Want a free energy audit?
Our project partner, Enova Community, are offering free home energy audits for Repower Byron Shire participants from their Energy Coaches. If you would like to request an audit click here.
We're serious about reducing energy use
The greenest power is the power we don’t have to generate. We believe it’s an important step to a cleaner, greener more equitable world. To help you save on electricity bills and reduce our reliance on coal and gas, we’re asking households committed to Repower Byron Shire to invest some time to understand conscious energy consumption. This document is compiled by locals for locals to ensure it’s relevant for you. The main use of electricity in Byron Shire in our homes is:
- Appliances and equipment (including pools) 41%
- Hot Water 25%
- Home heating and cooling (space conditioning) 15%
- Lighting 12%
- Cooking 7%
The nuts and 'volts' of energy efficiency
One of the best and easy-to-use guides we’ve found is the Households Energy Action Guide. Our project partner, Enova Community, are offering free home energy audits for Repower Byron Shire participants from their Energy Coaches. If you would like to request an audit click here. Understanding the concepts of energy efficiency, however, is key to long-term empowerment and success. Here are three fundamental questions when assessing your priorities:
- Do I need to change the appliance that uses the power (one-off action) or do I change the way I use it (ongoing actions)?
- Is it energy intensive?
- Does my household do/use it often or even need it?
1. Do I need to change the appliance that uses the power (one-off action) or do I change the way I use it (ongoing actions)?
ONE-OFF ACTIONS is about attending to the structure of your home or purchasing efficient devices. There’s initial outlay but the benefits are ongoing. Here are a few examples:
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2. Is it energy intensive?
ENERGY INTENSITY – WHAT’S WATT A rough guide to know the energy intensity is to read the watts on the appliance label. Compare a kettle that will draw about 1800 watts to an electric citrus juicer of 35 watts. Playing a guessing game with family is a good way to encourage awareness. Here’s a link to a table that compares appliance electricity use. You also can hire a testing kit from the local library to measure individual appliances’ usage. The action of heating anything is energy intensive, whether it’s a room, water or food. Cooling is also intensive but to a lesser degree (fridge, freezer, air conditioning). It’s worth thinking about hot water use, oven, clothes dryer, space heater or even an electric kettle. One of the biggest energy users in any home is water heating. Here’s a link to Renew’s Efficient hot water buyers guide.
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3. Does my household do/use it often?
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