If you are like the great majority of people and are wondering how you will ever afford to meet the ever-increasing costs of energy consumption, it’s good to know that there are many simple but effective ways to ‘be green’ while cutting down your energy bills.

If you are in any doubt, consult the energy specialists and seek the advice of Australian Solar Quotes who can advise you on the appropriateness of solar panels for your home.Through consultation with experts, not only will you learn ways to reduce your energy consumption, you will better understand why it is important to conserve energy within the home.

Select energy-efficient light bulbs

Traditional incandescent light bulb use an astounding seventy five per cent more energy than their compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb counterparts. Although CFL bulbs are a bit more expensive to buy, in the long run you will save money because these bulbs do not draw as much energy and last longer than incandescent light bulbs.

Cool it down by two to three degrees

If you opt to reduce the temperature at which your heating and air-conditioning units (as well as your hot-water system) is set, you will use less energy and save money as a result. Heaters should not be left to run all night. It is cheaper and far more environmentally sound to use a hot water bottle to heat up your bed and stay warm with an extra blanket.

When it’s cold, these strategies combined with your body heat, flannelette sheets and a nice, thick bed covering will keep you warm and comfortable, even when the temperature of the air in your bedroom is decidedly cold.

Wash with cold water

A great way to reduce the energy bill at your home is to use cold water in your washing machine and select a short wash cycle. Remember too, front-loading washing machines consume up to half of the energy as their top-loading counterparts. When in the market for a new washing machine, you should always look for a model with a high energy star rating.

Update your windows

A huge amount of heat can escape through windowpanes that are thin and draughty. Unsurprisingly, this increases your power bill in the winter season.

If possible and practical for you, consider purchasing high-performance windows or having your windows double glazed. If this is not reasonable at your home, check that no leaks are present along the base of the windows. Such leaks can be fixed through use of a draft stopper (perhaps a door snake) running along the rim. Although you will sacrifice your view, adhering bubble wrap to window panes can be an amazingly effective way to insulate your windows.

Plant trees and shrubs

A longer-term approach to saving money on energy consumption is to plant trees and shrubs outside your property. Fast-growing shrubs (such as lilly-pilly) can be planted outside of windows and will serve as a good windbreak. Such a windbreak will play a role in keeping cold air out during the colder months.

The very good news is that to many of the best strategies for saving money on energy bills are not arduous or difficult. In fact, many of the best ways to be thrifty with your use of energy are easy to implement and highly effective.