Saving energy reduces your impact on the environment by reducing carbon emissions. When we use less energy, we save precious natural resources and cut down on pollution.
Saving energy also helps you save money. By using energy-efficient appliances and making energy-efficient changes to your home, you can save every single day. This section provides a variety of resources to guide you.
You can also find out what the Town is doing to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
Courtesy of switch your thinking.
If you’ve recently started working from home you’ve already started saving on fuel!
However, your electricity costs could creep up. To maintain control try to:
- Make the most of your solar panels during the day. If you have opted-in to a tariff that has a high “peak rate” and a low “off-peak” rate you might need to check that you aren’t going to have bill-shock
- Turn off everything at the wall every night. Not only will this help you separate your work from your personal life it will save money too
- If you have a laptop it doesn’t need to be plugged in all the time. You can utilise the battery even when it’s sitting on your desk
- Take care when sitting by a window. Windows do let in a lot of heat and cold so you might want to consider moving a little bit further away so you can be more comfortable
- Carry on. Your good home habits might be pushed to the brink when you’re at home 24/7 but don’t break the habit! Turn the light off, try to stay comfortable by layering instead of heating or cooling and keep up the good work.
There are many simple, low cost actions you can take to help you reduce your household's energy usage and reduce your bills.
Check out the following links and tools to help you reduce your energy consumption.
- Visit the Synergy website for a host of energy saving tips to get you started.
- The Switch Your Thinking website has an energy section with top 5 tips for staying cool in summer and warm in winter.
- The energy section of the Federal Government's Your Energy Savings website covers a range of topics for energy efficient living. It provides valuable information regarding your energy usage, how to save energy across the home, appliances and energy capture options.
- Measure your carbon footprint. WWF have a fun, interactive footprint calculator that will help you determine your carbon footprint.
Choosing energy efficient appliances can make a significant difference to energy consumption.
The government's energy rating website provides information on the energy rating of products. It explains energy rating labels to help you:
- understand the energy performance of appliances and equipment
- choose energy efficient products
- make an informed choice regarding the cost of running an appliance.
The Town has undertaken a number of projects to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
A range of projects have been completed at a number of Town facilities.
- Solar PV systems - 30 kW system at the Library, 20kW system at the Wembley Community Centre, 10 kW at the Works Depot and 30kW at the Administration Centre
- LED lighting projects - LED lights have been installed in all public areas at Cambridge Library and The Boulevard Centre
- Solar hot water system upgrades - Upgrades were completed at City Beach Tennis Club, Sydney Cheek Pavilion, Town of Cambridge Works Depot, Leederville Town Hall, West Leederville Bowling Club, Wembley Community Centre, Joan Watters Childcare Centre and City Beach Civic Centre
- Energy monitoring has been installed at Bold Park Aquatic Centre. The online energy monitoring system assists the Town to optimise energy consumption.