8 Practical Tips to Save Money on Energy Bills this Christmas
Wondering how to save money on energy bills this Christmas? Between roast dinners, fairy lights, and Christmas TV, let’s not forget keeping your home cool in the hot weather-it often feels like we use huge energy during the holiday season. And with energy prices higher than ever, lots of us are worried about expensive energy bills this season.
Don’t worry anymore. We are here to help you out. Here you can learn how to get at least 6 star energy rating without affecting your wallet or consuming extra energy this holiday season. Let’s explore the tips together.
1. Light Candles
One of the best ways to save some money on your electricity bill is to light up candles, which will also make the atmosphere warm and Christmassy. Lighting the room with candles will save you from running your light bulbs and will also create a beautiful Christmas smell.
Why not buy some Christmassy candles, like pine and eucalyptus or cinnamon? Why not go for the electrical operated ones, with their candles that flicker for every different mood setting, considering all those kids in the house, a hazard-free alternative is definitely in order.
2. Switch to LED Lights
You know to switch off lights when you’re not using them, but what about Christmas decorations? It’s still possible to have twinkling fairy lights without consuming more energy; simply choose an energy-efficient option that features LED globes or fibre optics and remember to turn them off during the day.
While you are at it, carrying out a home energy audit can help identify other areas where you could save by switching to energy-saving light globes. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) use 80 per cent less energy than traditional pear-shaped incandescent globes and can pay for themselves in less than a year while light-emitting diode (LED) globes use about 90 per cent less energy and can pay for themselves in two to three years.
3. Use Microwave, Slow Cooker, Or Air Fryer Instead of Electric Oven
All of these cooking devices are more energy-efficient than an electric oven, so they can save you money on your energy bill. But this works only if you’re not already using your oven for something else.
For example, there’s no point in roasting potatoes in an air fryer if you’re already roasting a turkey in the electric oven. If you are going to use your oven this Christmas, try to cook things all in one go so you don’t have to heat the oven multiple times.
4. Check Your TV Settings
During the holiday season, people spend a lot of time gathered around in front of the TV. Make sure you are not wasting energy by doing this. You can make your TV settings as follows to save energy:
• Get the brightness right for your room – most factory settings are higher than you need.
• Switch on the light sensor if your TV has one – this means it will automatically adjust contrast and brightness settings depending on the lighting in the room.
• Turn on your TV’s energy-saving mode, if it has one: this can reduce its consumption by more than a third.
5. Be Wise in Gift Giving
You can give home appliance with higher energy rating as a gift this Christmas. Use the Energy Rating Label to compare and choose energy-efficient appliances like televisions, kettles and microwaves. The more stars, the better the product. Each star can save anywhere between 10 to 30 per cent of energy usage, depending on the type of appliance. It will also help your friends and family to get a good energy rating report using these appliances.
The Energy Rating Label will also show how much energy the appliance is expected to use in a year, which is usually measured in terms of kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. For greater savings, choose a model that has lower annual energy consumption. And you might wonder hearing that some Australian states and territories have incentives for buying energy-efficient products.
6. Celebrate Together
This might be most simple, yet most effective, tip for an energy efficient Christmas. You can host a group party and ask others to join for celebrations. This will cut down your energy use as the costs of heating, lighting, and cooking will be shared between you and your guests.
If you’re hosting, you can also ask your guests to bring certain items, spreading the cost between you. This may be asking somebody else to bring dessert if one has cooked lunch. Thus, you can also save time and enjoy the Christmas together.
7. Find creative ways to stay cool
Running air conditioner to cool your home can rapidly escalate your energy bills. Switching your air conditioning system off and using fans to cool specific areas of your home whenever possible can greatly reduce cooling costs.
When you have to reach for the air-conditioner remote, avoid setting the temperature too low. The setting should be between 24° and 27°C, and increasing the temperature by just 1° can cut your cooling costs by 10 per cent. It might be worth installing a programmable thermostat for added convenience.
8. Reduce the Light of Your Outdoor Decoration
It’s great fun to hang outside lights on your home to get into the spirit- especially for the children. But a huge light display on the front of the house might give you an enormous shock when you come to open your electricity bill.
So, be aware of how many lights you are using and electricity needed for putting up that huge light up inflatable Santa Claus. Try to use LED lights outside wherever possible or solar powered decorations to conserve more energy and remember less is more.
Wrap Up
Following all these tips and tricks you can easily save energy and money this Christmas. No matter where or with whom you are celebrating your Christmas this year, these strategies will surely help you.
Moreover, if you want to make your home more energy efficient, take an energy assessment from a professional energy rating service provider like Superior Energy Rating and get the highest energy rating report.
