I've been pleasantly pleased at the figures on our water invoice lately but there are always more things I could do to reduce water use even further.
- Reduce the number of loads of washing done in a fortnight.
- Wash vegetables and fruit in a sink or bowl of water rather than running water.
- Consider ways to reuse cooking water that has only been used for boiling (perhaps use this for garden watering?)
Our electricity bill, on the other hand, has gone from bad to worse. Over Summer Rhys used the air conditioner in our bedroom almost non-stop. This left us with a bill of $320. Since then I'd made a huge effort to turn off lights, and to turn off appliances at the wall, including the microwave, when not in use. So when we got our next bill I was horrified to find that our electricity usage hadn't gone down... it had actually risen so we were paying $430.
We are not entirely sure what to attribute the huge jump to.
It could be Rhys' heavy use of a bar heater that he said sucks energy like a leech or the addition of 3 computers to the household (ontop of our existing 2), all running 24-7. Or it could be that I've actually started cooking rather than just occasionally using the microwave. Our stove and oven run on electricity so with the amount of cooking and baking I've been doing compared to the previous lack of any cooking at all could be a contributing factor.
Ways that I could reduce the use of electricity in our house:
- Get a second powerboard with switches to use for the game consoles and TV so they're not always on standby.
- Hurry up and finish knitting a blanket for Rhys so he won't use the bar heater.
- Find a less power-hungry alternative to the bar heater for those times when it's too cold without some kind of heating source.
- Talk to Rhys' parents about getting insulation put into the house - a good time considering the government grants available.
- Try to convince Rhys to get rid of his 2nd computer which seems to serve no good purpose (though I'm sure he'll tell me there is one!)
Take a look at your water heater too. Many water heaters in Australia are electric, and if you're looking to take advantage of Government incentives, maybe changing water heaters for either solar or gas would be possible?
ReplyDeleteAlso, speaking of gas, can you get a gas cooker / stove installed? I know it's a big outlay, but gas stoves use less energy than electric, are cleaner in the long run than electric (unless your stove is powered by photo-voltaic cells), and are easier to cook with (in my opinion).
Our electricity is up a little and I think it could be because i have had the iron on while sewing a LOT. It could also be marks computer, though we both turn the computers off at night.
ReplyDeleteFor me, living with a gas/electricity combo was much more expensive. You end up with 2 connection fees + usage... not cheaper in my opinion. (I also prefer to cook with electricity)
For heating in marks room we bought a Mica Heater (part convection part radiant, quick and cheap heat - about 50% cheaper than an oil heater) - Big W have the Midea brand for just over $100. The house has wood heating, and I heat up a wheat bag for my feet at night.
I'll be very interested in our water bill since it has been turned off for months and we've been using purely rain water :D
Ken - very good point about water heater... I didn't even think of it. Both Rhys and I are guilty of having much hotter showers in Winter than other months. Rhys also lingers in the shower. It certainly must add to the electricity bill in part. I'd love to install stuff in the house but it's Rhys' parent's place (we rent) and though we have much more leeway than usual rentals, I still doubt that they'll replace the new electric stove with a gas one on our account! :(
ReplyDeleteKelly - Serious? You use rain water even for drinking? Is there a filter system on the kitchen piping for it? I'm sorry we missed out on the big government grants on water tanks...
Sometimes being in a rental is so frustrating - even when it's a family rental. There's a lot I'd like to do to the house - knock down a dilapidated shed, put in water tanks, install solar panels. Cut can't. :(
I have a cute little ceramic heater for use in winter when I want to sew. It actually heats up really nicely.
ReplyDeleteAnd apparently the PS3 when on standby sucks the most power of all consoles. So I have been making an effort to turn mine off when I am not using it. And since I have two computer and one is just for gaming, storage and watching my Region 1 DVDs etc, It is normally turned off. Hopefully I am saving out power bill. Though I really should considering that I have trouble sleeping and end up watching late night TV with the timer on so that it turns off after I go to sleep. But hey, better something than nothing.
Rhys/Cat? - Yes even drink it. It goes through the tank and pump filters (just mesh), and then our pura-tap. Tastes great. I grew up on rain water with no filter living with my parents - just outside a town on a steep hill with no mains connection, so we had to be careful with water.
ReplyDeleteBiggest problem is you still have to pay water connection and sewerage. Bill will still be around $90 even though I haven't used any mains water!