Source: Auckland Council
By taking simple actions in their homes, 300 Puketāpapa families saved an estimated $102,952 per year and reduced 54,092 kg-CO2 /year, a 30 per cent reduction to the previous year.
With the help of experts from the Home Energy Efficiency programme, people were asked about their home infrastructure and how they used hot water, heating, lighting, and appliances. They were then provided with tailored advice on actions they could take to reduce their power bills while also making their homes healthier and more environmentally friendly.
Over a period of five weeks in 2019 by using energy more efficiently, each household gained an average saving of around $404.
This programme is funded by Puketāpapa Local Board. Aside from reducing CO2 emissions and cost savings to participating families, it helps people make their homes warmer and more comfortable.
“This programme is a great example of what can be achieved through simple everyday actions. The little changes we can all make add up to make a significant positive impact on the environment and our health,” says Puketāpapa Local Board Chair Julie Fairey.
Experts from the Home Energy Efficiency programme worked collaboratively with participating families in Puketāpapa. At the start of the programme, estimated energy costs (for hot water, heating lighting and standby appliances) were around $472,330 per year, or an average of $1528 per household a year. This energy use results in estimated annual emissions of 221,425kg CO2, or an average of 717 kg CO2 per household per year.
Together they identified actions families were willing to try over time to reduce emissions and energy costs. Easy, low-cost actions like reducing shower time, switching to energy saver light bulbs, and turning off appliances left on stand-by were adopted by many households.
“As a local board, we’re really pleased with the results and hope everybody can adopt the actions from the programme,” says Chair Julie Fairey.
Simple actions you can take for energy and cost savings in your home
- Limit your shower time to 4 minutes or less
- Install an efficient showerhead or flow control device to reduce shower flow rate to 9L/minute
- Wash clothes in cold water and hang outside to dry
- Switch to energy-saving LED light bulbs
- Improve home insulation including hanging double-layer curtains, roman blinds or honeycomb blinds on windows.
