Saving Electricity Costs In Australian Homes

Like many other Aussie householders, you've arrived here because you're concerned about rising electricity costs and want to find REAL SOLUTIONS to SAVING ELECTRICITY COSTS.

As a business leader offering HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICES & PRODUCTS, we know how important it is for you, to start saving on electricity costs today, as part of your home electricity reduction program.

Our structured services have been designed to help as many Australian homes as possible, to reduce electricity costs, no matter where you are!

Make us your first port of call, for all your HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION INFORMATION, services & products.

Start saving on electricity costs QUICKLY, by ACTING TODAY! The faster you learn, the more you save!

We've created a new website page, which we want you to visit, summarising our home electricity reduction services & products, called SAVING ON ELECTRICITY COSTS.

Does Solar PV Increase The Sale Price Of Your Home?

Any home by being more energy efficient, is a great draw card for many home buyers. Most people initially thinking of construction materials, such as insulation in the roof and walls, along with shading and sun reflecting glass. All of these pointing towards a projected lesser spend over the years, on future energy costs.

But what about a home that is more electrically efficient? A home being sold with an installed solar power system.

When home energy assessments at the time of sale, become mandatory in all Australian states, energy efficient homes will be valued at a higher price. Simply because they carry a better energy rating and cost less to run. This 'mandatory disclosure', is already happening in the ACT. Occurring at both the time of sale & a new tenancy agreement.

Further home saleability factors can be included, where the seller is in reality, selling a home with 'reduced future electricity costs'. Where the seller in theory, sells the home with a certain amount of 'electricity credits'. These 'electricity credits' being a benefit to both parties. The seller being able to ask more at the time of sale. The buyer knowing the home will cost less to run, due to directly offsetting future electricity costs.

To learn more about ELECTRICITY OFFSETTING USING A SOLAR SYSTEM visit the GUIDES page on our website, Aussie Home Energy.


This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Why Installing A Solar PV System Still Makes Sense & Reduces Electricity Costs

Around a year ago the NSW State Government's, 60 cent gross feed solar pv program, was reduced to 20 cents per kW. In June this year that 20 cent gross feed program, further ceased for new applicants. Both of these programs finish December end 2016.

With both of these investment style programs, the design of any solar pv system, did not take into account a home's electricity use. It's important to realise though as electricity costs rise, any  proposed profit from such a system will be in effect, paying for these rising electricity costs.

Currently in NSW [October 2011] there is only a net feed tariff of 8 cents per kW, for power exported back to the grid. This tariff is available from AGL.

When the following are taken into account, a solar pv system's payback time is quite flexible:

• The system's costs.
• The price for imported power.
• Any revenue for exported power [net feed tariff].

It is rising electricity costs, which now make solar pv systems, so attractive. 

As electricity costs rise, the system in effect pays for itself quicker. Any system should be designed primarily to match daytime usage, maximising the offsetting of any electricity costs.

To get an insight on how you to can save on your electricity costs, by installing a solar pv system, visit our GUIDES page and download our report labelled, WHY INSTALLING A SOLAR PV SYSTEM STILL MAKES SENSE & REDUCES ELECTRICITY COSTS.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

DIY Home Electricity Audit Spreadsheet

Yes we have done all the hard work for you with this DIY Home Electricity Audit Spreadsheet.

Spending a considerable amount of time to get it right. It certainly speeds up the time of performing your home energy audit. Where you will have access to the data quickly, so you can gain a better understanding of your home’s electricity usage.

This Home Electricity Audit Software is professional in every way, designed primarily for you to gain the upper hand on rising electricity costs.

All you have to do is enter the following data:

• Room, appliance & number of appliances
• Appliance watt rating
• Hours used
• Hours on standby

As data is entered the software reports in realtime, the following information for each appliance:

• kWhs used per day, week, month, quarter, year
• Cost per day, week, month , quarter, year

This popular spreadsheet is bundled with one of our portable LCD Energy Monitors into a DIY HOME ENERGY AUDIT allowing you to speed up the process. 

