Aussie Home Electricity Monitoring Network With Mobile Apps

Do you want to get on top of your home electricity usage & costs? A proven method is to install HOME ELECTRICITY MONITORING.

What about where you can opt for the next level, where you see all your data live with history, no matter where you are on your mobile, PC or tablet.

Easily have the data you need with you 24/7, allowing you to make cost cutting decisions in real-time! If this interests you, please email us with your details and the subject header of Home Electricity Monitoring Network. Visit our CONTACT US page for email details.

This is your chance to join an Aussie Home Energy Monitoring network, of householders interested in electricity reduction solutions.

Knowledge is POWER!

Comparing Time Of Use Electricity With A Fixed Rate Tariff

Did you know a Time Of Use electricity tariff known as TOU, has similar charges [in total] over a weekly period to a fixed rate tariff?

The secret to making a TOU tariff work for your household, is knowing when you're using electricity and how much you're using at anytime. You can do this 100% of the time by MONITORING HOME ELECTRICITY.

If you do not know your electricity usage & costs, then you run a very good risk of the TOU tariff costing you more. This is because peak electricity is high in cost, for example at 45 cents per kWh unit. The secret is to offset those high costs in the peak period, by using more in the off-peak / shoulder periods.

The available hours in a total week total 168 hours. In this example we are going to explain the cost for a 1kW appliance, on the TOU tariff. The table shows a TOU tariff made up from three different time based rates. Each rate accounts for a different number of hours per week.

The total cost for the 1kW appliance operating on this TOU tariff is $33.61 per week. A comparable hourly rate for the same total time, works out to be 20 cents per kWh.

You may be interested to know:

• 25 cents per kWh = $42 per week
• 30 cents per kWh = $50 per week

So to make the TOU tariff work for you, you need to understand your home electricity usage 100%. If you do not, you may use more of the peak hours, thus costing you a lot more when costs are high at this prime time of the day!

Whilst expensive high peak electricity only accounts for 18% of the total time during the week, it happens to coincide with those times when you want to entertain, eat ,wash and clean. So it is difficult not to use this high cost power. To offset this high costing power you will need to shift more power usage to the less costing tariffs, shoulder and off-peak.

As mentioned already, a great way to learn about your home electricity usage at any one time is to install a HOME ELECTRICITY MONITOR. A monitor will allow you to reduce and analyse electricity usage and costs, before deciding change to a different electricity tariff.

The last thing you want to happen, is to run the risk of making the wrong choice. An incorrect choice that could cost you dearly. Furthermore it may cost you, to switch back when you break any contract you may have entered into! Remember it pays to do the homework first 100% of the time!

Typical times of the day for TOU tariff changes, have not been discussed in this article. Visit our ELECTRICITY GUIDES page to download your copy of our TOU Table. Stick in on the front door of your fridge to keep everyone in your home up to date!

Australian Home Electricity Usage Versus Cost Analysis

Whilst an Australian electricity provider may like to show you, the electricity usage breakdown on the bill, make sure you understand the cost breakdown as well. The usage breakdown is often supplied by the provider, with no cost breakdown.

Seeing low usage for peak electricity, may make you think you are doing well, trying to keep electricity costs down. This can be a false sense of security though! We have worked out the cost breakdown for you, to show you how only a small increase in peak electricity usage can make a big difference to the quarterly electricity bill!

As you can see the shoulder usage is similar to the shoulder costs as a percentage and as much of this as possible should be shifted to off-peak use. The low off-peak tariff, whilst having 40% usage rating, actually costs you little at 23% of the bill. Whereas the peak electricity usage whilst low at 13%, is actually costing you 31% of the bill. Remember it is possible to save a lot off the electricity bill by reducing peak electricity usage. Converting more usage during the shoulder or peak periods, to off-peak will further save you.

More information on this usage versus cost analysis, can be found on our HOME ELECTRICITY INFORMATION AUSTRALIA webpage.

How To Save Off Australian Electricity Costs

Knowing a bit more about the basics of electricity charges and billing, is not out of reach of the average Aussie householder and will help you to save.

If you have fifteen minutes to spare and want to learn more about how to to save off your home electricity costs, we recommend you visit our AUSSIE HOME ELECTRICITY INFORMATION webpage.

And if you need more information, then we are only a phone call away. Only fifteen minutes of your time for a possible big return!

Could Big Business Be Paid To Reduce Electricity Output?

When the demand for peak electricity occurs, it can be very expensive for the electricity provider to meet this demand, in the short term.

Could we not pay large power users, to cut consumption during this time of demand?

The idea being here, to form a group of large peak demand businesses, whom are paid a fee. A fee to cut back their need for peak time electricity. Let us say on short term notice.

