Cultivate energy saving habits

Energy saving habits are easy to learn. By changing your daily habits, you can save resources and money and reduce your contribution to global warming.

The cost of energy is rising and the threats posed by climate change are increasing. However, with just a bit of effort, the average household can reduce its energy use by about one-third – and save money on energy bills at the same time. The energy efficiency of the latest technology is improving and using common sense, we can significantly reduce our energy use.

How to do it now!

Adjust your daily habits to save tonnes of CO2 (and dollars) going into the atmosphere every day…

Some habits to get you started…

Switch off all lights when you don't need them.
Switch off all electrical appliances when not in use - Standby power accounts for about 12% of the average home’s energy use, so turn it off at the power point to save energy and money!
Turn down your thermostat & put on a jumper - Turning it down by just 1°C can save you up to 10% on your heating bill.
Use pot lids when cooking - Keep lids on pans when cooking and reduce the energy required.
Cold drink of water - Keep drinking water in the fridge instead of letting the tap water run for a few moments before the water becomes cold.
Drying your clothes - Let clothes dry naturally on the clothesline rather than using a tumble drier.
Avoid disposable batteries - Use mains electricity rather than batteries if possible. If not, use rechargeable batteries.

To learn a new habit requires a couple of simple steps...

Decide as a household the habits you’re going to establish and ensure everyone is onboard.
Set up reminders (eg: notes on the fridge, light switches, etc). Empower the kids to dob you in (they'll love that).
Do the habit consciously for a week, then two, then it should be established and your subconscious will keep it going.
At the end of each energy billing period note the saving and reward yourselves.

For some further reading on energy saving tips visit these websites:

ClimateSmart Home Service is designed to help Queenslanders reduce their home’s carbon footprint. It lets you see your power use and where it's being wasted, so you can find easy savings of up to $325 on your power bills every year.
Envirosaver Home Health Check
Energy Star Australia
Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Phillip Dare - Sustainability home assessments & green home loans.

Why is this action important?

Science is telling us that we need to live more sustainably – more in tune with nature. In order for humans to establish a sustainable civilisation we must mimic and aspire to the efficiencies found in nature. This action is intended to engage people to understand the effect of their behaviour in terms of their long term returns (financial, environmental and intergenerational). Through our actions, we will better understand that living sustainably does not mean living in a cold, dark place, but merely making a few simple changes to our daily lives.

Related actions

Environment

By reducing our energy use, we directly reduce our contribution to climate change and start to shift our thinking towards "how we can support nature" rather than blithely assuming nature will provide all.

Wellbeing

Climate change resulting from greenhouse gas emissions is projected to adversely affect the health of millions of people throughout the world with increases in malnutrition, increased deaths, disease and injury from heatwaves, floods, storms, fires and droughts, increases in diarrhoeal disease, increased frequency of cardio-respiratory disease due to worsening air quality and altered distribution of some disease vectors (Department of Human Services, Oct 2007).