Take a look at our DIY HOME ENERGY AUDIT page! 

The five components of this great Electricity Busting System are:

• Instructions : Designed to make your DIY Power Audit as easy as a walk around your home
• Forms : Quick recording of appliance usage, costs and standby power calculations all increasing power rating awareness
• Spreadsheet : To automate the above power calculations and project cost / kWh forecasts for periods of the year
• LCD Energy Monitor : Portable allowing for increased realtime awareness of your homes appliances usage and costs
• Power Monitoring Software : Easily see costs, usage and compare electricity tariff types to further save. We give this PC / MAC software the thumbs up for being the best on the market 

The DIY Energy Audit Spreadsheet is available in Open Office format [.ods] & Microsoft Excel 97/2000/XP [xls] format created by Open Office. To download your copy visit DIY HOME ELECTRICITY AUDIT SPREADSHEET.

This blog post updated October 2016. Brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

DIY Home Electricity Auditing Forms

If you're looking for DIY Home Electricity Audit forms, we've added two forms today to our website. One simple, one complex. Both being a perfect solution, to collecting information for your DIY HOME ELECTRICITY AUDIT. Allowing you to enter the kWh rating, room & appliance information, number of appliances, watt rating and standby electricity information.

Complete with spare columns for self calculation, the simple form can be used with or without a spreadsheet, to calculate home electricity usage. The more complex of the forms, complete with mathematical formulas, easily allows you to calculate your standby costs and your electricity usage per bill. Allowing you to simply see, what appliances are costing dollars in your home.

Whilst both of these forms were designed primarily to assist Australians, with HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION, they are suitable for any home worldwide, concerned about RISING ELECTRICITY COSTS.

Visit our website to download your DIY HOME ELECTRICITY AUDITING FORMS.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

NSW Solar PV 20 Cent Gross Feed Tariff Versus Net Feed Electricity Offsetting

Currently a lot of homes in NSW have a solar pv system installed, on a 20 cent gross feed tariff. Have you ever wondered though, if you could you be making more money from your solar pv, by switching from the 20 cent gross feed tariff, to a net feed electricity offset system? We are not talking about the net feed tariff, in particular here!

Let us look at a example home with a 2kW solar system, generating an average of 8kW of solar power per day.

Connected to a 20 cent gross feed tariff, this home can generate the following annual revenue.

• 8 X 20 cents X 365 days of the year equals $584.

What we mean by electricity offset is this, you use what you generate during the daytime and we mean the sunny hours. Importantly you use it at that same time. Therefore you're not purchasing electricity at this time!

The trick is to make sure a similar amount of energy is used, to the 8kW generated. The reason for this is simple, any excess power fed back into the grid currently has little financial gain, as the rate is only 8 cents per kW, in country NSW.

So you will want to match the electricity required under the roof, to that generated above the roof or vice versa. To big a solar system and your only getting paid 8 cents per kW for excess power. An option here would be to increase the electricity used during the day, for example by operating more appliances on timers, to equal the power generated.

To small a solar system and your purchasing electricity at cost, a cost that is forecast to  rise dramatically over the next few years.

As we can see our example home using 8kW during daytime, is going to offset electricity costs of,

• 8 X 28.5 cents X 365 days of the year, equals $832.

Now that's almost $250 per year more, than the 20 cent gross feed system generates!

And as electricity costs rise, there is a considerable more financial gain, than the 20 cent gross feed tariff!

• At 35 cents per kilowatt hour, the total offset electricity costs per year are $1022. This is an increase of $438 per year, compared to the 20 cent gross feed system.
• At 40 cents per kilowatt hour, the total offset in electricity costs is $1168. An increase of $584 per year, compared to the 20 cent gross feed system.
• At 50 cents per kilowatt hour, the total offset is $1460. Increasing to $876 per year, more than the 20 cent gross feed tariff, can offer!

