Selwyn Times: June 27, 2018

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[Edition datE]
Simple ways to keep the
winter power bills down
without compromising your homes comfort!
The cold snaps mean higher power bills
as we snuggle up in front of heating to
keep warm but there are easy ways to lower
your power bill without compromising on
comfort, according to EECA Energywise.
Technical expert Christian Hoerning
says recent research* indicates there are
still about 12 million incandescent light
bulbs in New Zealand homes – which, if
replaced with energy efficient bulbs would
reduce household energy bills.
“You can run an energy efficient
television for the same price as one
incandescent bulb – these bulbs are
outdated technology. LEDs use up to 85%
less energy than standard incandescent
light bulbs for the same light output and
each bulb you replace will cost you $20 a
year.”
Mr Hoerning says the price of LED bulbs
has dropped dramatically.
“Look out for specials as low as $4 a
bulb.”
Hot water is another area where people
can make serious savings, according to Mr
Hoerning. He says the research, carried
out by BRANZ, shows about 46% of houses
surveyed had showers with high flow rates.
“This isn’t about having a lousy shower.
You get a very comfortable shower with
a flow rate of 9 litres a minute. A family
of three with a 12 litre per minute shower
could save over $200 a year by reducing
that to 9 litres per minute.”
If your shower fills a 10 litre bucket in
less than a minute, it’s wasting water, Mr
Hoerning says. He advises inserting a lowcost
shower flower restrictor or getting a
new, efficient shower head.
Other top tips:
• Use cold washes - unless you
have an especially dirty load.
Modern washing machines
and detergents clean well
using cold water. A hot water
wash can use 10 times more
electricity than a cold wash.
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• If you have a heated towel rail, only
use it when needed. A heated towel rail
left on 24/7 can cost you $170 per year to
run. You can buy timers for towel rails that
come on automatically at certain times of
the day.
• If you have a second fridge only to
chill a few drinks, it could cost you $200 a
year to run if it’s an old, inefficient model.
Consider turning it off or getting rid of it.
For more information on energy
saving tips for around your home visit
www.eeca.co.nz:
*Health Condition Survey: Analysis of energy
efficiency data. Report prepared for the Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).