A large percentage of power is known to be generated to meet this small percentage, of large demand users.

Getting these businesses together and as a group reducing the overall demand considerably, has to be a move forward.

Where the electricity provider is then able to meet other demands on the grid satisfactorily at less cost. Where those big businesses with high demand are paid to save. Where funds received are put towards increasing efficiency and reducing the overall energy used at all times.

How To Save 12% & More Off Your Aussie Home Electricity Bill

If you are not aware of some of the current electricity offers available in Australia, you can quite easily obtain a 12% saving, off the costs of regulated electricity prices. Remember this 12% reduction is not off the total electricity bill, only the energy used. You will still have to pay for added services and costs, along with GST.

So for example, if you are on a 25 cent per kilo watt hour tariff, your new rate after the 12% discount is, 22 cents.

The average house in Australia is said to use, around 25 kilo watt hours of electricity per day. During a quarterly billing cycle, this adds up to 2281 in total.

To use the same rate, you would be looking at a cost of $570 before the 12% reduction. With the 12% reduction, you will pay only $502. Now that is a great saving! A saving that can easily be made, by doing little homework and making a few phone calls. With forecast electricity rises, it makes sense to try and offset as much of these rises as possible.

After having done your homework and making sure you are only changing the kilo watt charge and not the tariff. Nor increasing the price for service costs. And finally understanding you may be locked into a two year agreement, with exit fees should you wish to change your mind. We recommend you do the following. Ask yourself, could you be saving more?

Now that you have saved 12% off your electricity costs, it is very easy to fall into the trap, where you think you have done all you can do. WRONG! Everyone can save more, unless they know 100%, they cannot! So where do you go from here, with this quest to save more off the electricity bill?

Firstly eliminate the false sense of security of believing you have done all you can do! We want you to move on from being just a bill payer! You can still save more off the electricity bill, as up to this point you may not be,

• Aware of any electrical waste in your home.
• Aware of how to use your appliances more efficiently.
• Aware of your electricity tariff cost, per kilo watt hour.
• Aware of any time of use tariff, changing your costs in real-time.
• Aware of  changes to your rate due to other reasons.

This lack of awareness on home electricity usage and charges, we are finding is leading to confusion and unnecessary high electricity costs, in a lot of Aussie homes.

At Aussie Home Energy we can help you move forward, from this state of confusion. To where you fully understand how your electricity costs can change. Remember a lack of understanding, can cost you dearly!

By knowing what type of electricity tariff you are on, how it affects your electricity costs and how you can save, are really important. Not knowing any of these, can easily cost you more in some cases, than the 12% decrease you may have signed up for.

Going back to the original $570 in electricity costs, before the 12% decrease. The $502 after the 12% decrease, we would argue can be further reduced, with added knowledge & tools. You could save anywhere from $25 up to $100 more, off the electricity bill again. And we are basing this assumption on what we have found so far, by performing our HOME ELECTRICITY AUDITS. We have offered hundreds of households around Australia, services & products all related to HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SOLUTIONS.

If the example electricity bill of $570 was yours, would you want the 12% off? Of course you would. Could you save more and maybe reduce the electricity bill to $402? We would like to think you would.  After all, who would not want to save another $400 off their annual electricity bill per year?

Remember this, there is no one stopping you from attempting to reduce your electricity costs by more than 12%, other than yourself. What could you really be saving?

So if you want to learn how to truly save more off your electricity costs than just 12%, then contact Aussie Home Energy today. We have all the services and products you need, to move on from being just a bill payer.

We provide simple and easy to understand HOME ELECTRICITY SAVING SOLUTIONS. Solutions designed for helping you save on electricity costs, not just today, but for tomorrow and thereafter.

Electricity knowledge is POWER!

Call Aussie Home Energy on 02 8064 3992 today, for a friendly chat!

NSW Electricity Price Forecast July 2012

Based on IPart's recent decision, you can expect the averages for regulated retail electricity prices in NSW to increase by around 16% from 1 July 2012! Or between an average of 10.3% and 19.2% across the different NSW electricity supply areas.

These changes follow average NSW electricity price increases of 10% and 17% during 2010/11 and 2011/12 respectively.

Whilst shopping around for a better electricity deal can save you in some cases, is it now not the time to minimise wasted electricity by being educated on how to use less electricity?

Smart homes are already realising a little electricity usage knowledge, can make big differences in keeping electricity costs to a minimum.

Call Aussie Home Energy today to learn what you could be saving!

Learn more about NSW's electricity price forecasts, by reading IPart's draft Consumer Fact Sheet Electricity Price Increases July 2012.