Recently the Power Down campaign was discussed on a local Western Australian radio station.

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Here are a few simple energy saving tips for your home:

Air Conditioning:  set air conditioners to 24 degrees Celsius or above. Each degree higher can save you around 10% on your cooling costs. Evaporative coolers produce lower greenhouse gas emissions refrigerative systems, while ceiling fans have the lowest emissions of all. You can save 291kg CO2-e by switching to a higher star rated model.

Switch off:  turn off appliances, such as computers and televisions, at the wall. Standby power can account for as much as 10% of your electricity bill. Also, turning off your second fridge can save you $158 a year.

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In Western Australia, energy consumption has increased around 5% each year for the last 10 years. While some of this can be contributed to population growth, we are also becoming more dependent on energy. For example, just 11 years ago, only 47% of WA homes had air conditioning. Today, more than 92% of homes have air conditioning, with many having two or three units.

Western Power’s electricity network in WA is under increasing pressure as demand for energy gets greater. In particular, demand is at its highest during late summer between 4pm and 9pm. This is when families return home from school or work and start their daily routines of cooling the home, cooking, washing, TV viewing and showering.

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