Put the freeze on sizzling summer power bills

SUMMER is less than a week away, which means skyrocketing electricity bills for many households … which means angry consumers.

Airconditioning is usually the most expensive drain on summer power bills, and cutting cooling costs delivers big savings, but energy efficiency specialists say there are other ways to ease the financial pain.

National Electrical and Communications Association chief executive Suresh Manickam said huge advances in technology in recent years could help homes be more energy efficient.

“The first step is getting an energy efficiency audit,” he said. “Many electricians are trained for this so speak to your local sparky or visit yourenergysavings.gov.au to find an accredited provider.”

Mr Manickam said installing LED lighting was another great way to save.

“The Government estimates the switch to energy efficient lighting reduces costs by 50 per cent,” he said.

“Considering lighting consumes up to 15 per cent of the average household electricity budget, that’s a big saving.”

Research by Canstar Blue has found that a typical splitsystem airconditioner costs between 25c and 95c an hour to run, so for a home using it for six hours a day over summer the cost can be more than $500.

It says people should clean their airconditioner filters to potentially reduce running costs by up to 15 per cent, and where possible should avoid using an oven “which is practically a room heater”.

Cooking on the barbecue will avoid heating up kitchens, while using the clothes line rather than a dryer can save more than $150 over summer.

Queensland Consumers Association spokesman Ian Jarratt said people could try using their airconditioner’s economy mode, if it had one, and use extra fans to circulate cool air around rooms.

“Do not set the airconditioner at a very low temperature. Every degree set below 24 degrees increases power consumption by about 10 per cent,” Mr Jarratt said.