As your gross feed solar investment system is on a limited timeline, is it not the time now, to do your maths? You'll be able to work out, at what time any electricity offsetting system, may be the better solution of you. All based on the ACCURATE ANALYSIS OF DAYTIME ELECTRICITY USAGE and the size of your SOLAR PV SYSTEM.

If you are thinking of installing solar pv on your home, call the Aussie Home Energy team today.

Update March 2014 - Due to a increasing number of householders not being aware of solar inverter malfunctions, we now have easy online electricity and solar monitoring solutions. To learn more about the monitoring and analysis of your electricity usage and solar pv system's output, visit our ONLINE ELECTRICITY MONITORING page, where we make the task of getting your data online, very easy.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Stopping A Faulty Solar PV System From Costing You Big Dollars

How often are you checking the output of your Solar PV inverter?

How long would it take you to notice if there was a problem with your Solar PV array?

It seems the inverter is checked frequently for a while by many householders, soon after the Solar PV is installed. Unfortunately this frequency can drop off dramatically, in the months to come.

If this is the case, you may only find out about an issue with your Solar PV, only when the next electricity bill arrives. By then of course, it's too late! Your bill will be showing you an increase in the imported power and a decrease in the exported. Costing you big dollars!
So what is the solution, for making sure you can keep an eye on the output and efficiency of your solar system? The easy answer is to install a home energy monitor.

A HOME ELECTRICITY MONITOR easily allows you to see the output of your Solar PV at all times. You will further be able to educate yourself, about your home's electricity usage under the roof. This knowledge assisting you in minimising any waste under the roof, in effect financially making your Solar PV more efficient.

You will learn more about when you are making the most energy and financial gain from your Solar PV. Importantly where there is an issue with your system's function, you will be notified at once, by a drop in your kWh's exported or financial gain.

Sounds all too easy, but this simple solution is often missed! Costing many Aussie homes big dollars. Do you want to find out about an issue with the output of your solar system, in three months time? 


Update March 2014 - Due to a increasing number of householders not being aware of solar inverter malfunctions, we now have easy online electricity and solar monitoring solutions. To learn more about the monitoring and analysis of your electricity usage and solar pv system's output, visit our ONLINE ELECTRICITY MONITORING page, where we make the task of getting your data online, very easy.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

18% Electricity Rise July 2011

As many Australians are now finding out, the recently announced 18% electricity rise is clearly showing on their electricity bill. A question asked by many householders is how can they budget for the additional costs due on the next bill, if they do not know what the extra costs will be.

Well a quick solution would be to look at your same bill from last year and add 18% to the cost of that figure.

For those of you who want a bit more detail, or may have thrown out the bill, the team at Aussie Home Energy has done the maths for you. Yes we've worked out the costs, for every 100 kilowatts used. Costs that the recent electricity rise of 18%, will add to your next quarterly bill!


To see how the burden of this recent increase will affect you financially, visit The Real Cost Of The 18% Electricity Rise.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Energy Efficiency In The Home

An informative discussion on energy efficiency in the home, was aired on the ABC's Radio National Breakfast program, on Thursday 14th July.

This discussion explains simple ideas on how to save hundreds of dollars off the home's annual electricity bill.

Quoting from their website, "The Labor government said almost 6 million Australians will be marginally better off, or fully compensated, under its carbon tax."

"The opposition, as you might expect, disagrees, suggesting the tax is an attack on 'aspirational Australians'. They've also highlighted a number of case studies where middle income families will have to pay more."

"So, what do you need to do to recoup the cost of a carbon tax on your household? And what's the easiest way to more energy efficient?"

Listen to the discussion by visiting Radio National's Breakfast webpage.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Carbon Tax & CO2 Emission NEWS Australia RSS Feed

How will Labor's recently introduced carbon tax affect you?

Are you worried about the possibility of, future rising electricity costs?

Keep in touch with the latest Australian Carbon Tax & CO2 Emmision News, by following our RSS News feed.
Subscribe to the feed via RSS reader or email and stay informed.

