How to Track Your Energy Usage
Last updated on March 3rd, 2022
One-third of the country's energy consumption goes to Australian homes. The average may vary across regions and each type of home. Every year, we have become more energy efficient and aware of how we expend our energy. The use of “smart” homes are becoming more prevalent especially now that people are becoming increasingly aware of their benefits. There are many ways to track your energy consumption. This will help you to:
- Become more energy efficient and reduce your consumption
- Budget the monthly finances of your home
Here are some ways to help you track your energy expenditure:
Check government sites to compare your usage
You can compare your home energy usage by checking this Australian Government website where you can understand the average consumption per year and each quarter of seasons. You just have to input your postal code, the number of people, and a few other energy habits.
Use Smart Meters
Traditional electricity meters, also known as accumulation meters, have spinning metal discs and accumulation registers. They are still used in some parts of Australia today, especially in old buildings. They keep track of your energy expenditure by recording the amount of electricity that has passed through it. They are, however, incapable of doing what smart metres can do.
What makes smart meters distinct is the wide range of communications and control capabilities that they can do.
- They transmit the energy use data directly and without the use of a meter reader;
- They can be remotely controlled to either disconnect or reconnect when necessary;
- They can monitor supply for faults; and
- They can communicate with appliances.
These make smart meters more precise, convenient, and efficient to use.
If you have a smart meter, chances are you also have an in-home display connected to it. These in-home displays tell you how much energy you are using. In particular, they indicate the total power the house is using at any given time (in kilowatts), the amount of energy used over a given period of time (in kilowatt-hours) and rate of expenditure at current use.
Use Smart Appliances
Smart appliances are innovative devices that offer a wide range of settings and options. They often come with state-of-the-art touch control panels and digital displays, which are more advanced than traditional switches and knobs. These appliances save some space, increase convenience, and most importantly, help you modify and record the energy consumption of the devices.
Energy calculators and Smartphone apps
Energy calculators and smartphone apps are a more specific and detailed way to keep track of your energy usage. Energy calculators are meant to estimate the daily and annual running cost of a particular appliance based on its energy-use specifications. They tell you if your appliance is inefficient to use. You can then use this information to change this energy-inefficient appliance.
Moreover, you can find online applications that can help you monitor your energy usage over extended periods and even show patterns and sudden changes in your energy use. Feel free to explore these apps.
Compare Your Electricity and Gas Bundle Plans
Different electricity and gas suppliers offer bundle plans. These plans not only allow you to save some money on your energy consumption bills, they also allow you to choose, plan, and budget your energy bills.
You can use many tools to help you enjoy the benefits of tracking your energy usage. Aside from learning about simple tips, you can use an energy retailer comparison for best results in saving energy.
Stop Paying Too Much On Electricity and Gas!
