batteries you’ll be able to save your power for when you truly need it.
Further Solar Batteries Help
So that covers four brilliant ways to conserve power in your home. If you’d like more information about how solar batteries can boost the power of your solar panels with energy storage, please feel free to with one of our Think Renewable experts.
But if you’re ready to make the smart investment in solar power batteries, you might like to check out our article about which one’s the best for your energy needs.