Remember the best carbon tax offset for any Aussie householder, which reduces the effects of any electricity cost hike, is to make sure you're using the least amount of electricity in the first place! Are you using your electricity efficiently at this time? Reducing the following may help you in the long term.

• Standby electrical waste.
• Energy inefficient appliances.
• Excessive hot water use.

Aussie Home Energy is here to help all Australians with the task of home electricity reduction, by offering information, services and products.

Energy Efficiency Versus Energy Used : The Big Debate

Does Increased Energy Efficiency Mean Less Energy Used?

Many Australians are led to believe that modern energy efficient appliances, use less energy than older supposedly non-efficient ones. With all the talk about increased energy efficiency and energy stars, it is easy to understand why this is so.

It is further easy to understand why the average householder would not question these beliefs, when we are being told this by governments, manufacturers and marketeers.

Are we really be told the full truth though? Is the average Australian making the correct choice and taking home an appliance that will 100% of the time, use less energy than the appliance they threw out?

Would a bit more information allow for a better educated choice? Could this additional insight question some of these beliefs? Beliefs that are based on information from governments, manufacturers and marketeers. Parties who want us to buy their products?

At Aussie Home Energy we would argue, that it is not a good assumption to believe that for 100% of the time, newer appliances use less energy than older appliances!

We would say there is more knowledge that a buyer needs to understand, before being able to make a well educated choice?

The problem is, most people have been led to believe energy efficiency means less energy used. This is not always the case though and Australians need to be aware of this.

Most of us appear to have been brainwashed, into believing the buying of a modern appliance, means it's almost a 100% guarantee less energy is going to be used.

At Aussie Home Energy we are going to show you, that this is not always the case.  We are going to show you an existing operational, 'old school' 1950's Pope Power-Pak fridge, indeed uses less energy than it's modern 250L equivalent.

You would be correct into maybe thinking the 60 year old Pope Power-Pak fridge, would be using more energy because it has:

• An old style compressor.
• Old decaying or a lack of insulation.
• Inefficient or reduced refrigerant.
• Old decaying door seals.
• Old style energy hungry technology.
• High energy use by design.

What we have found out though, is quite the opposite. That this old appliance is using far less energy, than it's modern equivalent of comparable size!

So why is this? Well this simple refrigeration appliance, consists of nothing more than a compressor and a light. Built before the days of multiple additional components. And it is the simplicity [less components] of the appliance here, that is keeping the total energy used at a low, even though the components may not be the most efficient.

Specifications of the 250L Pope Power-Pak fridge are, that it has an ampere rating of 1.85 Amps and is connected to an averaged voltage of 245 volts. The home electricity monitors used during testing, were of the type measuring voltage and current, to compute the total energy used by the appliance.

The test results showed the Pope Power-Pak had a monthly operational cost of approximately $2.85 during the winter and $3.10 during the summer. The electricity tariff was 22.12 cents per kWh, with the Pope averaging 14.01 kWh per month. Annual forecast operational costs were $37.19 per year / 168 kWh per year.

Now what is amazing here, is that if you go shopping in the energy efficient fridge section of your local electrical store, shopping for the same running costs per year, all you can find is a non-comparable bar fridge!

So what is going on here, we here some of you ask? Let us explain.

Firstly to double prove our results, we ran the tests twice with two different brands of home electricity monitor. The results were almost identical taking into account the different brands of monitor, slight changes to appliance usage patterns and seasonal changes. The results had less than 5% difference.

Secondly let us look at a modern fridge, an appliance that over the years has had a lot of extra components added to keep the modern family happy. All of these modern components working efficiently in their own right, but totally adding to the overall appliance's energy consumption.

And what are these additional components, added to the modern fridge? Well there are:

• Electric fans to circulate cold air and assist defrost cycles.
• Additional lights, as in the freezer.
• Defrosting heaters.
• Heaters for specialised zones, for example a butter conditioner.
• Anti-sweat heaters, to prevent condensation at the edges of cabinet doors.
• Electronics for monitoring the device.
• And finally those two original components, the compressor and fridge light.

