More Power Savers

In my last post, I provided some power saving tips – things that you can do for free to cut your power bills.  

In this postI’m going to look at things that have a cost but which generally pay back that cost by the power that you save.
 
Low energy lighting.
The no-extra-cost ideas from last month will save you more than enough to buy your first low-energy light bulbs.  LEDs are dropping quickly in price, they last a long time and a bulb of around 8 watts gives good light equivalent to a traditional 100 watt filament bulb, or a 25 watt fluorescent bulb.  Where possible avoid using the fluorescent light bulbs (the ones composed of small curly tubes).  They are quite fragile and contain mercury which makes them more hazardous to dispose of if you break them.  

LEDs can be bought pretty much wherever you buy lightbulbs.


Efficient Fridge Doors
Fridges and freezers can use a lot of power because they’re working 24hrs a day.  If choosing a new fridge, look for at least 3.5 stars on the energy efficiency label. Each extra star is an efficiency gain of about 10%.

Check the seals on upright fridge and freezer doors. They need to be tight enough to hold a piece of paper trapped in place when the door is closed.  If not put new seal on the doors.  Look for parts sources in Yellow Pages or ask at a retailer.

If you have an older fridge that runs  for long periods each day it may have a faulty thermostat –A recent survey found that about one in 5 older fridges did!  Unnecessary running could frost-damage food and run up excess bills. 
 

Stop whistling draughts.
Draughts can steal away up to 20% of the warm air from your home. Block up any open fireplaces with a chimney balloon or permanently with board or bricks and seal gaps in and around windows and  exterior doors. Hardware stores stock draught-stop strips, brushes and sealing caulks. You can make draught-stopper ‘sausages’ or ‘snakes’ to place at internal doors, from old scraps of fabric, stuffed with tights or cushion filling.
 

Cheap  DIY double-glazing  for windows.
Some of your windows might be suitable for using a plastic window insulation kit.  These are a clear plastic film, which you attach to the inside of the window frame using double-sided adhesive tape, and shrink the plastic to fit with a hair-dryer or fan heater.  You can find out more about the pros and cons of this at www.energywise.govt.nz