Renter reveals savvy way he cut electricity bills from $600 to $71

This clever tenant has revealed how he slashed his electricity bills by getting his landlord to make a vital concession.

Getting a shock electricity bill prompted a tenant to convince his landlord to install solar panels – now he’s reduced his bill by 80 per cent.

Darren Burden decided to take matters into his own hands when receiving a pricey electricity bill of almost $600.

“Before we moved to the Kangaroo Valley, we lived in the city and I’d never seen our bill over $150,” he said.

Mr Burden purchased a smart metre and began measuring what was chewing through the most power. He discovered that the pool was using over half the electricity.

Mr Burden made a few changes including calling the pool company to see how long it needed to run for, changing to LED lights and running appliances at different times. This dropped his bill to about $450, but that wasn’t significant enough.

Darren Burden had been watching his bills climb.

“I started putting quotes for solar together and I showed our landlord how much our bill was. What worked for me is that he saw that I’d put in all the effort and done all the research and I offered to pay a bit more rent,” he said.

Mr Burden said his last bill was only $71.

Co-founder of Solar Analytics and energy expert Stefan Jarnason, said there is an extra layer of challenge for renters, but there are things they can do to make smarter energy choices.

“It very much depends on your relationship with your landlord, that’s the first big challenge,” he said.

Solar panels were installed at the house.

Mr Jarnason said it is worth asking your landlord because it is “more beneficial for landlords to install solar and smarter energy options”.

“It adds to the capital value of the home and of course is an improvement that is tax deductible. It will also allow you to attract a better quality tenant,” he said.

The more solar panels on a roof, the higher the value of the home, with an estimated increase of almost $6,000 dollars per kilowatt of solar energy, according to research from Momentum Energy. This indicates a rise of over $29,000 in the value of the home for a 5kW installation.

Approximately 3.3 million Australians have solar in their homes, according to Mr Jarnason.

Mr Jarnason said another way to cut costs was reducing the use of gas.

Reverse cycle airconditioners were also more affordable and environmentally friendly, and “it’s worth making the switch if you have an old gas heater”, he said.

“If you need a reason to switch to an airconditioner, just think about the fact that it’s illegal to have a gas heater in a bedroom because it’s dangerous,” he said.

“It’s like letting your car run in your bedroom,” Mr Jarnason said.

Another tip Mr Jarnason had for renters was to look at both their appliances and energy providers.

MORE: Buy a waterfront home for the cost of a family car

NRL legend Paul ‘Fatty’ Vauntin’s penthouse for rent

“One area renters do have control over is how often you run your big energy appliances and choosing the best energy plan,” he said. “When you buy an appliance, buy the most energy efficient and that will pay for itself over years.”

NSW has a number of household energy saving upgrades and subsidies available that Mr Jarnason said are worth looking into.