With an ever-increasing number of solar installations in Australia, homeowners have been experiencing a drastic reduction in their energy bills. Additionally, they are also realizing the importance of adding a power storage system to maximize their energy efficiency. A battery system increases your freedom from the utility during nocturnal hours and when energy charges are at their highest. An energy storage system reduces your need to draw from the grid thereby shrinking your energy bills further.
After the 2019 pandemic, most Australians now work from home. With more members staying at home during the day, most households are faced with the issue of increased power consumption and subsequently higher energy costs. This led many non-solar consumers to rethink their power choices and existing solar users to think about how to get the most out of their existing solar systems.
Tips to make your home more solar efficient
1. Time your consumption
There is a common misconception regarding solar energy that accessing feed-in tariffs is the best way to garner solar savings. However, this isn’t true. Utility companies have to incur a lot of expense to produce and distribute electricity from the grid which is why they sell you electricity at higher rates than what they pay you for the energy you sell them from your residential solar panels. Therefore, it will be more financially advantageous for you to consume the most energy from your solar installation in Australia than send it back to the grid. Therefore, you must practice using the most power from your residential solar panels during the daytime when they are generating their best. For example, you can schedule your washing machine, dishwasher, and tumble dryers to run during peak daylight hours to make the most of your solar installation in Australia. That way, many of your power-hungry appliances will have already operated on solar energy during the day and would not need to draw grid electricity to run at night which can control your energy bills to a great extent.
2. Charge your batteries during the day
After you have fed most of your heavy appliances, use the power from your residential solar panels to charge your storage batteries. Once fully charged from solar, your batteries can provide you energy to run your house at night when the panels are not producing and you will not have to buy electricity from the grid at night. This will keep your grid usage to the minimum and help keep your bills in check.
3. Energy-efficient lighting
Next time when it’s time to change your light bulbs, replace them with LED light bulbs which are more energy efficient and durable. They use only one-fourth the energy than conventional light bulbs and last up to ten times more too.
4. Extend your stored power
Even when your home is running on energy storage, take care to keep your usage below the maximum capacity of your battery. To have your battery operate at its highest efficiency, avoid running too many appliances at once or it will drain rapidly.
Some more tips for enhancing energy efficiency
1. Cooling and heating temperatures
Your home’s cooling and heating impact your energy costs in a big way. Inaccurate temperature settings can increase your power consumption by up to 10 percent. To enhance your home’s energy efficiency:
a) close curtains, windows, and doors for minimal cooling and heating loss
b) set heating between 18°C to 20°C
c) set cooling between 25°C to 27°C
You could even consider getting your house properly insulated to prevent heating and cooling loss.
2. Seasonal refrigerator check
We lower the fridge temperature during summer but usually forget to bring it up when the chill sets in. Running heavy appliances such as these at incorrect temperature settings wastes a lot of power and it reflects in the energy bills. For optimum energy efficiency, your fridge temperature should not be lower than 3°C, and the freezer not be below -18°C.
Conclusion
A little care on your part can enhance the energy efficiency of your home and further reduce your energy bills. Consuming the most energy from your residential solar panels is way more powerful in creating higher savings from your solar installation in Australia than exporting to the utility company. In addition to that, taking care that cooling and heating appliances are set to operate at the correct temperatures will maximize your energy savings and keep your bills in control.
Get in touch with us at SunMate Solar for authentic deals on the most advanced solar panels, inverters, and batteries in Australia.
