the handy little power saving guide - the ClimateSmart Home Service

THE HANDY LITTLE
POWER SAVING GUIDE

Information correct as at September 2011
Contents
Power saving checklist 1
It’s time to save on your bills 2
Your power saving plan is on its way 3
Keep track of your savings online 4
What is a plug-in power monitor? 5
Your stand-by eliminators 6
Your power saving light globes 7
Tariffs 8
Frequently asked questions 9
Next steps 10
INSTRUCTIONS 11
How to use your plug-in power monitor 12
Setting up your remote stand-by
eliminators 15
Reading your electricity meter 17

Power saving checklist
✓
ClimateSmart Home Service completed
Easy power saving actions completed (you’ll
find these on the post it notes the electrician
left behind)
Entered your email address into
My ClimateSmart Home so you receive the
latest information to help you save money on
your power bill (refer page 4 for instructions)
Check out the rest of your power saving
actions on My ClimateSmart Home and the
rebates and assistance available to help you
save even more power and money
1

2
It’s time to save on your bills
Congratulations on getting the ClimateSmart Home Service! You have taken the first
step to saving on your power bills. But there is still more you can do.
A ClimateSmart electrician has completed your household power assessment and
given you a couple of tips to start reducing your energy usage. Follow these tips to start
saving today.
The electrician has also supplied, where suitable, some energy efficient products
including:
• up to five Compact Fluorescent Light globes (CFLs),
• a power and water saving showerhead,
• a plug-in power monitor, and
• a set of four stand-by power eliminators with remote control.
This handy power saving guide shows you how to use these products to make
maximum savings. The power is now in your hands – it’s time to start saving!
Did you know?
Replacing one incandescent light globe with
a CFL could save as much as $12 a year in
electricity costs. Now that’s a bright idea!

Your power saving plan is on its way
Soon you will receive your very own customised Power Saving Plan, full of relevant tips
and information to help you save on power bills.
The Plan contains:
• a summary of the $$$ savings from your ClimateSmart Home Service and how much
extra you can save if you follow the actions in your plan,
• a list of actions you can take to reduce your power consumption,
• more information on the energy challenge for your household,
• My ClimateSmart Home portal login details, and
• a list of government initiatives and rebates to help you save even more.
How low can you go?
During your service, your electrician set
you a daily energy use challenge –
based on each person in your household
using 6kWh per day. This is just the start!
Use the actions in your plan and advice
given during the service to go below
this and you’ll be saving even more
power and money.
How low can you go?
3

You’ve had your service, you’ve got your Power Saving Plan but you want to find out
how to save even more on your power bills? Then it’s time to visit My ClimateSmart
Home!
My ClimateSmart Home is your personalised online savings tool giving you everything
you need to keep lowering your power bills and monitor your progress in the
ClimateSmart energy challenge. You get information on special offers and rebates
as well as great power saving tips to help your household to go as low as it can go!
My ClimateSmart Home – it’s fun, it’s easy and it’s just for you.
To access My ClimateSmart Home, go to www.climatesmarthome.com and follow the
links. Your personalised login details are included in your Plan.
4
Keep track of your savings online
“The My ClimateSmart Home website has even more power saving
tips tailored to our own household energy consumption habits. We’re
now more aware of where and how we are using power in our home.”
Samantha from Murarrie
www.climatesmarthome.com

What is a plug-in power monitor?
The ClimateSmart electrician has provided a plug-in power monitor to help you keep
tabs on your power consumption. Use the monitor around the home to get an idea of
how much electricity different appliances and gadgets use. By being more aware of
how much electricity, and ultimately how much money, an electrical appliance uses,
you will be able to make more informed choices about when to turn the device off and
unplug it when no one is using it.
By plugging the monitor between the socket and the appliance you want to measure,
you can see power/cost use details that will help you look at the efficiencies of the
appliance.
Did you know?
Every kilowatt-hour of electricity you use produces 1kg of carbon emissions.
5