We are sure there are a lot of Aussie householders, who are not aware of what all these extra components are, thinking a fridge is still a fridge, with just an additional de-frost cycle.

If we all knew what was being added to the modern fridge, then we would be in a position to choose more wisely. A choice between modern fridge with it's added components and raised energy use, compared to those of us who simply want 'Just A Fridge'!

As you can see, it is not hard to understand why the modern appliance with all of it's energy efficient components when bundled together, can result in increased energy use!

So make sure you do your homework on energy efficiency and energy used before shopping for any new appliance. What you need to do before buying any new electrical appliance is to:

• Compare features and components, as these often increase energy used.
• Understand the 'kWh' box on the appliances energy label, as this tells you what the costs per year are.

With this information you will be allowing yourself to make a better educated choice when choosing your next new appliance?

We would love to know what you think about energy efficiency versus energy used. Please leave your stories here on this blog post.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

LED Downlight In-Home Display Briefcase

Like so many homes on the NSW Mid North Coast, you may not be using your 50 watt halogen downlights, due to high and rising electricity costs. The time is now though to take a look at recent new developments in LED lighting. A low wattage form of lighting, that costs little to run and is a direct replacement for your 50 watt halogen globes.

Aussie Home Energy is now able to show you the latest form of LED downlights, helping you to see the different available shades of white LED light and brightness, within your home environment.

By using our LED Downlight Briefcase you'll be able to see how LED lighting can not only supply the equivalent light of a 50 watt halogen, but is also dimmable and generates minimum heat.

LED lights can cost less than 5 - 20% of the cost of a 50 watt halogen downlight. Now is the time to re-use those light fittings, that are so much part of your homes decor.

Our LED In-Home Service is offered to homes between Coffs Harbour and Sydney as part of our Home Electricity Audit Service.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Remote Control Dimmable Colour Changing LED Downlights

Well that is quite a mouthful, when compared to 'halogen downlights'. With halogen downlights being so popular in Australia, we thought it a good idea to introduce some of you, to the new LED LIGHTING. This form of technology is now able to replace most lights, in the Aussie home. What we will quickly discuss here, is the LED light as a form of halogen replacement.

Can LEDs Be Dimmed?

Yes they can but not with a standard incandescent dimmer. You will need an electronic dimmer. There are at least three ways a dimmer can be installed, into an LED downlighting system.

• Similar to an incandescent system, where there is a wall fitted dimmer control.
• Where the dimmer control is remote activated and sited in the roof cavity.
• The LED light comes with the dimmer built into the globe and is remotely controlled.

Dimmers can be wired to dim a single LED downlight, or a large array.

Do LEDs Come In More Than One Colour?

Firstly we will cover the shades of white that a LED can come in. Unlike incandescent light globes, that were always warm white, the LED can come in warm or cool white, or just white. In fact LEDs can come in any colour. A new exciting feature of LED lighting is, colour changing. Illustrated above is a 3 watt MR16 12 volt halogen replacement. Whilst only 3 watts, it would not be the best choice to read under, but can be used to change the mood of any room. The remote control, offering colour changing sequences, fixed colours and dimming.

Can I Just Install The LED Halogen Replacements?

Whilst you may be able to get the LED to trigger if you did, there are somethings you need to be aware of:

• Some transformers may damage the LED halogen replacement.
• You may need to install specifically designed LED light transformers.
• Your old transformer is designed to trigger under high wattage. LED's are low wattage.
• The LEDs will not dim with existing incandescent or halogen dimmers.

It is important to be aware of the above, as damage to the new LED lighting could occur. We would suggest you speak to your local light shop about your existing installation, regarding the suitability of transformers and dimmers.


For more information on our LED downlight investigation, see our LED DOWNLIGHT COMPARISON TESTS.

