For as long as I can remember I’ve been interested in saving electricity - whether I was paying the bills or not. As they’ve been in my name for a few years now, I’ve taken several steps toward energy nirvana - producing all of my power on-site. My current project involves helping my parents to reach the same point; which they should do so this year. Of course, even if you only do a few of these things you’ll reduce your electricity usage substantially. Here’s what we have in mind, or 7 ways you can massively reduce your electricity bills.

Starting usage

With only two of them in the house, their starting usage is a little below average. For the purposes of this article, however, I’ll be looking at an average daily consumption of 20kWh. This is roughly the current level in much of the US.

1. Habits

The simplest place to start is with small lifestyle changes such as ‘switching lights off when you’re not using them‘ and ‘using your kettle efficiently‘ (more on that here). Naturally, there are many, many others - the general idea here is to use less electricity. How much will this save? Obviously it depends on the changes you make, but somewhere around 3kWh per day is reasonable.

2. Appliances

Image from energyrating.gov.au
Closely following the habits change is the use of electricity-friendly appliances wherever possible. The next time you find yourself considering a new television or fridge, take note of the efficiency labels. Once again, these small changes will help you to consume less electricity (not to mention save money). How much will this save? Somewhere around 0.5kWh. If you’re a gadget freak (it can’t be just me), you can easily double this.

3. Solar panels on the roof

Image from bkusler
For most people, this is the big one. A 1kW system is fairly typical; but it is easy enough to make use of a smaller or larger setup than this. I’ll look closely at the setup of these in a future piece (including how to make one - much, much cheaper); but for now, take it as a simple way to dramatically reduce your electricity bills. How much will this save? A typical setup will knock around 5-8kWh (per day) off your electricity bill.

4. Wind turbine

Image from Eidoloon
As with the solar panels, wind turbines are reasonably easy to construct (and again - it’s much cheaper doing it this way) and can have a big impact on your electricity bills. Around here (Sydney, Australia) a 0.5kW setup is fairly typical; and smaller and larger setups are available. How much will this save? Somewhere around 2kWh per day.

5. Insulation

Image from Kiwiswiss
Keeping your home nice and warm or pleasantly cool is not only comfortable to live in, it’s financially rewarding when done right. The ‘right‘ way, naturally, is to soundly insulate your home. Think of it this way : each time your house becomes uncomfortably hot or cold, the air-conditioner or heater comes on to try and restore the balance. The less this needs to be done, the lower your electricity bills (usually by quite a large amount). Insulation takes many forms, but the general idea is to limit the energy a house loses through the walls, windows and roof. Think ceiling batts, draft excluders and double-glazed windows. NB : habits can also play a significant role here. Actions such as closing the curtains at night can really help out. How much will this save? Heating and cooling a home typically makes up 20-30% of a residential electricity bill, or 4-6kWh in this case.

6. Solar heating

Image from mrbill
There are two forms of solar heating which are commonly used - water and pool heating. The first has been widely used for a number of years; the second is slightly more recent, and only applies to pool owners. If you’ve got one, you know just how great it can be. Solar water heating : this involves a simple panel system on the roof of your house, connected to your existing water tank. Water is passed through a series of pipes in the rooftop panels, heated, and sent back to the insulated tank ready for use. How much will this save? Somewhere around 0.5kWh (per day) is common. Solar pool heating : this comes in several forms; often a pool cover which traps heat in small pockets of gas (like a giant layer of bubblewrap). This can add several degrees (C) to your pool’s water; giving you an extra couple of months’ good swimming weather. How much will this save? Other forms of pool heating are quite expensive to maintain and run, and a saving of around 0.25kWh (per day) is typical.

7. Other

Image from Motorwave
I’m leaving the last point open for the many electricity-generating devices that are sure to hit the market in the near future. These range from the current methods of converting human movement (take a look at the sustainable gym, and the in-sole batteries) to the many ways to use solar and wind power around the home. The next 12 months should be very bright indeed.

What’s the total reduction?

I’ll have the exact figures later this year, but based on the above examples : 20 -3 -0.5 -8 -2 -5 -0.5 -0.25 = 0.75 kWh per day. It’s a sunny, windy block; so I’d expect the solar and wind production to be far greater than this (the excess is simply sold back to the power company). All-in-all, it’s looking good.

Final thoughts on massively reducing your electricity bills

Regardless of your starting point, the above changes should dramatically reduce your electricity bills - bringing them down to zero in many cases. Although a few of these items may seem incredibly expensive at first glance, they certainly don’t need to be. In particular - the rooftop solar paneling and wind turbines. Over the next few months I’ll take a close look at the way to construct both of these items.

It really isn’t as difficult as you think.

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Scott Bird is a writer and fitness enthusiast based in sunny Sydney, Australia. When not wandering around second-hand book stores, he can usually be found over at his strength-training site, Straight to the Bar.

Tags: Green Living //