 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
privacy/disclaimer
Site Map
Copyright All Rights Reserved 2007-2009
Cheapen your home! Lower your energy and water bills
By Alex Brooks
Coming over all eco can seem as pretentious as applying for your own Mensa membership while quaffing organic champagne and
making quote marks in the air with your fingers. What with hybrid cars, offsetting flights to Hawaii and squeezing in a subscription to Sydney Theatre Company just to see how green Cate Blanchett has made the joint are all so, umm, not for real people.
Turning your home into a sustainable palace is not as chi chi or out there as it sounds. Dreaming of solar panels on the roof,
eco-tourism jaunts to Madagascar and eating biodynamic food at every meal might make you worry about, umm, bankruptcy but there are ways to stick to eco-ideals without being a wanker. And here are my top five.
Instead of solar hot water, use a water-saving shower head
Solar hot water is one of the best ways to reduce a home's hotwater costs and greenhouse gas emissions. But even with rebates, that could cost anywhere between $1,500 to $6,000 (all depending where you live and who installs it). So use water-saving shower heads instead - one AAA-rated shower heads cost from $20 to $120, and most water utilities have a special offer to allow you to install it cheaply.Solar water heating is a top way to cut back on your energy consumption and immediately reduce your greenhouse
footprint, but it's cheaper and simpler to install an AAA-rated shower head. Saving water - especially hot water - is one of the most eco-friendly acts you can commit inside your house. And your electricity or gas and water bills will immediately reduce. The Australian Conservation Foundation's Greenhome co-ordinator told me that every 15 litres of water heated for a shower can cause a kilo of greenhouse gas pollution - so ANYTHING that saves hot water is great for the earth (and your wallet).
Instead of a hybrid car, switch to a small fuel-efficient model
Now I love that new model Toyota Prius as much as anyone, but those fancy mid-sized cars start at $37,400. If you get all hybrid ahappy and obsessed, you could also opt for the larger (and way more swish) Lexus Hybrid, but it starts at $97,000. Why not buy a small, fuel-efficient car? The sporty Fiat 500 starts at $23,000 while the non-hybrid Toyota Yaris starts at $15,000.Hybrid cars are a real badge of eco-honour but despite all the technology, you still can’t beat a small car for fuel
efficiency. The Fiat 500 1.3 JTD has the lowest fuel consumption of any car sold in Australia with an average figure of 4.2 L per 100 km. The Toyota Prius achieves an impressive 4.4 L per 100 km but for a lot more money as the upfront cost.
Instead of a dual flush toilet, try a water wizz which costs less than a packet of cigarettes
Installing a dual flush toilet to allow less water to flush away your household waste is a cheap and effective retrofit to any home. But it will cost around $300 to call out the plumber and get one installed, and if you need a new cistern as well, it could be between $200 and $600. But the Water Wizz Toilet Water Saver is only $10.95!
A typical single-flush toilet can use up to 12 L of water in one flush and dual-flush toilets reduce that figure to as low as 3 L for a half-flush. A simpler and cheaper option is the Water Wizz Toilet Water Saver, a small plastic device which fits into single-flush toilets, and allows the toilet to flush only as long as the button is held down. One little piece of plastic can save up to 30,000 L per year in a typical family home.Forget the architect-designed eco home and install insulation for less than $2,000
A typical home, costs less than $1,500 to insulate - and even less if you can qualify for a state or local government rebate on the job..
While most of us would love an architect to create our dream home in a perfect positioned to be warm with the winter sun and cool in the shade during summer, it can be a dream we only achieve towards the end of our working lives when we've saved enough cash.
Thankfully, you can go a long way towards this vision simply by insulating your own home, and with many government rebates to encourage you, there’s no cheaper time to do it. Insulating your ceiling is the cheapest option, and it will keep your house up
to seven degrees warmer in winter and 10 degrees cooler in summer. Hey, it's even cheaper than an air-conditioner.
Don't worry about solar panels, try GreenPower for around $400 a year
While most people with an eco-conscience aspire to having solar panels on their roof, there is a much cheaper way to take advantage of renewable energy and it's called government accredited GreenPower. Solar panels - even small systems that feed back into the main electricity grid - will cost several thousand dollars (that's with a rebate) but at around $400 a year, GreenPower is so much more reasonable.
OK, we know those solar panels look so damn good on the roof telling the world how many great enviro brownie points you deserve.
But while you bask in the smug satisfaction of being ‘off the grid’, no longer relying on dirty coal to power your home, it can be just as easy to opt for 100 per cent accredited GreenPower (there’s even a 100 per cent solar option). It will set you back around $400 per year, but the net result is the same – energy from the Sun. Just make sure you connect to GreenPower with the correct accreditation. You can even head to the Total Environment Centre website to check out the best providers.