Did you know that stand-by power consumes approximately 10 per cent of household
power? So, remembering to switch off your stand-by appliances at the wall is well
worth the effort. To help make this easier for you, we’ve installed a set of handy
stand-by power eliminators so that you can turn off appliances easily around your
home all by remote control.
How does it work?
During your service the electrician would have supplied and installed, where suitable,
four (4) stand-by eliminators around your home. Have a look around your home for
products that you often leave on stand-by because you simply forget to turn them
off or the power point is too hard to get to on a regular basis. This is where the four
stand-by eliminators should be installed. Simply plug them in and follow the step by
step instructions on page 15 to connect the eliminators with your remote control.
Once you’re set up, put your remote in a place where you will
see it each day to remind you to turn off your appliances on
stand-by. For some, it might be handy to turn off all appliances
on stand-by when you turn off the TV at night. If this is you then
leave your stand-by eliminator remote with your TV remote. For
others, the front door might be a better place so you see your
remote on the way out of your home. We’re all different so work
out what’s best for you.
6
Your stand-by eliminators
Did you know?
Turning off items on stand-by also helps safe-guard against
damage during storms and power surges, reducing fire risk
and extending your appliances’ lifespan.
To turn off all of your products simply hit the 'Power' button on your remote
and you’re done! It’s that simple.
Power

Your light globes
Your power saving light globes
The light globes provided during your service are energy efficient
compact fluorescent light globes (CFLs) and use much less energy
than standard incandescent light globes.
Your CFLs
CFLs use as little as 20 per cent of the energy of standard incandescent
light globes to produce the same amount of light. CFLs last much longer
than normal incandescent light globes with a life of up to 15,000 hours.
Your ClimateSmart CFLs are 15W warm white globes.
If the CFLs offered as part of the ClimateSmart Home Service are
unsuitable for your household’s light fittings other CFLs are available
from most lighting suppliers, hardware stores and major supermarkets.
CFLs come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, tones and wattages,
helping you to choose the level of brightness suitable for your rooms
and light fittings.
Colour range
The following CFL colour options are typically available from your local retailer:
:: Warm white – providing a soft, warm light comparable to light provided by
traditional incandescent light globes and supplied as part of the ClimateSmart
Home Service
:: Cool white – providing neutral light comparable to office lighting
:: Daylight – similar to outdoor light comparable to midday lighting conditions.
Breaks and disposals
CFLs can be disposed of in regular garbage bins, where the garbage goes to landfill.
However, when placing CFLs in the garbage, it is best to wrap them in a way that will
prevent them from breaking.
If the CFL does break, careful handling and disposal is recommended as a precaution as
CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury (5mg on average – equivalent to the tip of
a ball point pen) which is sealed in the glass tubing.
Quick Tip: If you’d like further information on disposal and cleaning up of
a broken CFL, please visit www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au or call the Queensland
Government Department of Environment and Resource Management on
1300 130 372.
7

What is a tariff?
A tariff is the unit cost of electricity charged by your electricity retailer. Did you know
that by connecting certain appliances to different tariffs based on their usage you can
potentially make significant savings on your power bills?
In Queensland, there are three main tariffs for domestic use:
Tariff 11 – Peak tariff
Tariff 11 is the most common electricity unit cost as it provides a continuous supply of
power. For this reason it is charged at a higher supply rate and is used for all lights and
power points throughout your home.
Tariff 31 – Off-peak tariff
Commonly referred to as the ‘Super Economy Plan’ or ‘Night Rate’, Tariff 31 is the most
cost effective tariff and is up to 60 per cent cheaper than Tariff 11. However, electricity is
only available at low demand times (generally between the hours of 10pm and 7am).
Tariff 31 is perfect for homes that have a large electric hot water system (minimum
250 litres) which only requires heating at night.
Tariff 33 – Off-peak tariff
Commonly referred to as the ‘Economy Plan’ or ‘Controlled Supply’, Tariff 33 provides
household electricity for at least 18 hours a day. The time of supply is dictated by your
electricity provider and is generally outside of the peak morning and evening consumption
times when we use electricity the most.
As a result, Tariff 33 is up to 40 per cent cheaper than Tariff 11. Tariff 33 is perfect for
appliances and electrical equipment that don’t require constant or permanent power, such
as, storage water heating systems (including solar, electric and heat pump water heaters)
and swimming pool filters.
8
Your light globes
Tariffs

