With electricity costs spiralling out of control, Australians need to do everything possible to cut down on their household bills. Reducing the amount of electricity used in your home is a great idea, because this not only lowers your power bills, but also helps to save the environment.

Here are 7 tips that might help you to make a significant dent in your power bills.

Switch to LED lighting

With lighting now costing up to 15% of your electricity bills, LED lights are proving to be worth their weight in gold. These bulbs are 80% more efficient than incandescent bulbs and easily last up to 20 times longer as well. Even with the higher cost of LEDs, their efficiency and lifespan make them a sure winner!

Install Dimmer Switches

These are really effective at reducing your power usage, when using LED bulbs in particular, because if you dim an LED bulb to 50% of its full brightness, you will use 50% less power. Incandescent bulbs however, are not as efficient when dimmed, because they work most efficiently at 100% brightness. Your best option is to replace all incandescent bulbs with LED equivalents and then install dimmer switches.

Turn Your Hot Water Heater Down

If you use electricity to heat your water, you already know that the hotter the temperature of your water, the more electricity is used in your home. It pays to ask an electrician to check your hot water system’s thermostat, because reducing it by at least 5 degrees can save you a significant amount of money on your power bills.

Purchase Energy Efficient Appliances

We all know that energy efficient appliances save money on our electricity bills. However, this doesn’t mean that you should throw everything out and replace them all today! It simply means that when your appliances need to be replaced or when buying brand new appliances, it’s best to opt for the most energy efficient models.

Get a Programmable Thermostat

If you have central air conditioning or heating and use a thermostat to control your home’s internal temperature, you can save money on your bills by changing the settings. A workable solution is to switch the A/C or heating off when you are at work or even during the night, but if that doesn’t work for you, then simply reduce the temperature slightly to help save on your power bills.

Wash Your Clothes in Cold Water

When you use hot water to wash your clothes, your washing machine doesn’t use your home’s hot water, it heats the water itself. This costs you a fortune, because most of the electricity used by your machine is used to heat the water! Try washing in cold water for a while and use a laundry detergent that is designed for cold water washes.

Find the Best Value Energy Retailer

Comparing electricity providers is one of the best steps you can take to reduce your power bills and many people have found much better deals with another company. With a quick Google search, you should be able to find a comparison site for all the electricity providers in your area, following up with a few phone calls to lock in the best deal. Or visit https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ to get more tips on switching providers.

For more information on installing LED lighting, dimmer switches, programmable thermostats or any other electrical services, please contact MBE on 1300 862 796.