Guide to energy efficient heating
Keeping your home warm during the winter is vital - but it can often come at serious cost.
This article looks at some of the steps you can take to improve your home’s energy efficiency and possibly reduce your energy bills.
Identify and fix any air leaks in your home
Firstly, before any new heating appliances are purchased or heating units installed, you need to assess your house for any potential air leaks.
Air leaks or draughts in your home are often the main reason why your home is hard to heat, because for all the work your heater is doing - it’s being lost to a gap under a door, or a window that’s not closed properly.
Try to identify any gaps in doors, windows or vents that could leak air, and seal them. It may take a trip to the DIY store but it will be well worth it.
Work out what heating will be right for your household
Depending on your situation, you could be looking at installing a system for your whole home, or something that can be used individually in rooms.
Whole home solutions for energy efficient heating
Central heating is one way you could heat your home more efficiently.
Central heating uses an electric multi-split reverse-cycle system, which uses heat pump technology to extract hot air from outside and transfer into your home. This type of system will need to be installed via refrigerated piping throughout your home.
However, once installed, you’ll be able to easily control temperature via a thermostat, zone it to specific rooms, and know that you’re not losing any heat when it’s in use.
Installing reverse cycle air conditioning
A reverse-cycle air conditioner is an aircon that can provide heating in winter, and cooling in summer.
According to energy.gov.au, reverse-cycle air conditioning is 300% to 600% efficient. This means that it can take one unit of electrical energy and turn it into 3 to 6 times as much heating or cooling energy.
However, you’ll still need to make sure that the unit is fit for your household’s needs, and will still be efficient for what you’ll need it for.
One way to do this is via energy.gov.au’s energy rating calculator. This tool allows you to input your postcode and your climate to find out what will be best for you.
Smaller heating solutions for your home
If you’re looking into portable heaters that will help keep you warm in winter, then it’s best you assess your options, and what you’ll need it for.
Fan heaters can be effective at warming smaller rooms quickly - with some models now having a built-in thermostat that turns the fan off when necessary. This will help in possibly reducing energy use, while still giving you a warming solution.
Convection heaters warm the air which then circulates naturally - which means you’d best avoid it if you have high ceilings, poor ventilation or a lot of air leaks.
There are other solutions - such as radiant heaters, or combined convection-radiant heaters, which may be effective in the right environment.
Making the best choice for your energy needs
Keeping your home warm while maintaining energy efficiency can certainly be done - but it takes a keen assessment of your household, an understanding of what would suit your circumstances, and management of your solutions.
It can also help to make sure you’re on the right energy plan for you - whether that’s one that offers ‘time of use’ tariffs or provides the best rate for your household. To find out more, you can compare energy plans on RateCity.
Important Information
What is the Reference Price?
The reference price is set by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) for a financial year in relation to electricity supply to residential customers in the distribution region and is based on an assumed annual usage amount. Any difference between the reference price and the unconditional price of a plan is expressed as a percentage more or less than the reference price. The terms of any conditional discounts are shown, along with any further difference between the reference price and the discount applied if a condition is met, expressed as a percentage more or less than the reference price.
What is the VDO?
The Victorian Default Offer (VDO) includes a daily supply charge and usage charges (per kilowatt hour). Differences in tariffs across distribution regions reflect the unique costs of providing electricity services in each area. The difference between the VDO and the unconditional price of a plan, based on the Victorian Government’s annual reference consumption for domestic customers in the distribution region, is expressed as a percentage more or less than the VDO. The terms of any conditional discounts are shown, along with any further difference between the VDO and the discount applied if a condition is met, expressed as a percentage more or less than the VDO.
NSW, QLD and SA: Price is GST inclusive and is: the estimated lowest possible price a representative customer would be charged in a year for this plan, assuming all conditions of discounts offered (if any) have been met, based on the AER’s model annual usage in the distribution region as stated at the top of each table.
VIC: Price is GST inclusive and is: the estimated lowest possible price a customer would be charged in a year for this plan, using the Victorian Government’s annual reference consumption for domestic customers in your distribution region as stated at the top of each table and assuming all conditions of discounts offered (if any) have been met.
ACT: Price is GST inclusive and is: the estimated lowest possible price a representative customer would be charged in a year for this plan, using the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) annual reference consumption for domestic customers in your distribution region as stated at the top of each table and assuming all conditions of discounts offered (if any) have been met.
TAS: The price shown is inclusive of GST and is the estimated lowest possible price a representative customer would be charged in a year for this plan, assuming all conditions of discounts offered, if any, have been met.
The general usage for products displayed in the table for Tasmanian postcodes is based on the median electricity usage of customers in Tasmania. The median usages are: 2,947 kWh/year for a Single Rate tariff, and 7,428 kWh/year for a Single Rate + Controlled Load tariff. These usage assumptions are based on the latest Typical Electricity Customers in Tasmania report released by the Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator. If the amount of electricity you actually use differs greatly from this estimate, your bill could be significantly larger or smaller than the charges listed for each plan.
Some plans may require you to meet certain conditions before a discount may become available to you. Check the energy provider’s plan information for details of all possible discounts that may apply and any conditions that need to be met to be eligible for these discounts. Some plans may have a minimum term longer than one year. In that case the total cost over the term will be much higher than the price (which is only for one year). Consider the provider’s detailed product and pricing information before making a decision to take out a new plan or switch electricity providers.