We will be reporting on other forms of LED lighting for Aussie homes soon. Subscribe to the Aussie Home Energy blog, to stay informed.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Why Do Home Energy Monitors Maximise Electricity Savings?

Studies by energy providers, monitor manufacturers and independent parties on home energy reduction, have proven a householders ability to stay on top of home electricity costs, is made a lot easier when immediate feedback on home electricity usage, is supplied on an easy to read in-home display.

These studies showing that homes now have the ability, to save as much as 15% to 20% or more, off their electricity usages costs, when a home electricity monitor is installed!

Without this 24/7 feedback, householders often slip back into old habits, or tend to assume they can do no more, in their attempts to bring the home electricity bill back under control.

With no feedback on electricity usage in the home, it's difficult to see what savings are going to be made during any home energy reduction attempts, until the next electricity bill arrives! Of course by then it is too late and if the changes saved you little, it has in fact cost you dearly.

With a 24/7 home electricity monitor installed in your home, there's always going to be the possibility, for future electricity reductions via your increased awareness, or via input from others. A home energy reduction system that easily proves all suggestions in real-time.

Feedback from our home electricity monitor clients, is constantly reporting of newly found savings. These savings further educating the householder on home electricity usage and costs, creating the desire for more savings to be discovered.

Which is what we at Aussie Home Energy, would say helps us greatly in our quest to help as many Australians homes, become aware and educated on home electricity costs.

January 2018 : Current Cost home energy monitor users please note MyCurrentCost dashboard was retired 15th January. This alternative free real-time dashboard is a great alternative HOME ENERGY MONITOR dashboard solution, with auto upload support for PVOutput ie solar.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Waterproofing Your Home Energy Monitor's Transmitter

So Why Would You Want To Waterproof Your Home Electricity Monitor's Transmitter?

Well when you're looking at monitoring electricity generated by your Solar PV, you may be faced with the problem of having to site your home electricity monitor's transmitter, out in the weather. Knowing at the same time, the transmitter is not waterproof!

So What Can You Do To Waterproof Your Transmitter?

Well a common solution is to wrap the transmitter in plastic bags and tape. The only problem being here, is this solution could be very temporary for many reasons, resulting in a damaged transmitter.

We have found a simple solution, that eliminates those plastic bags and at the same time provides a 100% waterproof solution. The transmitter is placed inside it's own waterproof plastic box. Such a box is available from Jaycar Electronics and is suitable for both the Current Cost ENVI & ENVIR Home Electricity Monitor's transmitters. The Jaycar Electronic's part number being HB6402, costing AUD $19.95. The box comes with a waterproof seal in the lid and strong clips to keep it tightly closed.

With a little invention it would not be too hard, to drill a hole in either side of the box and during any solar PV installation, pass the cable from the solar array through the box. This would allow for the current clamp to be inside the box as well. If you decide to look into this option, you may need to choose a larger box.

Whilst working with the idea of waterproofing the Current Cost transmitter, we noticed that our test transmitter's range was considerably extended, whilst outside of  the metal powerbox. In fact we extended the range of the transmitter [by line of sight] to over it's maximum of 100 metres.

After considerable testing of the Current Cost's transmitter's range, whilst in the metal clad powerbox, we found the range to be around 32 metres. Once outside of the powerbox and in the plastic box, the range was extended by a staggering 82 metres to a total of 112 metres. We noted the stronger signal allowed us to monitor the electricity usage, at areas inside and out of the home, where previously we had no signal.

Our tests were run twice with a portable battery supply powering the monitor. This allowing for very accurate signal patterns to be created around the home at six second intervals. This interval being the transmitter's transmit sequence.

What we ended up doing after this finding, was to install the transmitter permanently outside of the metal powerbox. We aligned the holes both in the back of the plastic box with those on top of the powerbox. The holes between the two, being sealed with a plastic ferule and locknut and added sealant.

If your powerbox is open to the elements, then a decision to mount the plastic box on the top, side or bottom of the powerbox will have to be made. One that provides the best waterproof solution.

