How much power this buys you

Understanding the cost of running household appliances is tricky. Sophie Elsworth breaks down your electricity bill

BREAKING down energy costs into $1 chunks can help Australians get a clearer understanding of how much power they munch through.

Soaring energy costs continue to hit householders’ hip pockets, but a new analysis by industry body Energy Networks Australia has crunched exactly what a dollar gets you.

The analysis, based on a flat retail contract electricity tariff of 30c/kWh with no discounts, shows that $1 will pay for:

• Three dishwasher loads.

• One year of phone charging.

• Toasting 160 slices of bread.

• Two-to-three days of running your fridge.

• Two hours of heating or cooling using a split-system airconditioner.

• Twenty hours using a ceiling or portable fan.

• One or two medium loads of washing in a clothes dryer.

• 15 minutes in the shower.

• 20 hours of TV.

• One roast dinner.

ENA chief executive officer Andrew Dillon said the cost breakdown gave consumers a simple understanding of their energy consumption.

“The type of appliance you use and how you use it can have a significant impact on your power bills,” he said. “For example, a fan can use one-tenth the electricity of a split-system airconditioner, and running an airconditioner at 24C consumes much less power than lower temperatures.” The Department of the Environment and Energy’s

Australian Energy Update 2019 report shows households are reducing their energy consumption – a result of higher electricity prices and more energy-efficient practices, appliances and housing.

It found retail electricity prices rose by 12 per cent in 201718 but just 0.5 per cent in 2018-19.

Alinta Energy executive director of retail Jim Galvin said many Australians were not aware of appliance running costs and urged people to be “aware of the time of day you are using energy”.

“In most jurisdictions there are peak periods and off-peak periods so some of the appliances in the house are discretionary as to when you run them, such as pool pumps, washing machines, dishwashers,” he said.

“They really should be used during the off-peak periods and that information is on customers’ bills. From 8pm to 6am is usually off-peak so there’s a saving in that regard.”

Powershop chief customer officer Catherine Anderson said one of the best ways to reduce energy bills was to “understand how much things cost”.

“Appliances on standby can be up to 10 per cent of household energy usage,” she said.

“Simply going around the house and turning things off at the power point, this can make quite a difference to your bills.”

“Wait until your washing machine and dishwasher are full before you put them on.”

‘From 8pm to 6am is usually off-peak, so there’s a saving’

Alinta Energy’s Jim Galvin