Using fans strategically can be a great way to stay cool while also saving energy. Here's a list of ideas for utilizing fans in the home for cooling purpose:
Just like purchasing any appliance, you should always look for energy efficient options when buying new fans. There are many fans on the market now that are designed to provide effective cooling while consuming less energy. Here are some features and considerations that make a fan more energy efficient:
Utilizing shade effectively is crucial in tropical regions like Darwin to stay cool and reduce energy consumption in your home. Here's a list of ways people can use shade around their homes in the Darwin region:
By combining these strategies, you can create a more comfortable living environment while reducing the need to excessive air conditioning.
COOLmob Tip: If you have areas of concrete or brick walls that are exposed to sunlight, this will increase the ambient heat. You can put that sun and heat to good use by placing pot plants on exposed areas which will reduce heat radiation from these areas.
Adhesive plastic sheets known as window films can be easily applied to your windows. These films effectively filter light and heat, replicating the insulation benefits of conventional double-glazed windows but at a significantly lower cost. Window films will reduce how much heat gets in through windows. The film works by providing insulation and UV protection.
This is a great option for apartments and renters. Films act like double glazing. It is a cheap and quick solution to improve your home's energy efficiency and they can be removed when you're ready to move out.
Better Renting has installation instructions and a buying guide on their website. Here are the main points:
Window films can be purchased online or at hardware stores (like Bunnings)
Use curtains on windows that are exposed to direct sunlight so that you minimise the amount of sun entering your home. Here are some tips:
Light-colored fabrics: Opt for light-colored curtains to reflect sunlight rather than absorb it, helping to keep the room cooler.
Thermal curtains: Invest in thermal or blackout curtains designed to insulate your windows. These curtains can block out both heat and cold, providing year-round temperature control. Make sure to close these before the sun is able to come in, otherwise you will be trapping the heat inside
Reflective materials: Choose curtains made from reflective materials that bounce sunlight away from the room, preventing it from turning into heat.
Double-layer curtains: Use double-layer curtains with a sheer layer underneath. During the day, you can draw the heavier layer to block out heat while still allowing natural light through the sheer layer.
Close curtains during the hottest hours: Keep curtains closed during the hottest parts of the day to block out direct sunlight and prevent heat buildup in the room.
Ventilation: Ensure proper ventilation by allowing curtains to be partially open, creating a cross breeze. This can help circulate air and cool the room.
Curtain liners: Consider using curtain liners or thermal liners to enhance insulation, preventing outside temperatures from affecting the indoor environment.
Hanging curtains outside the window frame: Extend the curtain rod beyond the window frame to minimize the amount of heat that enters the room from the sides.
Use of natural fabrics: Opt for breathable and natural fabrics like cotton or linen that allow air to circulate, contributing to a cooler atmosphere.
Adjust throughout the day: Be flexible with curtain adjustments based on the time of day and the external temperature. Open curtains during cooler periods and close them during the warmer parts of the day.
Using air conditioners efficiently is crucial for both comfort and energy savings. Here's a list of ways people can use air conditioners efficiently:
When buying a new system, you can look for models with good energy performance. Here are some points to consider when shopping for your next system:
Designing or renovating a home in the Top End with a focus on tropical design is essential for creating a comfortable living space while optimizing energy efficiency. Here are some tips for incorporating a tropical design into your next building project:
For more information see the COOLmob Design for the Tropics booklet:
Installing solar panels on your roof can be highly effective way to harness the abundant sunlight and reduce energy costs. Here are a list of things to consider:
For more detailed information about solar, check out the COOLmob Guide To Going Solar!
COOLmob Tip: You can't manage what you can't measure. You need to monitor your performance in order to improve it. Understand your household energy use so you can get the most out of your solar panels.
The electricity market involves both electricity retailers and electricity suppliers, each playing distinct roles in the complex energy ecosystem. Electricity suppliers generate or source the electricity, often utilizing a mix of power generation methods such as coal, natural gas, renewables, and more. These suppliers feed the produced electricity into the grid.
On the other hand, electricity retailers act as intermediaries between consumers and suppliers, offering various electricity plans and services. An electricity retailer is who sends you a quarterly or monthly invoices. The retailers buy the energy from Power Water, who own and manage the network.
