This is what $1 of electricity will get you in your home
Soaring energy costs have been a big concern for households but now you can understand exactly what $1 of electricity will get you.
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Breaking down energy costs into $1 chunks can help Australians get a clearer understanding of how much power they are munching through.
Soaring energy costs continue to hit householders’ hip pockets, but new analysis by industry body Energy Networks Australia has crunched exactly what a dollar gets you.
The analysis, based on a flat retail contract electricity tariff of 30c/kWh with no discounts, shows that $1 will pay for:
• Three dishwasher loads.
• One year of phone charging.
• Toasting 160 slices of bread.
• Two-to-three days of running your fridge.
• Two hours of heating or cooling using a split system airconditioner.
• 20 hours using a ceiling or portable fan.
• One or two medium loads to dry washing.
• 15 minutes in the shower.
• 20 hours of TV.
• 1 roast dinner.
ENA chief executive officer Andrew Dillon said the breakdown of costs gave consumers a simple understanding of the costs of their energy consumption.
“The type of appliance you use and how you use it can have a significant impact on your power bills,” he said.
“For example, a fan can use as much as one-tenth the electricity of a split-system airconditioner and running an airconditioner at 24C consumes much less power than lower temperatures.”
The Department of the Environment and Energy’s Australian Energy Update 2019 report shows households are reducing their energy consumption – a direct result of higher electricity prices and adoption of more energy efficient practices, appliances and housing.
It found retail electricity prices rose by 12 per cent in 2017-18 but have eased since then, rising by 0.5 per cent in 2018-19.
Alinta Energy executive director of retail Jim Galvin said many Australians were not aware of the costs of running appliances and urged households to be “aware of the time of day you are using energy”.
“In most jurisdictions there are peak periods and off-peak periods so some of the appliances in the house are discretionary as to when you run them such as pool pumps, washing machines, dishwashers,” he said.
“They really should be used during the off-peak periods and that information is on customer’s bills. The peak is usually during the day and up until 8pm.
“From 8pm to 6am is usually off-peak so there’s a saving in that regard.”
Powershop chief customer officer Catherine Anderson said one of the best ways to reduce energy bills was to “understand how much things cost”.
“Appliances on standby can be up to 10 per cent of your household energy usage,” she said.
“Simply going around the house and turning things off at the power point, this can make quite a difference to your bills.”
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Ms Anderson said practical tips including “opening up the house in summer so a breeze comes through and closing up the house in winter to make sure there’s no leaks and drafts” also helped curb costs.
“Wait until your washing machine and dishwasher are full before you put them on,” she said.