So for only $20 you now have a waterproof solution to monitoring your alternative energy source and keeping your home energy monitor's transmitter range to it's maximum.

Further information on the home electricity monitors capabilities can be found on our website Aussie Home Energy.

Home Energy Reduction Podcasts Australia

Home Energy Reduction Podcasts are now available from Aussie Home Energy via their website and blog. 

A complete list of all postings, is also available in MP3 format for DOWNLOAD.

Advice on the go, for keeping your electricity costs to a minimum.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Maximising Solar PV Generation

The media is informing us, we are going to suffer more electricity rises in the near future. How will these electricity price rises, affect the financial gain of solar PV systems?

Shockingly enough electricity costs only have to rise a small amount, to create a large reduction in the financial gain of any solar PV system!

If you're not aware of the average Aussie home having a STANDBY ELECTRICITY issue, you need too be. Most homes we have visited, have a standby electricity rate, at anywhere between 25 watts to 250 watts plus. If your home has 150 watts of 24/7 standby electricity, this equates to 3.6 kW per day. Per year it is a staggering 1314 kW.

It does not take a lot of electrical waste within the home, to reduce a solar PV's gain.In our example Aussie home:

100 Watts Of 24/7 Standby Reduced Solar PV Gain By 40%!

Visit our website for more information on SOLAR PV GAIN.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Australian Electricity Supplier, Saves Homes $300 Over 3 Years

There seems to be a lot of adverts currently, for reduced electricity costs. Such as this one, aired on television last week. "Save $300 Off Your Electricity Costs, Over 3 Years".

Adverts such as this, along with a team of door knocking electricity provider's foot patrols, seem to be on every corner, of every street! Offering householders, supposedly great offers to help them save on electricity costs. And of course all too easy, when you change electricity provider.

Now whilst saving on electricity costs, is a good idea for all, is it the best way for the householder to save? Of course it is a great way for the electricity supplier, to increase market share, with the kickback being to the householder, a price reduction. But one thing it is NOT, is the best way for the householder to save on electricity costs. And what will some of those householders do, when they have switched providers? Well, assume they cannot do anything else!

The best way to save on electricity costs, is to follow the proven process of,

• Becoming aware of how you are charged for electricity, and have a full understanding of the bill
• Being aware of your electricity usage
• Being aware of where you are using electricity
• Learning how to reduce the electricity usage
• Having a feedback system, to keep you on track

Failing with this proven common sense process, means you will carry on being, just a BILL PAYER!

Looking at the offer in more detail, $300 over 3 years equates to only $25, per quarterly bill! For most homes, that is not really a saving of great magnitude.

From experience we would say most homes, with a bill over $500 per quarter, could easily save at least $50 per quarter. So if your a home, with a quarterly bill of $750, $1000 or $1500 plus, imagine what you could be saving?

We would argue, all Aussie homes need to save far more than $25 per bill! It is not just the action of savings here, but energy reduction. These offers of reduced electricity costs, do nothing  to assist Aussie homes with home energy reduction. We need to slash energy waste, as we are very wasteful. Wasteful because we're, none the wiser. What Australia needs to become, is a nation that reduces it's home energy usage on mass. This will not happen though with a $25 per bill saving, but through a process that involves :

AWARENESS, EDUCATION & FEEDBACK!

Of course, that is what Aussie Home Energy offers all of their Home Electricity Audit clients with. And who knows, how much you could save over time, with that kind of an insight.

So what does the householder choosing the $300 offer get? Well exactly $25 off the bill, every quarter, for three years. But nothing more! 

NO AWARENESS.
NO EDUCATION.
NO FEEDBACK.

Simply put, the householder remains, a BILL PAYER!

Ask yourself, what would you rather be? Our clients would tell anyone, it 100% makes sense, to become an educated electricity user.

