How to Ensure Your Home Electricity Is Serving You Right

WORDS: PHOTOGRAPHY

Australians are generally very conscious of electricity consumption. Since most energy consumption is dominated by coal in this country (which is definitely not renewable) it’s important to be smart with energy usage. So what can you do to ensure your electricity is working properly and that you’re not wasting more than necessary? Here are a few points to go over to ensure your home electricity is serving you right: 

Introduce some energy-saving habits

If your electricity is working properly, it’s important to do your best to reduce energy waste. No matter if you’re saving energy to protect the planet or if you’re saving it to protect your wallet, there are many things Australians can do to reduce their energy waste. Firstly, you can turn off the lights and unplug appliances when they are not in use. You can also rely on warm Aussie weather to handle your clothes drying and save a bunch. If you wash your clothes in cold water and always fill the washer to the brim, hang drying your laundry will just additionally improve your savings. Just make sure not to expose your clothing to the harsh sun because it can lose its colour quickly—air dry in the shade. 

Test your safety switches

This is one of the most important elements in your home. A safety switch is a device that switches off the electricity in case it detects a fault in a circuit. Make sure your safety switches are working properly by testing them regularly. Go find your switchboard and locate the safety switch (it usually looks like a circuit breaker that has a ‘test’ or ‘T’ button). If your switchboard has more than one safety switch, test them all. Press the ‘test’ button, and if everything is working properly, watch as your power shuts down right away. Switch back on your power and enjoy. If that switch doesn’t change to the ‘off’ position after testing, call an electrician to do some inspection. 

Repair all issues

In case you notice some electrical issues in your home, don’t ignore them. Letting any faults in your wiring or grid go unaddressed can show on your electricity bill but also put you in danger of electric shocks and fires. And in Brisbane, electrical faults are the second most common cause of house fires, so don’t risk it. Therefore, make sure to have an experienced and professional Brisbane electrician in your contacts so they can handle any issues with wiring, fault finding and installation of appliances. Someone with a 24/7 emergency service is the best option because you know you can rely on them whenever you need help. 

Minimize the use of extension cords

Extension cords might be very practical, but they are also not a long-term solution for your lack of outlets. These are made to be used occasionally and mostly on smaller appliances and devices, so don’t resort to using them for your computer, heater or anything big like that. When using extension cords, make sure to invest in a quality kind with safety breakers and surge protection. Also, ensure everything is working properly and there’s no damage to the cord or surrounding plastic. If you often need to use an extension cord, make sure to add more outlets to your home during your next reno. 

Inspect your heater

In winter, Australia is usually reporting a higher number of house fires, mostly due to all the heaters that fire up each year come July. Heaters are both the biggest users of electricity in winter and the biggest risk of fires, so make sure your heater is working properly. Check all the cords for damage, clean out the filters, ditch the extension cords and go straight for the outlet. Additionally, always make sure someone is keeping an eye on your heater and never leave it too close to furniture, clothes and anything with gas. 

If you follow these tips, you’ll be safe in your home this winter and ensure practical money-saving benefits—you literally have nothing to lose if you pay more attention to your home electricity.