Home > Tenants and Residents > Energy Efficiency Tips
We'd like to help you use energy efficiently.
We've got simple energy conservation tips for key areas in and around your home like the kitchen, laundry room, yard, and heating for savings all year round. In addition, we offer a few helpful tips for reducing your energy consumption at the office.
Inside Your Home | Outside Your Home | At the Office
Inside Your Home
Oven | Microwave | Fridge | Freezer | Laundry | Lighting | Heating & Cooling
Oven
Your oven is one of the biggest energy users in your home. A little energy saving here can go a long way. Try these simple tips:
- Use the smallest cooking appliance that you can to get the job done (instead of using your stove or oven). Consider using barbecues, microwaves ovens, toaster ovens, crock pots, electric skillets and frying pans.
- Clean a self-cleaning oven immediately after cooking a meal. The oven is already hot, so it takes less time and energy to reach the temperature needed for cleaning.
- Clean the drip pans under the elements of your stove on a regular basis. This ensures maximum heat circulation.
- Use the smallest pan possible and match the burner size to the pan.
- Thaw food in the fridge or microwave before placing it in the oven.
Microwave
Microwaves use about half as much electricity as regular ovens. They can be big energy savers when compared to ranges. These tips can help maximize the energy efficiency of your microwave:
- Keep your microwave clean to help it operate efficiently.
- Defrost food in the refrigerator instead of the microwave.
- Cook in the serving dish and save the cost of hot water to do twice as many dishes.
Fridge
Even the most energy efficient fridges are still large energy consumers. Here are some ways you can help your fridge be most efficient:
- Set temperature controls to the mid-range. The fridge should be 3°C (38°F). If it's too cold, you're wasting electricity.
- Turn on the power saver (condensation or energy switch), unless you see moisture forming on the outside of the fridge.
- Allow food to cool before placing in the fridge or freezer. Appliances have to work extra hard to maintain their cool temperatures.
- Organise food to allow air to circulate around items. It's also important to ensure the fridge isn't overloaded.
- When purchasing a new fridge remember that side-by-side fridges/freezers use more energy than units with the freezer on the top or bottom. Check the Energy guide label for estimates of the annual operating cost and other consumption information.
Freezer
Choosing the right freezer and using it wisely can help you reduce your energy usage. Some other tips for your freezer are:
- Defrost the freezer on a regular basis.
- Keep the freezer at least two-thirds full and get rid of freezers that aren't kept full.
- Set the thermostat control to the point where ice cream is hard, but still scoopable. The freezer should be about - 18°C (0°F).
- Locate the freezer away from heat sources.
- When purchasing a new freezer remember that upright freezers cost more to run than chest models. One reason: more cold air escapes when you open the door.
Laundry
- Do your laundry early in the morning or in the evening to avoid heating up the house. Consider drying your clothes outside.
- Place your dryer in a warm room. If the dryer is kept in a cold room such as a garage, it uses more energy and must operate longer to get your clothes dry.
- Choose the water level that is appropriate for the load you are washing.
- Pre-treat stains and soiled areas of your clothes when using cold water.
- Use the "auto dry" function to ensure you are not over-drying your clothes.
Lighting
- Replace your traditional light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs — they use 75% less energy and last up to ten times longer.
- Turn out lights when you leave a room — contrary to popular belief it does not take more energy to turn a light on and off than leaving it on continuously.
- Use task lighting to illuminate a specific area instead of several to light an entire room.
Heating and Cooling
- When going on a trip, remember to turn down the thermostat and unplug unnecessary appliances.
- Try putting on a sweater before turning up the thermostat if you're cold.
- Install and use a ceiling fan as an efficient complement, or alternative to, air conditioning.
Outside your Home
Lawncare
- When watering your lawn, use an upside down Frisbee® to determine when the grass has sufficient water. The grass only needs approximately 2.5 cm a week to be healthy.
- Maintain garden hoses, check for leaks in the hose or connections.
Bar-B-Que
- Reduce cooking time and operate your electric grill with the lid closed as much as possible.
- Cook a variety of foods at one time.
- Grill more than one meal for leftovers later in the week.
- Defrost frozen food in the fridge or microwave prior to placing on the grill.
Car
- Avoid fast starts and hard breaking — it can lower fuel consumption by up to 40%.
- Ensure proper tire inflation, it will reduce rolling resistance and can improve fuel efficiency by up to 5%.
- Keep your car tuned up — it can reduce your fuel consumption by 50% and reduce emissions.
- Reducing your speed from 120 km/hr to 90 km/hr can reduced your fuel consumption by up to 20%.
At the Office
Using energy efficiently is important to everyone. Many major office buildings operate like small communities — home to upwards of 4,000 people everyday. If we all make a few minor adjustments, we can significantly impact energy usage in the offices we work in — and that’s good news for us all.
Consider some of the simple, energy efficient things you can do at work:
- Shut off computers (or at least your monitor), printers, coffee makers and photocopiers when you leave for the day.
- Turn off your lights when you leave your office or a meeting room.
- Get some exercise and reduce energy consumption by taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- To get to work consider walking, cycling, taking public transportation or carpooling.
Encourage your colleagues to help out. If we all make changes, we can affect greater results.
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