In Australia nearly all electricity is made by burning coal. Did you know that for every kWh of electricity used from coal fired power stations, we push 1kg of CO2 into the atmosphere. This act helps increase the temperature in the atmosphere by trapping ultra-violet radiation.

Any idea how much 1 kWh is? Well it’s a 100W light left on for 10 hours, an electric jug boiling water for 1 hour, a clothes dryer turned on for 3 hours.Any idea how many kWh’s you burn each year in your household?  Have a look at the reverse side of your electricity accounts for a 12 month period. Don’t be surpised if your household used 16,000 kWh’s for the year.  This is about the amount many households in Australia use. 

Do you think it’s a good thing for many of us to generate 16 Tonnes of CO2 each year…
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The amount of electricity and gas we use each year in our homes relates very much to the climate zone we live in, our personal comfort needs, the electrical and gas appliances we have selected and most of all our knowledge of energy use and how it can provide greater benefits to us than most of us presently consider.

Where does most of our energy use in the home go? Well for the most part HOT WATER takes most of our energy requirements, or if we are located in a very hot or very cold area our coolers and heaters will be the primary energy guzzlers. Most average size families can expect to use 220L of hot water a day throughout the year. Converted to kWH’s this is 6000 p.a. or 25MJ of gas.

A most efficient way to heat water is to consider using the sun. Either through HEAT PUMPS or SOLAR WATER HEATERS. AT least then the amount of energy we need to use will only be a supplement to the environment.

Other primary users of electricity include pool pumps, water beds, fridges, lights and air conditioners.

Tips for reducing the energy used in pool pumps and water beds is to consider the time they need to be operating. Most pool pumps can be switched for many hours a day, likewise water bed heaters need only be on for part of the day to retain their heat. Think also of the possible health benefits of not having the heater on when you are asleep on it.

Lights are something that many forget. Take a look at the lighting in your home and ask yourself what wattage are the lamps, do they produce enough light, do I have to change the lamps frequently, is the colour of light they emit the optimum colour for the situation. Are lights left on unnecessarily or are they a problem to turn on and off? Click here to look at different lighting solutions.

If houses are built that don’t create a certain level of comfort for its occupants there is every likelihood that air conditioning or some form of ancilliary heating or cooling will be installed. Should this occur then not only is unnecessary energy being used but more will be used had the house reached a reasonable level of Energy Efficiency.

For this reason many Governments and Local Councils in Australia are implementing Energy Efficiency Policies to assist builders/designers and owners create structures that will reach minimum standard of energy efficiency. The more energy efficient a dwelling the more comfortable it should be and if additional heating or cooling should be required then the energy needed to create reasonable standards of comfort will be minimized.NatHERS is the National Home Energy Rating software used to rate a home out of a maximum 5 stars. Most Councils accept a house as energy efficient if it reaches a 3.5 star rating.

Structural features of a home including its orientation, wall type, roof type and colour and insulation installed in walls, ceilings and roof all feature in creating an energy efficient home.

Partners offers HOME ENERGY RATINGS to meet Council requirements.

Probably the best kept secret in Australia for heating water is the QUANTUM HEAT PUMP . Developed some 20 years in Australia and still owned and made in this country the QUANTUM uses a refrigeration process (Heat Pump) to produce very cost effectively and consistently, hot water for both domestic and commercial purposes.

Typically you would expect to find that an average family’s hot water needs would be reduced from 25kWh’s / day for an electric water heater to only 4 kWh’s / day using a QUANTUM. This is means a saving of over 7 Tonnes of CO2 p.a.The water has an upper limit of 60oC.

Today we have many forms of lighting. From very inexpensive to buy, incandescent lamps through to very expensive to buy, low voltage dichroic lamps. Is it the purchase price of the lamp that is significant or should we perhaps look more closely at the running costs, amount of electricity needed to light an area, the replacement periods and costs and indeed the purposes for which it is intended.Primary lamp types include:

• INCANDESCENT
• FLUORESCENT
• COMPACT FLUORESCENT
• DICHROIC

All of these lamps have different uses, costs and light outputs. Indeed within each lamp category there may be significant variation in light output colour and lumens.

For allround functionality in the home consider using compact fluorescents with suitable fittings. Purchasing the right brand, colour rendition and wattage may mean that your lamp will put out the right colour and quantity of light for 10 years or more and not require replacement. Yes it will cost more than an incandescent lamp to buy but will provide much longer life and produce very much less Greenhouse Gases than it.

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