Reducing energy in peak times isn’t only about lowering energy bills, even though that’s a major incentive for most people. Most households feel better using renewable energy like solar and wind than energy generated by coal. Using less energy outside the solar hours can help reduce emissions, improve health outcomes, and enhance energy security.
There are four clear ways the average household or business can reduce their energy use:
1. Don’t do as many things that use energy in the evening.
2. Do the things that use energy less often and/or for shorter periods.
3. Set up your home or workplace so that less energy is needed to do the same things.
4. Upgrade to equipment and appliances that are more energy efficient.
Some options are easier to implement than others so anyone wanting to make a change has to weigh the effort and cost of implementation against the prospective savings. Keep in mind, though, that if you do need to make an initial investment, that one outlay will result in savings for many years.
Here are some ways updating with technology can help reduce energy use in your home or business.
Building Automation Systems (BAS)
Many large buildings now use systems that integrate and control various energy-consuming operations.
Lighting, heating and cooling can be monitored and controlled using an integrated and centralised system specifically programmed to optimise energy consumption.
The more comprehensive systems that control everything are called Building Management Systems (BMS) and the two go hand-in-hand.
The BMS includes the user interface that displays all system information and allows an operator to monitor and control a wider range of building functions, including security, fire safety, and water metering.
These systems can lead to not only a significant saving in energy consumption but also improvements in occupant comfort and productivity. They can also do clever things like pre-cool an area using energy during solar hours to save on drawing energy in the evening from the grid.
Smart Lighting Systems
A Smart Lighting System lets a building manager schedule the lighting in different areas, depending on both occupancy and ambient light (is it the middle of a sunny day or a winter evening). It also allows for remote control when the schedule needs to be adjusted.
From a household perspective, smart light bulbs enable users to minimise unnecessary light and energy usage. Depending on the system, you control lighting through a smartphone app, via a remote control, or using your voice-activated assistant (if you have Alexa or Google Home).
As well as simply scheduling lights to turn on or off, you can dim the lights (which saves energy) and even change the colour of your lights.
Regardless of any other considerations, installing LED light bulbs is a must, as they consume significantly less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs (and offer a longer lifespan).
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Heating and cooling use a lot of energy, so the simple act of changing a thermostat setting by only one or two degrees – not heating as much in winter or cooling as much in summer – can make a significant difference to your annual energy consumption.
Better still, a smart thermostat can be set to automatically adjust heating and cooling based on your habits and preferences, as well as the changing weather.
If it’s unexpectedly warm in winter or cool in summer, the indoor temperature may not fluctuate as much as usual. A smart thermostat will detect that and reduce the usage of your system.
Electric reverse cycle split systems are the most energy-efficient, lowest-cost heating option. If your house has a rooftop solar PV system, the benefits of heating with electric reverse cycle systems can be even greater.
Heat pump hot water systems
The number of heat pump hot water systems installed in Australia increased by 70% in 2024 (source: Solar Choice). The rise of this technology has been driven not only by improvements in the performance of the systems but also the availability of rebate schemes in Victoria and NSW.
Heat pump hot water systems extract heat from the surrounding air. The compressor contains a fan that draws in air, and a refrigerant absorbs the heat from the air. The refrigerant then undergoes a compression process, raising its temperature even further.
The heated refrigerant is then circulated past a water line from the water tank and the heat is transferred. As a result, the water temperature increases.
Because the compressor and fan are the only components of these water pumps that require electrical power, they consume up to 70% less energy than traditional electric hot water systems.
According to Sustainability Victoria, the average four-person household using an electric hot water system will spend $12,265 to heat their water over 10 years, while the total cost incurred by using an energy-efficient heat pump for that same period would be $3,190.
Electrochromic Glazing (smart glass)
Electrochromic glazing, also known as smart or switchable glass, changes its transparency or tint in response to an applied voltage, allowing for dynamic control of light and heat transmission.
By controlling light and heat, electrochromic glazing can reduce the need for air conditioning and heating, leading to lower energy consumption and costs.
The ability to tint the glass on demand is also useful for reducing glare and improving comfort in highly glazed spaces (not to mention increased privacy, if that’s something you’d appreciate!).
Energy-Efficient Appliances
Modern appliances like refrigerators with automatic defrost functions, washing machines with load sensing, dryers with moisture sensors, and dishwashers with automatic shut-off and load sensing are designed to consume less energy.
While some of these models can be more expensive, particularly when the maximum energy-saving technology is included, the savings over the life of the appliance will generally more than offset the initial outlay.
Additionally, using a microwave – yes, they do actually cook things, not only heat up – rather than a conventional oven will be far more energy efficient, while a good laptop (with power-saving mode engaged) can do everything a full desktop computer can do for most users while consuming up to 90 per cent less energy!
It’s likely that any appliance you’ve had for even seven or eight years can be replaced by a much more energy-efficient model.
The Free Lunch
If you like the idea of using more of that good daylight energy and less evening grid energy, check out the FREE LUNCH energy plan. While you won’t be using less energy to run your appliances, you will be using better energy and get rewarded by saving on your bills.
The Free Lunch plan was conceived as a way to encourage our customers to use energy when there is an overabundance of energy generated by solar systems in the mix, in the middle of the day.
The idea is that if you’re able to “time-shift” washing your clothes and dishes, for example, meaning you’re using solar-generated energy, that also takes demand off the grid during the evening peak.
In our next post we’ll have some tips you can implement quickly and cost-effectively so that you use less energy this winter … and every winter from now on.
You might also be interested in our two previous articles, Are we as focused on energy efficiency as we should be? and Tips everyone should be following to use less energy.