Save Power

Saving power means saving money and reducing your impact on our climate.

A well designed and insulated home with energy efficient appliances will help to keep your energy bills down. Your garden design and plantings can also help cool or warm your home.

Elements of an energy efficient home (Image: Climate Council of Australia Ltd)

Check government subsidies and incentives

• NSW Government Household energy saving upgrades program provides support to reduce your household energy use and cut your power bills. This includes upgrading existing appliances and energy equipment to more energy efficient models. The programs support homes and small business to upgrade items such as air-conditioners and hot water heating systems.
• Australian Government Cheaper Home Batteries program. Households, businesses and community organisations can get a discount of around 30% on the upfront cost of installing a range of small-scale battery systems (5 kWh to 100 kWh).
• NSW Government Solar for Apartment Residents (SoAR) grant program provides funding to support the installation of solar panels on eligible apartment buildings and other multi-unit dwellings in NSW.
• NSW Government incentive for connecting your solar battery to a Virtual Power Plant.

Borrow a thermal imaging camera

Find air leaks and insulation gaps with the thermal imaging camera. This will show you where you can seal gaps around windows and doors, install double-glazed windows or improve insulation in your walls, floor or ceiling. Making changes like these will help reduce your heating and cooling energy needs.

We have a thermal imaging camera available for residents to borrow from our library. We'll provide you with written instructions on how to use the camera when you collect it.

How to borrow the thermal imaging camera.

Use your garden to cool your home

Establishing shade trees on your property now will help your home and garden stay cool during the hotter and longer summers that are expected as the climate warms.

• Use this Fact Sheet(PDF, 1MB) for tips to help you decide what to plant where in your garden.
• Watch this video from Macquarie University’s Which Plant Where team for a comprehensive understanding of how to use plants and other methods to cool your home.

Resources

These non-profit groups have a wide range of resources step-by-step guides to support your energy saving projects.

• Clean Energy Council - free online resources and guides designed to help you install solar power and batteries, select quality products and find accredited installers.
• Renew - online resources, booklets and magazines on topics such as installing solar, choosing an air-conditioner, reducing your heating and cooling costs and selecting a new hot water system.

More information

• Switch to GreenPower - how and why to make the switch.
• Install solar - all you need to know about installing solar in the Woollahra area.
• Apartment and Strata energy saving - advice and projects for strata buildings in Woollahra area.