By doing this, you will not just move on from being a bill payer, but become fully aware of,

• What uses electricity in your home and why
• When the most & least electricity is being used
• What the cheapest rates for electricity are, at various times of day
• How to reduce your electricity usage and costs further
• Smart shopping, when looking for new electrical appliances

The problem with adverts for switching electricity providers, when marketed solely as electricity savings, is that they simply keep householders in the loop of, BILL PAYER MODE ONLY! Householders who, are still not aware of home electricity reduction options. Options that could save them far more than $25 per quarterly bill.

Interestingly if you do the homework on some of these offers, you may find you are going to be charged exit fees, when you decide to change back to your previous provider. Exit fees of course, for breaking that three year contract. Fees that in some cases are so steep, most of your savings up to that date, will be gone in a flash!

So what makes sense here, is the fact that the best way to save, is to become educated on electricity usage and costs. Of course the electricity provider, would like you to remain just a bill payer.

So is it not time for you to start your Home Electricity Reduction Program?

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Educated Aussie Shoppers Make The Best Choice

One of the most important ways to make the best choice of choosing a new electrical appliance, is to be educated on the energy label's information. By fully understanding the energy rating label, you will have an insight into the annual running costs for the appliance. 

Furthermore you will have a little knowledge to gain the upper hand on the salesman, thus being able to tell whether he or she is telling you the truth on other matters. Read our full analysis of the Australian Energy Label on our website.

Help Us Educate Others - Add This To Your Website

If you're online with a website and wish to educate your shoppers, then feel free to copy the code and add it to your site.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

How Smart Is The Smart Meter?

How Smart Is Your Meter?

Ever wondered, what a smart meter's full range of capabilities are? What do you know about your smart meter?

Whilst most householders in Australia have heard of smart meters, there seems to be  little understanding by the householder, of what the smart meter can do, for both the householder and the electricity supply provider.

To gain an insight into what a successful installation of smart meters can do, we will use the major Italian electricity provider, Enel, as an example.

Enel, during 2000 to 2005, installed smart meters to its entire customer base of 27 million households.

Smart meters are fully electronic, and very smart. They come with integrated bi-directional communications, advanced power measurement and management capabilities, an integrated software-controllable disconnect switch, and are further, solid-state by design.

The meters are able to communicate over low voltage power lines, using a  standards based power line technology, from Echelon Corporation. This communication, is sent to Echelon data concentrators, further switching to internet protocol, before being sent to, Enel's enterprise servers.

Advanced remote features of the smart meter include:

• Turning a customer's power on or off.
• Reading the electricity usage from the meter.
• Detecting a service outage.
• Detecting unauthorised use of electricity.
• Changing the maximum amount of electricity, that a customer can use.
• Changing the meter's billing plan, from credit to prepay.
• Changing the tariffs.

Concerns have been raised about low income and vulnerable consumers, not benefiting from the new 'time of use' tariffs. In Victoria for example, the Government halted the roll out of smart meters, because they were concerned new tariffs, would add to the hardship of customers already struggling, to afford their energy bills. Whilst smart meters, offer many potential benefits, there are concerns that many of the possible consumer benefits, will not be realised.

Questions have been raised about privacy issues, associated with smart meters. And there are many aspects of this 'smart metering' technology that remain questionable. Here in Australia, there seems to be a growing number of householders with billing errors, where bills have risen dramatically without the increase being due to the householder's usage increasing.

Could the methodology itself be a short sighted solution? Could the concept of peak hours change, as an increasing amount of householders use their appliances at night, creating a new peak time?

Further criticism, of the smart metering system, has raised issues of poor, or lacking system security. Such as the possibility of a virus, spreading throughout the system, creating an energy crisis, started by a foreign entity.

As with most new technologies, that are designed and installed correctly, great positive outcomes are achievable. It will always pay in the long run, to be fully aware of all possible variable outcomes, before bringing a new technology to the general population.

To learn about optional independent monitoring and analysis of your electricity usage and / or solar pv system's output, visit our ONLINE ELECTRICITY MONITORING page, where we make the task of getting your data online, very easy.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.