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8 Tips to Save on Winter Bills
Winter in Melbourne not only brings cold weather, but it also is the season for high energy bills. Water bills, gas bills and electricity bills all seem to rise during winter. It’s surprising to know but the average person spends $1,000 on hot water a year. That’s $10,000 over 10 years! So even if you shave off $100 a year with our tips that’s a whole year of savings over a ten-year average!! Hot water adds around 25% to your electricity bills. In this blog post, we will share 8 tips to help you save money on your gas and electricity bills with some of our top recommendations for saving money with hot water heating systems in Melbourne.
1. Water Temperature
Setting your water heater to less than 60 degrees will save you $$ and you will not notice a difference. This is also the recommendation to prevent scalding and burns. Just like every 1 degree turned up on your ducted gas heater adds 10% to your bill, it’s similar for your hot water so keep it set at 60.
2. Is it Time for a New Hot Water System
Replace your old gas hot water system with a new one. New hot water systems are much more energy-efficient and even solar-powered. Old hot water systems have wear and tear that impacts energy efficiency. Plus we often see leaks in older systems that increase your water bill. These leaks can be hidden to the naked eye and only appear once we take out the old hot water system. And the leaks are usually small enough not to be noticed on water bills but they add an extra cost over time.
The team at Harley Plumbing can install a Rheem Stellar 330 LTR 5 Star system for $1665 – fully installed.
Click here to see more products and prices plus get a free quote on a new hot water system.
3. Replace Showerheads
Replace your showerheads with low flow heads to reduce how much energy is needed for heating the water in them. This can cut down on your hot water bill by up to 20%. There are plenty of showerheads on the market designed to save water and energy but still provide excellent shower quality.
4. Commit to Shorter Showers
Take 5-minute showers. Yes, this is the most obvious but sometimes especially on cold Melbourne mornings the hardest! But this is the best way to save on water bills and energy bills!! And if you have small kids, get them into a shower rather than a bath to also save water.
5. Cold Water Power
Coldwater can do the job of hot water. This tip is not asking you to have cold showers! But use more cold water when you can like for washing machine cycles. Clothes detergents are just as effective in cold water. Wash hands in cold water, brush teeth in cold water etc. These are only small changes but over the year will cut $ off your bills.
6. Replace Electric Hot Water System
Consider this fact to help you make the decision to buy a new gas hot water system – electric hot water systems use the same amount of energy it takes to run over 150 TVs! The upfront cost for a new hot water system is recouped through savings on your bills.
7. Solar Hot Water
Reap the rewards of solar power. Consider installing solar panels or a solar hot water system in Melbourne to heat your home’s hot water supply for free! Check out our product list here to see the costs including installation.
8. Keep Hot Water System Maintained
Hot Water Systems should be serviced every 2 years. This makes sure the system is running efficiently and effectively. Our Hot Water Repairs or Replacement Services Include:
- Any new valves required
- Change over
- Certificate of compliance
- Install and removal of units
- Operate and Test
Contact Us
We service all suburbs in the northeast of Melbourne such as;
Mill Park
Heidelberg
Doncaster
Nunawading
Preston
Balwyn
Box Hill
Kew
Eltham
Montmorency
Greensborough
And everywhere in between. Harley Plumbing is located in Eltham.
Call the Hot Water Professionals ‘Harley Plumbing’ NOW on 0408 135 385 for a great price on Hot Water Heater Replacement or Repair