New year, new me. Singing Auld Lang Syne is often followed by a list of resolutions that rarely see the back of January before they’re abandoned or forgotten. Your home and your quest for efficiency and savings don’t have to join the black hole of regret! Electrifying your home doesn’t have to be an all-in event, nor a costly one, but we’ll walk you through the steps of electrification and what it will mean for your hip pocket.
Let’s start from the very beginning…
…a very good place to start. You’ll be spinning around on hilltops when you find out how much some simple switches can save you. Here’s a list of items around your home that might be adding extra $$ to your electricity bills, what you can swap them with to save money, who they’re for, and the cost.
Lighting
- Replace: Halogen or incandescent bulbs.
- With: LED lighting.
- Why: LEDs use up to 80 per cent less energy and last far longer.
- Who: Homeowners and renters
- Cost: $
- Read more about lighting
Hot water systems
- Replace: Electric storage or gas hot water systems.
- With: Heat pump hot water systems.
- Why: Heat pumps use ambient air and cut hot water energy use by up to 70 per cent.
- Who: Homeowners
- Cost: $$$
- Read more about heat pump hot water systems
Space heating and cooling
- Replace: Electric bar heaters, gas heaters, or old ducted systems.
- With: Reverse cycle air conditioners.
- Why: One unit of electricity can deliver three to five units of heat.
- Who: Homeowners
- Cost: $$ to $$$
- Read more about air conditioning
Cooking appliances
- Replace: Gas cooktops or old electric coil stoves.
- With: Induction cooktops.
- Why: Induction is faster, safer, and far more energy efficient.
- Who: Homeowners
- Cost: $$
- Read more about induction cooktops
Refrigeration
- Replace: Old fridges or second garage fridges.
- With: High-star-rated inverter fridges.
- Why: New models can use half the energy of older units.
- Who: Homeowners and renters
- Cost: $$
Clothes drying
- Replace: Vented or condenser dryers.
- With: Heat pump clothes dryers.
- Why: They use around 60 per cent less electricity per load.
- Who: Homeowners and renters
- Cost: $$
Washing machines
- Replace: Top loaders with hot wash cycles.
- With: Front loaders with cold wash settings.
- Why: Heating water is the biggest energy cost in washing.
- Who: Homeowners and renters
- Cost: $$
Televisions
- Replace: Plasma or older LCD TVs.
- With: LED or OLED televisions.
- Why: Modern screens use far less power and offer better picture quality.
- Who: Homeowners and renters
- Cost: $$
Home electronics standby power
- Replace: Always on devices plugged directly into the wall.
- With: Smart power boards or timers.
- Why: Standby power quietly adds hundreds of dollars over time.
- Who: Homeowners and renters
- Cost: $
Pool equipment
- Replace: Single-speed pool pumps.
- With: Variable speed pool pumps.
- Why: They can reduce pool energy use by up to 70 per cent.
- Who: Homeowners
- Cost: $$$
Home insulation and sealing
- Replace: Poor insulation and draughty gaps.
- With: Ceiling insulation, door seals, and window coverings.
- Why: Efficiency upgrades reduce heating and cooling demand instantly.
- Who: Homeowners
- Cost: $ to $$
Hey big spender
We’ve got some additional steps for you to reduce your electricity bills closer to $0. These ones require a larger investment and are often better suited for homeowners. However, if you are a renter, speak with your landlord if you are looking to make these big changes.
Solar panels
Adding home solar can drastically reduce your electricity consumption. This is especially true for those who work from home or use a large portion of their daily electricity usage during daylight hours. Where you live and how you use the solar will determine how quickly you see a return on investment and how much your bills are reduced.
Battery energy storage
Solar and home batteries are like bangers and mash, two peas in a pod, and other cliched items that simply complement each other. Where solar stops producing at night, batteries kick in and use that saved solar energy to power your home throughout the twilight hours. The right system will also power your home during blackout events and can even start working to make you money by trading on the wholesale energy market.
Electric vehicles
Swapping your internal combustion engine (ICE) car for an electric vehicle or hybrid alternative is a significant investment, but one that will pay dividends. Bidirectional charging is now available in Australia with new standards (AS/NZS 4777.2:2020/4777.1:2024) allowing the energy stored in the EV’s battery to be discharged and used in a home. The technology is still finding its feet, but it is yet another step toward whole-home electrification.
The times they are a-changin’
I remember seeing a neighbour whip out his new lawnmower tethered to a power point with a long cable. It was whisper quiet, but he had to make several more passes over his lawn where his two-stroke mower would’ve done it in one. We’ve come a long way with electric appliances over the years, and the garden frontier has seen some of the greatest improvements. Swapping out your two-stroke for electric may seem costly and like a backward step in efficiency and grit. Give them a go – borrow one from a friend and put them to the test. Not only will you save money and time with fuel, but the upkeep will also be reduced to near zero.
Don’t go breaking my heart
One of the biggest push packs, other than money, to electrification is the environmental cost of upgrading. Swapping your gas stove for an induction cooktop will leave a gas stove in landfill. Here are some tips to reduce the impact of upgrading:
- Upgrade at the end of the life of your appliance. Balance the cost of repair with replacement.
- Save your item from landfill, send it for recycling instead.
Home electrification shouldn’t mean unnecessarily adding extra items to landfill. Electrification is a journey and one that doesn’t always need to be rushed. Weigh the cost of keeping your appliance or device for another year vs replacing it with a more efficient one. If the bottom line and the environmental factors make sense, then make the switch.
Let’s get electric
I promise, that’s the last of the lyrical headings! Energy Matters is here to help you electrify your home – whether you want to swap out your gas hot water for a heat pump, switch your inefficient cooling for a split-system, or add solar and batteries to your home – we’ll connect you to the people who can get it done.
Get FREE Quotes to electrify your home. Click the button below to begin!
