Housing

Lighting
Light Bulbs Most light bulbs in my house (except those likely to be frequently turned on for short periods only) have been replaced with energy-saving bulbs. My limited understanding is that the older style incandescent bulbs wasted most of the energy consumed by turning it into heat. My personal preference […]

Lighting

 in Energy / Housing by
Hot water cylinders
Heating hot water can easily account for 30% of your electricity bill. My hot water cylinder has been turned off for the past two years. While it’s not for everyone, in my case I now use a gas shower unit similar to the one illustrated here. Again, while not to […]

Hot Water Heating

 in Energy / Housing by
Vampire Power
Standby power, often called ‘vampire power’, refers to the electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode. Up to the middle of the last decade (2000 – 2010), before the widespread adoption of new regulations, standby power was often several […]

Vampire Power

 in Energy / Housing by
Energy Consumption
While it is fine to say “let’s reduce our power consumption”, often we may not have much idea of the typical total consumption of an individual appliance over a period of time: Work out (often found on a label at the back or underneath an appliance) what the item’s power […]

Electricity Consumption

 in Energy / Housing by