Energy Australia: Why cutting carbon emissions and saving money on our energy bills calls for ‘hard actions'

Energy usage is a big issue in Australia currently, and in order for the country to meet its carbon reduction targets, i.e the abatement of 138 million tonnes of green gases every year by 2020, energy prices have risen with the hope of spurring the public to be more conscious of the energy it is using. The call for ‘hard actions' by Keith Orchison in the Business Spectator comes at a time when a recent survey by a leading Australian comparison website found that 92 percent of those asked were more concerned about the price of energy than they had been a year earlier.

So how can we put these energy management ‘hard actions' into place? Many of us have got into the habit of ensuring the television is off as opposed to using the standby function, as well as being sure to recycle and use energy saving light bulbs. Yet, there are further ways to save which are often overlooked. Check your hot water thermostat, according to green energy specialists, it should rarely be set anywhere higher than 60 degrees Celsius. Leaking taps are also more wasteful than one might expect (especially if it's a hot tap) - dripping taps can fill half a bath in a week.

With water saving in mind, you are set to save even more money and to shrink your carbon footprint if you install a water efficient low-flow shower head - designed especially to get more cleaning power from less water. Wasted heat is something that should always be considered. Insulating your loft and cavity walls is an excellent step, and can stop up to 50 percent of heat escaping from your home. Additionally, using draught excluders and seals around window and doors a re a cheap method to keep more heat in.

The aforementioned methods to save money are fairly small in terms of spending to save on future costs and carbon emissions. Being able to make bigger changes are set make a big difference on how much you save in the future. High efficiency gas or solar hot water systems will save on energy bills and emissions over the year in comparison to standard electric hot water systems. When buying new electronic appliances it can often be worth paying a little more for efficient models, in order to benefit from this efficiency in the future. Additionally, natural gas heaters for use in living areas are cheaper to run and estimated to save up to 75 percent of greenhouse emissions compared to electric heaters.

Sarah Maple writes about renewable energy and solar hot water. The Green Project has been set up to give you and your community the best advice and recommendations on ways to make your home more energy efficient to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.