Residents in the Top End can pick between two electricity retailers: Jacana Energy or Rim Fire Energy. This means you can decide who issues your bills each quarter or month.
An easy place to start with your energy management is to compare the different energy offers. When choosing an electricity retailer, it's essential to compare rates, consider customer reviews for service reliability, check for any additional fees or discounts and look at the available solar feed in tariff. Keep an eye out for any environmental initiatives or renewable energy options if sustainability is a priority. Taking these factors into account will help you make an informed decision that aligns with your preferences and requirements.
To view the current electricity rates offered by Jacana Energy and Rim Fire Energy visit these sites below:
Jacana Residential pricing and tariffs
Rimfire Energy Product Price Sheet
Understanding how to read your electricity bill is important for managing your energy consumption, identifying potential cost-saving opportunities, and making informed decisions to promote energy efficiency in your home.
Your bill is made up of the amount of energy you consume, multiplied by the price per unit. The price per unit can vary according to the time of day you use your electricity and the kind of contract you’re on.
Your electricity tariff has 2 parts:
To help you understand how to read your bill, Jacana Energy have a helpful guide on their website:
Choosing appliances with a high Energy Star Rating will reduce your energy use over the long term.
The Energy Rating Label is a government initiative allows you to compare the energy efficiency and running costs of appliances before you buy – to reduce your electricity bill. Visit their website for more information on:
And another thing? Don’t buy any appliances which you don’t really need. Think if you can borrow a friend or neighbours before investing!
How you live in your home makes a huge difference to the power bill each quarter. Even if you had an amazingly sustainable design and only 5 Star Rated appliances, if you have ‘energy hungry behaviours’ your power bill won’t be as low as it could.
Small and FREE wins can be made in any home by adjusting your behaviour. These include:
Stand-by power is the power used by your appliances even when they have been switched off using a remote control, or are switched off at the appliance alone (and not at the wall). This means that you are still paying for things that should be turned OFF.
Measurements done by COOLmob on stand-by power used by individual appliances in the average household have shown that power is still consumed unless completely switched off. Possible savings of between $50 - $150 per year are possible from switching off appliances at the power point.
You can calculate the amount of power you waste on stand-by power easily.
You can also hire a Power Mate Lite from any of the Darwin City Council libraries to measure how much stand by power is costing you each year.
You would be surprised to learn what products use stand-by power, and the only way to be sure that “OFF MEANS OFF” is to turn appliances off at:
A little bit of stand-by power, multiplied by a lot of appliances in your home, multiplied by the number of times people are not using their appliances, multiplied by all of the households in the world leaving stand-by power on…results only in the a huge waste of money and the needless emissions of greenhouse gases!
The changing global climate and rising price of electricity means that our hard earned dollars are too precious to waste on equipment that we think we have switched off.
The two most common types of hot water systems for households are solar hot water systems and electric hot water systems. The main difference between these are that one uses electricity from renewable energy sources, and therefore heats your water for free using sunlight, and the other uses electricity from the grid.
Hot water heating from electric systems makes up a major portion of your electricity bill, so when choosing a hot water system for you home always consider the ongoing and ever-increasing costs of electricity consumption.
COOLmob recommend you take a look at the Australian Energy Foundation Guides on different hot water systems, as they compare the most efficient systems and have recently published The Complete Guide To Choosing Your Perfect Heat Pump Hot Water System.
Using the sun to heat your hot water is free. In order to heat water using solar energy, a collector, often fastened to a part of the roof facing the sun, heats water that is either pumped (an active system) or driven by natural convection (passive system) through it.
Solar hot water has many benefits:
At the end of the day, why pay for hot water when you can get it for free?
And if you already have solar hot water, see the tips below to make sure your using yours efficiently:
COOLmob tip: when installing the solar hot water unit on your roof position it so as to allow installation of solar PV panels at a later date.
Electric hot water systems use electricity from the grid to heat the water you use for cooking, cleaning and showering. Electric hot water systems can be very expensive as they require a large amount of energy to maintain water temperatures. However there are still some things you can do to ensure that it is running efficiently.