Frequently asked questions
Stand-by eliminators
Can I install the stand-by eliminators on multiple levels of my home?
The stand-by eliminators will work as long as the remote is within 20 metres of the
stand-by eliminator.
I usually have my appliances plugged into a surge protection adapter, will this still
protect my appliances during a storm?
The stand-by eliminators provided as part of the service have surge protection which is
designed to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes such as those which can occur
during a storm. Please note that like other surge protection products, once the surge
protection has been exhausted it won’t protect against any further surges. You will be
able to tell when the surge protection has been exhausted as the green light on your
eliminator will cease to glow. In this instance, you may need to connect your appliances
to an adaptor or power board with surge protection and plug this into the stand-by
eliminator to continue to protect your appliances.
Can I plug a power board with multiple appliances connected to it into the stand-by
power eliminator?
It is recommended that you don’t exceed a maximum amount of 1,600 Watts for each
stand-by eliminator. If you have multiple appliances connected to a power board that
collectively exceed this amount and you connect it to the stand-by eliminator, you
will damage the stand-by eliminator and this type of damage is not covered under the
product warranty. Be sure to check the power requirements of your appliances before
connecting them to the stand-by eliminators.
Does my product warranty include replacement batteries?
No. The warranty on your stand-by eliminators and remote covers faults with the
products only, not the batteries.
If there is a power outage or I remove the batteries from my remote will I need to
re-program my eliminators?
You will not need to re-program your eliminators if you remove the batteries from
your remote, however if an eliminator is pulled out of the main power outlet or there
is a power outage then you will need to re-program one or all of your eliminators. For
instructions on how to re-program your eliminators please see page 15.
Visit www.climatesmarthome.com
for a full list of FAQs about your service.
9

10
Next steps
Look out for your customised Power Saving Plan that will be arriving in the mail with your
My ClimateSmart Home login details.
Be sure to log in and keep your contact details up-to-date, so we can let you know about
government rebates and initiatives to help you save even more!
Take the next step to being even more ClimateSmart and help a friend save on power
bills by encouraging them to book an appointment by calling 133 600 or visiting
www.climatesmarthome.com

INSTRUCTIONS
11

12
How to use your
plug-in power monitor
To get the best out of your power monitor please
follow the instructions below:
Step 1 - Plug the power monitor into the wall socket
where the appliance you wish
to monitor will be used.
Step 2 - Plug the appliance into the socket on the
power monitor. Once the socket is switched
on the display will activate
(Figure 1.0a).
Step 3 - Press the Power key (Figure 1.0a) to
display the current power consumption
being used by the appliance. Press the
Cost key (Figure 1.0a) to display the total
electricity cost and total number of units
kWh used by the appliance.
To reset the display press and hold the
Function key (Figure 1.0b) for 4 seconds or
unplug the monitor.
NOTE: If the red light on your monitor flashes
while there is an appliance plugged into it,
you should remove the appliance immediately.
This is the overload light and indicates that the
appliance's electricity consumption is too high
for the monitor to read.
4 seconds
Figure 1.0a
Figure 1.0b

Setting the unit charge of electricity
The plug-in monitor requires the cost per kWh charged by your electricity supplier to
be programmed to provide you with beneficial results. Your electrician has already
programmed the Queensland average $/kWh on your monitor for you. If you need to
change the measurement follow the steps below:
Step 1 - Press the Cost key and Function key down at the same time (Figure 2.0a).
Step 2 - The cost ($/kWh) will flash. Use the arrows (Figure 2.0b) to set your average
unit charge. The electrician will have set this at $0.23kWh. When the cost per kWh
setting is completed, press the Function key to exit.
Press at
same time
Arrows
Figure 2.0a Figure 2.0b
13

Switching Functions
Use the Function key (Figure 2.0a) to switch between the different display options. You
can move between: total running time, power consumption, voltage, current highest
power consumption, lowest power consumption, frequency, unit price charge, total kWh
consumption and total electricity charge. Please see below for an explanation of each of
these functions.
:: Total running time – The total time since the energy monitor was last reset
(Please see page 12 for reset instructions).
:: Power consumption – This will show you the current power the appliance is
consuming in Watts (unit of electricity).
:: Lowest power consumption – Appliances can fluctuate in wattage (especially
when they are first switched on). To see the lowest power consumption of a single
appliance use this function.
:: Highest power consumption – Appliances can fluctuate in wattage (especially
when they are first switched on). To see the highest power consumption of a single
appliance use this function.
:: Frequency – This will show you the power supply frequency. For Australia this is
approximately 50Hz.
:: Unit price charge – This will show the programmed cost per kWh.
If you wish to change this price please refer to page 13 of this guide.
:: Total kWh consumption – This function will show the total power consumption since
the energy monitor has been reset (see page 12), or since any single appliance has
been plugged in and switched on.
:: Total electricity charge – This function will show the total kWh consumption by the
unit price charged to get you the total cost in dollar/s the appliance has consumed
(You can also use the cost button to show this function – Figure 2.0b).
Plug-in monitor specifications
14
Model Name/Number: kD-302L
Voltage: 90-250V VAC
Rating: 100-240V AC/2400W MAx.

