Around the home

The easy

• We adjusted the temperature on our fridge and checked the seals. We also made sure it wasn’t overstocked and we limited the amount of times we opened the fridge door
• We only filled the kettle with the water needed; we turned off unused lights, used lamps where possible and took showers together

The not so easy

• Switching off appliances at the wall in hard to reach areas was a bit difficult, but we used sticky notes to remind ourselves
• It was hard to switch to energy efficient globes because our dimmer switches require special globes that are quite expensive, we’ll need to purchase those at some point

What we learnt

We wanted to see how much we could save so we went all out. It was fun, and when there were spikes in the readings, we knew what they were.

The easy

• Our TVs and the computer are on a multi power adapter that automatically switches things off at the wall, so that was easy. We are used to using one TV at a time
• Closing the blinds and using a fan to cool the house was simple to do
• We already have energy efficient globes and we normally turn off unused lights

The not so easy

• We feel that eliminating TV altogether would be far too difficult, especially with our new Playstation games!
• We also found we had the TV on in the background without realising, and that’s something we could work on

What we learnt

We discovered that mum is always right! She always told us to switch appliances off at the wall and we didn’t realise how much it would affect our energy usage until now.

The centre of the atom (the nucleus) is comprised of neutrons and protons. Electrons travel around or, “orbit,” the outer edge of the atom. 

For electricity to be created, an electron has to be transferred from one atom to another. It's the flow of these electrons from one atom to another that creates electricity.

The easy

• Even though we have 3 kids, it was surprisingly easy to use just one TV at a time
• Using ECO mode on the dishwasher and washing our clothes in cold water was a straightforward change that seemed to make a big difference

The not so easy

• Switching appliances off standby mode was difficult in the lounge room as we have a lot of different cables that need to be sorted out
• We tried switching off the microwave when we weren’t using it, but the digital clock was sorely missed
• We had to keep reminding the kids to switch lights and appliances off at the wall and that was tough

What we learnt

Our son has a small fan by his bed that he likes to use when going to sleep, we realised that it was using a lot of power, so we had to rethink how we use it.

The easy

• We had fun only using one TV, and the kids really enjoyed our lights off night
• We adjusted the temperature of our fridge and freezer and checked the seals, which was easy
• It wasn’t too hot, so we opened our windows and used the ceiling fan instead of our air conditioner

The not so easy

• It was hard to break old habits of leaving appliances on standby
• Switching the radio off at the wall was a challenge because the kids love the background noise and it also meant we had to reprogram them each night

What we learnt

We were stunned by the amount of energy we had wasted in the past. The more we implemented the tips, the easier it got and we have settled on the tips we can easily maintain.

The easy

• We have an indoor clothesline so not using the dryer was pretty easy
• We kept an eye on the wall switches to make sure they were off, and turning off unused lights was a breeze
• Closing our windows and blinds and using fans worked well

The not so easy

• Our housemate who has the upstairs room found it hard not to use the air conditioner because it gets really hot up there
• At the start everyone got involved, but as the weeks went on, our involvement declined

What we learnt

Even though we didn’t do everything in our challenge, we were surprised because we’d saved more than we thought we would.

The easy

• The kitchen challenge was pretty straightforward; we checked our fridge seals, adjusted the temperature and only ran the dishwasher when it was full
• Only using one computer and getting out of the house instead of watching TV was relatively easy too

The not so easy

• In the hot weather, it was tricky not to use the air conditioner
• It was nearly impossible to get the kids to watch less TV, they weren’t happy and it probably wasn’t worth the grief at the end of the day

What we learnt

We noticed the affect different appliances had on our usage, like the computer and the TV. We could see the potential savings when we looked at our usage graphs and the savings were well worth the effort.

The easy

• I found switching appliances off at the wall really straightforward, with exception of a few hard to reach areas
• Checking the fridge temperature and seals was easy and using just enough water in the kettle was not difficult
• I switched to energy efficient globes and turned lights off that weren’t needed and used lamps instead of overhead lighting

The not so easy

• As it was pretty hot, I couldn’t do without the air conditioner
• I found it tricky to get access to the back of the fridge so I could dust it

What we learnt

It was interesting to see the difference each appliance makes, like the computer and the bread maker. I’m happy with the results and found it to be worth the effort. As a pensioner, saving money is important so I’ll definitely continue with these tips.