With energy prices on the rise, you may find yourself dreading the delivery of your next power bill. Don’t despair though, there are many ways in which you can lower your energy usage and eliminate those huge power bills:

– Heating and Cooling units use a lot of power, so try not to set them at extreme temperatures. 18 – 20 degrees is recommended in the cooler months and 20 – 24 is recommended in the warmer months. Every degree higher or lower increases the cost of energy usage by 10%.

– Turn off appliances at the power point instead of just the power switch on the unit.

– Hot water systems use a lot of power. Take shorter showers and turn hot water systems off if you’re going away on holidays.

– Close curtains and doors in the house to prevent sunlight entering and heating up the house in the summer months. A cooler home will mean you don’t rely on running expensive cooling systems.

– Ensure all gaps around doors are sealed. You can install foam strips around the inside of frames or use draught stoppers under doors. During the cooler months this will keep the cool air out and the warm air in, saving energy usage on running heating units.

– Replace the old style light globes with energy saving globes.

– When buying new appliances, check the energy rating. The higher the rating the lower the energy usage.

– Use the cold water settings when washing clothes in the washing machine. Heating the water for every load can use a lot of power.

– Use a clothesline instead of a power guzzling clothes dryer.