Setting up your remote
stand-by eliminators
To program your remote stand-by eliminators simply
follow the steps below.
Plug an eliminator into a power point (main power
outlet) and turn the power point on. The LED light on
the eliminator (Figure 3.0a) will flash steadily.
Select and press one of the ON/OFF buttons on the
remote control (Figure 3.0b) that you would like paired
with the eliminator that you’ve just plugged in.
Hold the ON/OFF button down for two (2) seconds.
The LED light on the eliminator will then flash rapidly
for a further two (2) seconds.
Once the light stops flashing the eliminator has
been successfully paired with the ON/OFF button on
the remote. You can now control the power to this
eliminator and any appliance connected to it by using
the remote control.
ON - OFF
ON - OFF
ON - OFF
We’ve included stickers with your eliminators so
Max. Load 240W
Max. Load 240W
Max. Load 240W
you can number them. Put a number sticker (1-4) on
each eliminator to correspond with its number on
the remote. This will help you to remember which
eliminator is linked to which button on your remote.
Repeat these steps for all eliminators in the set.
1 x A23
Figure 3.0
If an eliminator is pulled out of the main power outlet or there is a
power outage, you will need to repeat the steps above to re-program
one or all of your eliminators.
Press the corresponding ON/OFF button on the remote control to turn the power to
the appliance/device on or off. You can also use the ON/OFF button on the eliminator
to operate the appliance/device.
To turn the power off to all eliminators, press the Power button at the top of the remote.
ON - OFF
Max. Load 240W
Eliminator
Flashing Signal
a.
ON/OFF
Buttons
Remote
Power Button
b. ALL
OFF
ON 1 OFF
ON 2 OFF
ON 3 OFF
ON 4 OFF
15

Decoding
To decode an individual eliminator, press and hold the ON/OFF button on the remote for
three (3) seconds. The LED light on the eliminator will flash steadily at which point the
decoding is complete.
To decode multiple eliminators, press and hold the Power button on the remote control
for three (3) seconds. The LED light on the eliminators will flash steadily at which point
the decoding is complete.
Specifications
16
Voltage 240vac- / 50hz
Rating 240Vac / 2400W Max.
Learning Code > 1 Million
Remote Frequency 4.33.92 MHz
Remote Range 20 Metres
Code Setting Learning
ON/OFF Indicate LED
Battery Type L1028 * 1-12V DC Alkaline
Includes surge protection

Reading your electricity meter
Your household electricity meter can be used to calculate your daily electricity
consumption. To work out your daily consumption from your meter reading, follow
these steps:
1. Add up all readings from each meter (each meter is calculating a separate tariff).
2. Repeat this step again 24 hours after your first reading.
3. Find the difference between the two totals. This is your daily electricity
consumption in kWh. The personal and household energy challenge provided
in your Power Saving Plan is in kWh so it can be accurately tracked against this.
Note: Some meter boxes for units/apartments may be centrally located outside.
Dial meters
A dial meter is the most common type of meter. To read the dial meter, follow the
steps below:
1. Stand in front of the meter so you can see the exact position of the pointer on
each dial.
2. Start with the first dial on the left and identify the two numbers the pointer is
between and record the lowest number. If the pointer is between nine (9) and
zero (0) then you must record the number as nine (9).
Note: Remember to write this number down and multiply it by the factor
below the dial. For example Figure 4.0. The first dial on the left reads
1 x 10,000=10,000.
3. Repeat this step for each dial in
the meter, reading the dials from
left to right.
4. Your meter reading is the
record of each of these
numbers consecutively
from left to right.
The reading from the dials above is 16142 The rea
Figure 4.0
17
kW.h

Odometer meters
If your electricity meter resembles the odometer of a car (Figure 4.1), simply record the
numbers displayed.
kW.h 0 0
9 0
0 0
2
1 8 2
1 8
g from the dials above is 16142 The reading on the display above is 28
The reading on the display above
.h 0 0
9 0
0 0
Electronic meters
Your electronic meters may provide two (2) separate consumption readings. For example,
your hot water system consumption and your lights and remaining power.
Electronic meters scroll through various display screens. The smaller number on the left
of the screen is the Display Identifier.
To obtain your consumption readings, record the numbers displayed when the Identifier
01 appears and when the Identifier 30 appears (Figure 4.2).
0
0
2
1 8 2
1 8
reading on the display above is 28
330 30
0
0
1 Wh/Imp
Figure 4.1
0000000 0000000 0000000 0000000 0000000 9999999
S kW
h
A B C D 2 1
Ripple
Total Switch
The reading on the display above is 9
Display Identifier
Figure 4.2
330 30
1 Wh/Imp
0000000 0000000 0000000 0000000 0000000
S kW
h
A B C D 2 1
Ripple
Total Switc