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Beyond switching plans — the habits and upgrades that actually move the needle.
5 min read
Free changes (do these first) Shift heavy use (dishwasher, washing, pool pump) to off-peak or the middle of the day if you have solar or a time-of-use tariff. Set heating to 18–20°C and cooling to 24–26°C. Each degree beyond that adds roughly 5–10% to that appliance’s running cost. Turn off the second fridge — an old beer fridge can cost $150+/year on its own. Use cold water for washing; the heater does most of the work in a hot wash. Check you are on the right tariff for your habits — a time-of-use plan only pays off if you can shift load. Low-cost upgrades Switch remaining halogen/incandescent globes to LED — they use around 80% less power. Draught-proof doors and windows; heating and cooling is the biggest slice of most bills. Put the hot water system on a timer or controlled-load tariff. Use a smart plug or timer on the pool pump and reduce its run hours. Bigger investments Rooftop solar — use the Solar payback calculator in your dashboard to see if it stacks up for your usage. A heat-pump hot water system uses roughly a third of the energy of an electric-element one. A home battery if you export a lot of cheap solar and buy it back at peak — size it with the Battery estimator. See this on your own bill EnergySorted costs every plan in your area against your actual usage.
General information only, current at the time of writing — not financial advice. Rebate schemes and rules
change; always confirm details with your retailer or state government energy site.