Wacky ways to save on energy

Everyone wants to save energy (and save money on their electricity bill). But often the best energy saving tips require a bit of thinking outside the box.

Here are six wacky ways to save energy. Remember: good things come to those who eat raw foods.

1. Block your fireplace

If you’re feeling cold during the winter months, it could be because there’s a huge hole in your roof that is letting in the chilly night air. While a fireplace is lovely and warm when lit, once the flames go out it can force your heater to work a lot harder than it needs to. Block your fireplace using a transparent shield like a Heatsaver to keep the hot air in and the cold air out.

2. Only use the garage door when you’re putting the car in

Nowadays, more and more houses are being fitted with automatic garage doors. However, we often forget about how much power these contraptions actually use. Avoid entering your house through the garage if you aren’t actually parking the car in there and, if you’re only going to be home for a halfa, consider leaving your car outside - you’ll save the energy taken to open and close the garage door twice.

3. Watch TV in the dark

There’s no point watching television in a fully lit room. You can see it better in the dark, anyway.

4. Clean out your lint collector

Excess lint build-up can stop air from travelling through your clothes dryer, making it inefficient. Clean out your lint collector every month or so to help the air circulate through your clothes better, meaning that your dryer can get through a load using less energy.

5. Eat raw foods

Fact: Cooking uses energy. Additional fact: Not all foods need to be cooked. If you sit down to Vegemite on bread instead of Vegemite on toast at breakfast, you save the energy it takes to run the toaster (and, let’s be honest, the energy the toaster consumes as it sits plugged into its powerpoint for the rest of the day because you forgot to switch it off before running out the door to work). Aim to eat foods that don’t require cooking (fruit, salads, cheese etc.) and save yourself the stress of turning on the oven, as well as some dollars off your next electricity bill.

6. Become a night owl

While this tip doesn’t necessarily help you save energy, it sure does help you save the money you spend on it. Do big household chores (laundry, running the dishwasher) during your electricity company’s off-peak times, to receive a significant discount on the regular rate. You might not be in the mood to start a 10pm load of washing after working 9-5 on a Wednesday, but your future self will enjoy that chore-free weekend.

One more conventional way to save on energy is to switch to a better value energy plans. Keen to see what other retailers are available in your area? Then head on over to our energy comparison tool.