b'The typical household apparently spends around 29% of its energySeeing the lightcosts on heating water, so you can see why they ask if your water isWhile the National Government has overturned Labour at the recommended temperature of 55C. Even 5C over that willlegislationtophaseoutoldincandescentbulbsand cost you an extra 5-10% more on your energy bill a year. Some of thereplace them with energy-saving models, reviewing your saving tips recommended will cost you money to apply, like insulatinglight bulb usage is always a good idea.your hot-water tank and pipes or changing your showerhead to a low-owmodel,butwillalsogainyouthebiggestsavings.ItsYoumayremembertheearlyenergysavingmodels, estimated that a low-ow showerhead, which gives the same watertypically of curly design, which were slow to warm up and pressure as traditional models but uses substantially less water canthen didnt always give bright enough light. Never fear, save up to $500 a year. the current models have been hugely improved upon and Skylights can play a role in energy savingfor passive solar gain, forcan be found in a wide range of sizes and shapes to suit light (skylights allow in twice as much light as vertical windows ofalmost all light ttings. the same size), for reducing the needs for mechanical cooling andThemostcommonenergyefcientlightbulbisthe ventilation, and for heat loss (Velux skylights, for example, have acompactuorescentlamp(CFL).Thisisgreattouse higher insulation rating than double glazed vertical windows).for general household lighting and can be bought in Another eye-opener is fridgesor to be precise the cost of runningtwodifferenttones,warmwhiteforcreatingmood old fridges. Many people upgrade their fridge and then put the oldlighting or cool white for brightness. CFLs use 80% one in the garage to use as a beer fridge and to store frozen meat.less energy than traditional bulbs and last many, many On one hand this can seem to be making good use of old equipment,timeslongeragoodqualityCFLshouldgiveyou however the cost of running an old fridge (especially one more than 10 years old) which is unlikely to be very energy efcient, can be10,000 hours of lighting, compared to only 1000 for old around $300 more a year than a modern model.style bulbs.If youre about to purchase a new fridge look for the most energy- Unlike traditional light bulbs that waste energy by getting efcientmodelsandtakeadvantageoftheGovernmentspilothot, CFLs run much cooler, which is why they save you project, where old fridges are taken away for free (they have to be inso much energy. Until recently you couldnt use them working order and at least ve years old) and you get $25 towardswith dimmer switches, but this is now possible with the your new one. addition of a range known as new generation halogen Thentherestheinterestingquestionofwhetherturningoffincandescent light bulbs. While not as energy efcient appliances at the wall, as opposed to leaving on standby, genuinelyas CFLs, they will still save you 30% less energy than old makes a real saving. The answer is denitely yes, though the amountbulbs and last twice as long. really depends on just how many appliances your household useLight emitting diodes, better known as LED lights, are on standby.mostcommonlyassociatedwithbicyclelampsand Take into consideration which ones are practical to turn off at thetorches, but this technology is making its way into the wall, you obviously dont want the hassle of switching off a radiohome, currently in the form of spotlights and downlights. alarm and having to reset it each time, though be aware that it takesAt present LED lighting can be fairly expensive to install but more electricity to keep your DVD player on standby for a year thanhas the potential to revolutionise home lighting. With the it actually uses playing DVDs.ability to last between 50,000 and 100,000 hours, it may Soifyoureatypicalhouseholdwithseveralappliancesonmean the chore of changing light bulbs will be a thing of standby (televisions, gaming consoles, phone chargers, power toolthe past. chargers,stereos,microwaves,washingmachines,dishwashers) you could save around $75 a year just by getting into the habit of switching them off at the socket.ReseneGreen RoomAnd while youre in the mood for changing habits another good oneReseneto adopt is switching off heated towel rails for part of each day;Moonbeamtheres another nifty saving of $100 to be made this way. words Jo Gaughtpicture iStock 61'