Power down and off to reduce your energy consumption

Switching power off of powering down when appliances are not in use is a great way to reduce you're energy consumption, and save you money at the same time! Every light or electric gadget left on when it is not needed is wasting energy and money and is causing pollution that is unnecessary and abundant.

The average Australian household wastes or overuses as much as 20% of the electricity we pay for, which could be costing you over $400 a year in a mid-sized home, and a lot more in a big household.

Stand-by power can use up to 8% of a household's total electricity. For most homes a 10% reduction in electricity consumption can save $200 a more a year off our electricity bill and nearly ¾ of a tonne of CO2 pollution. A 20% reduction on average consumption will save over $400 and over 1.5 tonnes of CO2.

Here's some things you can do to power down and switch off wherever possible!

1. Talk to everyone in your household about the cost, waste and pollution that occurs when lights and gadgetry - such as gaming consoles and computers -are left on when not needed. Take time to share what you're learning from the campaign and why action is important.

2. Show children what they need to do to turn off gaming consoles and other equipment they use. Get to understand their behaviour (e.g. Are they worried about saving their games? Or just don't know any better?) and help them to see why it's so important.

3. You can put stickers around the home with messages like 'switch me off' for lights and 'am I on?' for gadgets. Be creative! Make it fun and educational.

Remember, stand-by power sucks up a lot of energy! Here's what you can do,

1. Count how many little red dots of light you can see around your home when your appliances are turned off. Each one is using standby power.

2. Count digital clocks around your home and consider if they really need to be turned on all of the time.

3. Figure out what appliances you want to turn off when not in use and draw up your 'action list'.

4. Turn off at the wall those items that don't need power continuously. For example –microwaves, washing machines with digital displays, radios, electric alarm clocks etc

5. For multiple appliances (e.g. TV and DVD player, stereo system) the easiest way to manage them is to plug them all into a single power-board so you can turn all of them off with one flick of a switch.

6. And most importantly, whenever you leave the house or get ready for bed remember to switch off your 'action list' items.

Want more information? Try these sensational websites from the OEH!

The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) works to protect and conserve the NSW environment, including the natural environment, Aboriginal country, culture and heritage and our built heritage, and manages NSW national parks and reserves. We love their sensational work and the support that they give 1 Million Women.

The NABERS Home Calculatorhttp://www.nabers.com.au/HomeCalculator

You can use the NABERS HOME Rating to find out how your home's energy and water use compares to others.

Smarter Choice Calculator www.smarterchoicecalculator.com.au

The Office of Environment and Heritage's Smarter Choice program is designed to help you make more informed purchasing decisions on appliances.

General Info on saving money at homehttp://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/households/energy-home.htm