Background
BlueScope Steel partnered with Clean Up Australia and the Carbon Reduction Institute (CRI) to run a nationwide competition in Better Homes & Gardens and offer one lucky reader the chance to win a $5,000 home consultation and a $10,000 cash prize to make their home more sustainable.
The competition was run by BlueScope Steel to raise awareness of their roofing product COLORBOND® steel with Thermatech® technology. This leading edge technology works by absorbing less heat and therefore transferring less heat in the roof space. This provides greater thermal comfort in buildings specified with COLORBOND® steel.
Peter Longa won the competition and Rob Cawthorne from the CRI went to Mr Longa's home to assess his current energy and water bills and advise him how he can save on these with practical solutions. Mr Longa was also equipped with an array of other recommendations on how he can save both money and the environment in the way in which he goes about his daily home life.
Ian Kiernan of Clean Up Australia paid a visit to Mr Longa's home to congratulate him.
What were Rob's recommendations from the CRI audit?
Energy usage including use of appliances and standby loads
- Refrigeration
The Longo household has two fridges (1 x 392L and 1 x 200L) and one 200L chest freezer.
During the assessment it was noted that there was minimal space around the main fridge for air flow and the two smaller units were pushed next to each other. It is recommended that the fridges be spaced from the wall and from each other. Failing to do so will reduce the ability for the fridges and freezer to cool itself, overtaxing the appliances in the process.
While undertaking the assessment, a temperature reading of the floor was taken between the small fridge and chest freezer and within the main fridge well. The floor temperature between the fridge and freezer was greater than 2 degrees hotter than the floor temperature elsewhere in the kitchen. This indicates that the devices may not have adequate room to remove heat without heating each other in the process, reducing their performance.
Consider replacing all three units with a larger more modern fridge, although considerations need to be made as to where to place it. A 4.5 star 550L fridge will save approximately $400.00 per year and return its investment in under 4 years.
- Laundry appliances
The greatest energy consuming appliances are found in the laundry and kitchen. In the laundry, the two main appliances using the greatest amount of electricity are the washer and dryer. Depending on how much you use them, their actual energy usage will vary from their average ratings but as a household with three children, usage of the laundry appliances will likely far exceed the average.
The washer had two ratings, one for cold washes and one for hot which are 111 kWh and 695 kWh per annum average respectively. The cold wash should cost the average household $17 - $18 per year, while the hot wash will cost between $111 and $112.00 per year
The dryer had a rating of 222 kWh per year and will cost about $36.00 per year based on 1 load per week.
- Standby power
The household has a number of significant standby energy consumers. The four largest are:
- The TV cabinet including game console and pay TV combined was measured and consumed 48 watts even with the TV off and not in use. As this is the standard off state, just switching these devices off at the wall can save between $30 and $50 per annum.
- The computer had a measured standby load of 21 watts.
- The modem for the internet had a measured standby load of 10 watts.
- The microwave had a measured standby load of 3.1 watts.
Even when these devices are not in use, they have a combined load of 82.1 watts. This equates to a cost of $117 per year. Assuming the devices in the TV cabinet and the computer and modem are used for 4 hours a day each, while the microwave is used for 30 minutes total, $98 per year can be saved by ensuring these devices are completely off when not in use.
- Lighting
The Longo household does not have excessive lighting, generally one ceiling light and one lamp in each of the rooms. Following the site visit all lighting devices in the house are now Compact Fluorescent Lamps, which save 80% of the energy needed compared to regular incandescent bulbs.
Heating, ventilation and cooling
The Longo household has already taken advantage of the government rebate on insulation and has had Cool and Cozy insulation installed already. Beyond insulation, one of the best ways to reduce the heating and cooling load in your home is to reduce the amount of air exchanged between the outside and inside of the house through sealing gaps around windows, doors and walls.
It was noted that there were significant gaps around doors and windows throughout the house and this was rectified by installing simple weather seals, door snakes and by filling any areas that expose the inside air of the house to the outside weather. In short, a well sealed house contains the air that must be heated or cooled, preventing it from escaping.
Water usage
The Longo residence uses a small 80L electric hot water system. Electric storage hot water systems are high energy users, however the Longo residence is using quite a small system, therefore its contribution to overall electricity consumption may be reasonably low for a five person household. An ideal and cost effective replacement for this would be a solar hot water system boosted by instantaneous gas. There is a solar hot water rebate from the federal government which can save you $1600.00 if you have not already taken advantage of the insulation rebate.
Rob concluded: "Although the Longo household does not have an excessive number of appliances, the behaviour to date is to generally leave devices on for long periods of time. Simply turning appliances off at the wall when not in use will save energy at no cost and minimal effort. When multiple appliances are left on or in standby mode, the wasted energy can quickly add up.
"Based on the Longo household's present electricity usage, there is scope to achieve savings greater than 50% by purchasing efficient appliances, performing upgrades or retrofits and successfully implementing behavioural changes in the household."
What benefits did Peter gain from the audit?
Mr Longa said Rob recommended small, but effective, changes to the house such as using timing meters in standby mode on appliances to reduce power consumption. Rob replaced old light globes in the Longa's house with energy saver long life globes and recommended they replace their electrical water heater with solar energy and install a water tank.
Mr Longa said he learnt a great deal from the audit: "Small changes in the way you use electrical power can result in significant savings. I was surprised by the amount of electrical power that appliances use while in standby mode. Rob taught me the importance of maintaining separation between appliances (such as fridges and freezes) to reduce temperature build-up.
Small changes, such as not filling up the whole kettle when you want just one or two drinks can save a large amount of energy. The audit has made us a lot more conscious of conserving energy which is better for the environment and also cost savings."
Photographer: Julian Masters
