Saving energy
Use of electricity generated from coal and gas is the largest source of carbon emissions in the Tweed. Electricity costs are also increasing, putting strain on household budgets. It makes sense to reduce our daily energy use:
Energy efficiency simply means using less energy to get the same result. You can start by:
- Changing your habits - this costs you nothing, but can deliver great savings
- Changing your appliances and fixtures - buy energy smart if buying a new appliance
Download this list of online resources(PDF, 267KB) to help you learn more about energy efficiency, home energy assessments, solar, batteries and more.
Energy rebates
For savings on energy use at home and for your business see Energy NSW.
Video: Trim your energy bills
Tips for saving energy around the house
Appliances
Change your behaviour
- Don’t use the remote to turn off appliances like TVs and DVD players as this only puts them to sleep. Use the power button on the unit instead.
- Create a ‘recharge station’ for phones, cameras and other hand-held devices. This reduces the chance of accidently leaving the charger on when it's not being used.
- Turn the computer off instead of leaving it to hibernate all day.
Did you know that cutting out standby power can slash the average household’s energy bill by up to 10%?
Change your appliances
- Make energy efficiency a top priority when purchasing appliances and equipment.
- Council has a free electronic waste recycling program. Take your old television, computer monitor and other e-waste to Stotts Resource Recovery Facility and all the parts will be reclaimed, instead of going to landfill.
More information
Calculate your appliance running costs
Search and compare the efficiency of appliances
Heating and cooling
Change your behaviour
- Every 1°C difference in temperature adds 10% to heating or cooling costs and greenhouse emissions.
- Use the heater or air-conditioner as a last resort, and use sparingly.
- Don’t cool below 25°C in summer or heat above 21°C in winter.
Change your fixtures
- Add extra insulation to walls and ceilings, and keep cooler by using external shading such as eaves, awnings, shutters or trees to reduce heat gain by as much as 80%.
More information
Find out how much energy your heating and cooling appliances use
Lighting
Change your behaviour
- Switch lights off when you're not in the room.
Change your fixtures
- Install energy saving globes.
- Minimise the use of down lights. They are energy hungry and hang around in packs. If you already have down lights, reduce the wattage in areas such as hallways and cupboards.
More information
Lighting buyers guide
Refrigeration
Change your behaviour
- Resist the urge to run a second fridge or freezer. Turn it on for busy holiday periods if necessary.
- Keep the coils at the back of the fridge clean and well ventilated to improve efficiency.
- Use water bottles to fill up empty space in your fridge or freezer. More mass in the fridge reduces the amount of cold air escaping when you open the door.
Change your fixtures
- Consider replacing your old fridge. They can consume twice the energy of a new fridge.
Further information
Search and compare the efficiency of appliances
Check out guidance for buying fridges and freezers
Water heating
Change your behaviour
If you have an electric hot water heater, it’s likely that more than 30 per cent of your electricity consumption goes into making hot water. Save money by using less hot water. Installing water-efficient tapware, taking shorter showers and cold washing your clothes are the obvious solutions.
Change your fixtures
- Replace your old electric hot water system with an energy efficient system that cuts your power bill and your carbon footprint
- Solar hot water systems use the sun's energy to heat water. Save an average of 3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year
- Hot water heat pumps use a refrigerant which boils at ambient air temperature to generate heat. Saves an average of 2.4 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year
Solar power
- More than 40% of Tweed households now have solar.
- Over 29% of Australia's electricity generation now comes from renewable energy sources.
Benefits of solar panels:
- lower power bills
- better for the environment (cuts up to 60% from the average household's carbon footprint)
- buy local (helps to keep local people employed)
What you need to know:
The Australian Government's small scale renewable energy scheme can help to reduce your costs.
Video: Solar buyers guide
Hybrid or off-grid
- A hybrid system allows ongoing access to the grid, with associated network costs.
- Off-grid systems need to have enough capacity in solar panels and battery storage to provide power during several days of cloud or rain.
Battery storage
Talk to suppliers with electrical licences and Clean Energy Council accreditations.
See batteries and inverters and battery storage
Green power
If solar isn't for you, you can switch to green power. Contact your electricity supplier and tell them you want electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind, biomass and hydro.
Electric vehicles
Carbon pollution from fossil fuel use in cars makes up over half of the greenhouse gas emissions from transport. This makes up nearly 19% of NSW's greenhouse gas footprint.
Electric vehicles offer a low pollution solution compared to traditional cars. Despite the extra resources that go into an electric vehicle’s battery, 85% of an electric vehicle’s environmental impact comes from the fuel it uses.
Even grid-powered electric vehicles have a lower carbon footprint than diesel and petrol vehicles. When electric vehicles are powered by GreenPower or solar, they are the best low-impact motorised passenger vehicle available.
Find out more about electric vehicles online and on Council’s You Tube channel.
The Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Strategy(PDF, 9MB) outlines opportunities for supporting electric vehicles in the region.