COOLmob often audit homes that are over-lit and have energy intensive lighting types. For some families lighting makes up a significant amount of quarterly energy bills. The good news though is that switching to energy efficient lighting is one of the easiest ways to reduce your energy bills. If you have halogen or compact fluorescent lights in your home, switching over to LEDs is a simple way to reduce your energy costs.
Light emitting diodes, known as LEDs are very energy-efficient light bulbs. Because they’re able to convert 60% of electricity into light, compared to only 5-10% for compact fluorescents, these lights use much less energy. Compared to halogen bulbs, LEDs use 75% less energy and last 5 to 10 times longer. Have a look at this graph from Energy Rating comparing the lifetime cost of LEDs, CFLs and halogens (Australian Energy Foundation, 2020).
If your existing fitting is a GU10 (and not a pin fitting as in the second image) then you do not need an electrician to remove the transformer and replace the lamp holder and fitting. You can simply put the CFL globe straight in and start cutting your power bills immediately! If you are unsure, take one globe out and take it to a lighting shop to ask what the correct fitting is. The lighting shop will be able to tell you what type of replacement globes to buy.
There are also lots of alternatives online so make sure you shop around for the best result.
There are an array of lighting types on the market. A common down light is the tungsten halogen, which is also a very energy intensive light and therefore expensive to run. Remember: A low voltage lamp does not mean it uses less power. If you want to use less power you need a lamp with a lower wattage light.
Many of the COOLmob households audited in Darwin have a swimming pool. At the time of these audits the majority of pools were set to operate their pumps for 8 hours a day. This equates to electricity costs between $3,500 and $5,500 over a 5 year period, and creates between 12 and 19 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the same period. The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities and ways to cut costs on your pool pumping. There are savings opportunities for both ‘salt’ and ‘chlorine’ pools, though each may require different changes.
Reduce pump operating times
The first and easiest solution to the high electricity costs involved in pool pumping is to reduce the operating times of your pump. Reductions of 2 hours for ‘salt’ pools and 3-4 hours for ‘chlorine’ pools can be achieved, however these changes can vary between pools because of:
Savings of about $900 and $1,600 over 5 years are achievable for a 1kW motor for the ‘salt’ and ‘chlorine’ pools respectively. This equates to greenhouse gas emission reductions of 3 and 5 tonnes in the same period.
When reducing times make sure the water quality is checked periodically.
Use a pool cover
The next savings option to use a pool cover. A pool cover will not only prevent water evaporation, but it will protect the pool when it is not in use, meaning you won’t need to pump as much!
The fitting of a pool cover for approximately 3 months of the year will achieve significant savings of nearly $700 over 5 years, and reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by a further 2 tonnes of CO2 (based on the operation of a 1kW pump motor).
In addition to the electricity savings in reduced pumping costs as a result of a pool cover, one COOLmob household found that they didn’t require the 9,000 litres of ‘top up’ water while the pool was covered during the dry season.
Use an energy efficient pool pump system
There are energy efficient pool pumps and controllers now on the market. These have been developed to use automated variable speed drive technology to achieve significant power savings on pumping. There are two main forms:
Both items achieve savings of 65-70% operating power costs and greenhouse gas emissions compared to standard pool pumps, and are much quieter to run. Claims are also made regarding increased effectiveness of filtering and longer pump life because of the lower operating speeds. Pumps may need to be run for a little longer than your present pump settings in order to turn over the same amount of water, due to the slightly slower flow rates. The savings have been verified by COOLmob and the reduction in noise level is an added bonus.
The automatic speed controller can be fitted to any size pool pump.
Depending on where you live in the NT, your electricity may come from the burning of natural gas, the burning of diesel or solar generation.
Solar electricity from solar panels on your rooftop generates zero climate pollution so is therefore the most sustainable energy source.
Darwin
Electricity is generated from natural gas at the Channel Island power station (310MW) and Weddell Power Station (129MW).
Alice Springs
Electricity is generated by the Uterne Solar Power Station (4.1MW), from natural gas at the Ron Goodwin Power Station (45MW) and from natural gas and diesel at the Owen Springs Power Station (36MW).
Tennant Creek
Electricity is generated from a mix of natural gas and diesel at the Tennant Creek Power Station (17MW).
Remote Communities
Electricity is generated by a mix of diesel and solar PV, depending where you live.
For more information, see Territory Generation