For while I've noticed local councils and organisations saying they will change over your old light globes for low energy light globes, as long as you have three or more light globes and sign the energy credits over to them. Now I really don't know the full picture, but something doesn't feel right.
If the government wants us to be more energy conscious for the good of the planet, then perhaps the best way is to simply show us where the savings are. I decided to work out the costs of running appliances around the home and work out the payback period should I change old inefficient lights with more modern low energy lights. As it turned out the savings are pretty good.
For example in the family area I have a light with 2 x 40W globes (total 80W). I wanted to change these to 2 x 8W (total 16W) low energy globes which cost $9 for two on special. I estimate we use that light around two hours a day. Using the Energy Cost Calculator I worked out the payback period would be just over a year. Since the globes will last well over three years, after the first year I'm saving money. It makes sense to change the globes.
Armed with a low cost energy meter I've been able to work out areas in my home where I can make considerable savings, sometimes with a small change in habits. Sometimes with the purchase of an inexpensive piece of equipment. For example my TV/DVDs around the home cost about $38 a year when in standby. I tried powering off the TV/DVDs at the power point, but unfortunately that was hard because the power points aren't easy to get to. I'm also concerned constantly turning power points on and off will mean an electrician will need to be called in more often and that can be expensive.
Recently I found a really neat device from one of my suppliers which is a remote control with three power packs. That is you can control each of the power packs separately with the one remote. If you plug the power pack into the wall and then the TV/DVD into the power pack, you can easily turn the power off and save the money standby uses. The aim for me is to do this around the house with the TV/DVDs and computers. The payback for each power pack is 4 months. After that I'm saving money. Nearly a hundred dollars a year when I'm using all three power packs.
If you're interested in the energy meter, or the remote controlled power points, you can find more information on the Energy Cost Calculator page.
As I find more ways to save money on energy around the home, I'll post the tips as comments. If you've got a good tip please feel free to post a comment. (Posts considered advertising will be discarded.)
Enjoy.
- Kelvin Eldridge
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