Getting the most from your energy this Winter

As the weather gets cooler, and we have fewer sunshine hours, you will notice some changes to both your power bill and your use. As the weather gets cooler, you will want to use energy hungry appliances that you never reach for in summer like the dryer and the heater. If you have a solar energy system installed, you will notice fewer sunshine hours in winter, so your system will generate less energy than what it did in summer. Therefore, you can expect to be purchasing more energy from the grid. To help avoid the high power bills, here are some tips and tricks to make the most of your energy use this winter:

Making the most of your solar panels during winter

Use energy when it is sunny

Seems like a no brainer, but to make the most out of your solar energy system you should use the energy as it is being generated. This can be as easy as setting a timer on your washing machine and dishwasher to start at midday.

Make sure to check the roof to see if there are any leaves or debris on your solar panels especially during autumn. Most panels are out of sight so you don’t notice anything on them until you go up on the roof for something else. The clearer, and cleaner, your panels are the more efficient they are. If you think your panels need cleaning, the easiest way to do this is simply with a soft cloth and warm, soapy water.

Adding a battery

It might be time to think about adding a battery to your solar energy system. A battery allows you to store solar energy generated during the day for you to use when you get home in the evening. It also allows you to store energy from the grid when it is cheaper. Likewise, you can program your battery to sell your excess energy back to the grid during peak pricing periods. With our ecoSOLAR plan you can earn 21c/kWh for solar exported during these peak times. Any energy you sell back to the grid will appear as a credit on your monthly power bill from Ecotricity. If you are interested in adding a battery to your solar set up, talk to your installer or visit our installers page here, where we have collated all the solar installers in your area.

Heating

When it's cold it can be tempting to get home and crank up the heat pump or the heater. Heating accounts for a high proportion of your home's monthly energy bill during winter. Try popping on an extra layer of clothes instead of cranking the heating. Make sure to keep the temperature consistent. It's recommended that most heat pumps are set at between 18-22 degrees.

Heat can easily escape from a room so if you have draughts in your home you’ll end up paying for unused heating. To avoid this, simply close off rooms you don't need to heat, and block draughts with door snakes – you can purchase these from your local Bunnings or Kmart stores.

Cooking

During winter we spend longer making food and drinks to keep ourselves warm, which can increase our power bill. Some easy habits you can implement include:

• Reheating food using the microwave rather than the stove top or oven. Microwaves use significantly less energy than an oven
• Rather than just putting your dishwasher on at the end of the night, make sure it is full first and select the economy setting
• Use a lid on your pots and pans when you are making dinner, or reheating food. This will ensure heat isn't lost and allows you to cook your meal much quicker
• Rather than filling up the kettle until it’s full, just fill up enough for what you want to use it for. This will ensure you don't spend excess energy boiling water you don't need.

Laundry

Surprisingly, the default for your washing machine is to wash your clothes with hot water. This uses more energy than you think it would, with each load needing to be heated. Just like you do with your knits, an easy change is to wash your clothes with cold water. Once you’ve washed your clothes try to air dry them as much as possible. This will cut down on the energy needed to use a dryer. Plus, you get that fresh sunshine feeling when wearing your clothes.