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How to save on energy bills when buying a new home

With the rise in energy costs, many Australians are starting to think twice about leaving the lights on and are looking for ways to get energy smart with their home. But what about when you’re looking at buying a new home altogether, and you want to install energy efficient features in your home? Choosing the right electricity provider at the start can ensure you have your utilities set up ready to go when you move in, but there are some key things to consider when buying a home that will also reduce your electricity and gas prices and ultimately improve your family’s quality of life.

Windows:

It may be surprising but windows in a home account for up to 25% of your Sumo energy bills.

When buying a house, we recommend looking for double-paned storm windows, which are the most efficient as they allow a home to be light-filled without letting hot air in during the summer or out in the winter. When considering energy prices in colder climates, a low U-factor in windows is also important as it means a slower rate of heat transfer through your home. If it’s available, check out the energy rating on the windows.

If you don’t have the liberty to pick windows for your new home, make sure the ones you have are in good condition and can close properly with a good seal.

Replacing Caulking and weather stripping is an easy fix you can do yourself if necessary, this can be a cheaper alternative than replacing your windows altogether.

Insulation:

Ask about what type of insulation was installed in the home. Naturally, you want to look for properly insulated walls, but also think about the floor and ceiling, and if there are attics or basements that may be leaking heat. If possible, find out the thermal resistance rating for the insulation in the home to make sure it’s sufficient.

Sumo recommends getting a home energy efficiency rating done for any of the homes you are inspecting and look at how they compare. You can ask the realtor if there has already been an energy audit or energy score given for the home.

Water-heating:

Your water heater usually uses the most energy in your home regardless of your energy plan, and can account for almost 20% of your bills. Water heating is often the second largest part of the electricity or gas bill after costs of heating and cooling the space.

Things to consider:

How far is the water heater from the bathroom? The shower is the main place that hot water is used so ideally the time it takes for hot water to reach the shower will reduce how much water is wasted waiting for it to heat up.

Solar heating can easily provide 80-90% of the required hot water for a household but they require adequate sunlight. If you’re considering installing solar after you buy the house, check to see if there are available installation points that aren’t in the shade. Or if you are unsure our expert solar team at Sumo are able to do a no obligation quote of the home to see if solar is a viable value addition to the house. Visit solar.sumo.com.au to find out more.

Hot water pumps are also quite efficient as they can transfer heat from the air to aid in heating the water. They don’t work well in colder climates because they have to work much harder to heat up the water that is exposed to the cold temperatures.

If you do opt for solar or pump heating, but you don’t live in a climate that is warm enough year-round, you can also add a booster system which kicks in when the temperature falls below a certain point or when there isn’t adequate sunlight.

If the household has more standard heating systems, then check to see if it’s storage or instantaneous flow. Storage systems tend to lose a lot of heat or use extra power trying to keep a tank hot for any given moment it is needed. Instantaneous flow only heats what is required at the time, but depending on the system, water can be wasted waiting for it to heat up. The upside to the tanks is that any energy system can be used to heat them up, while instantaneous flow systems require gas or electricity.

The most common systems in Australia are Gas and Electric Storage, and Instantaneous Gas systems. When you know what type of system you’re looking at in your potential home, check out details on energy ratings here and talk to Sumo about the best plan that suits your household needs.

Space Heating and Cooling:

If you’re buying a home that has an Air Conditioner already installed, there are a few things to look out for that might make a difference in your overall costs. Most households use either refrigerative or evaporative products. Refrigerative are for cooling only while evaporative have heating components as well. The most common types are ducted, reaching all areas of the house through vents, or split systems that have an outdoor and an indoor component and pump air from one location. Ducted are the best for controlling temperature throughout the whole house.

Find out if the system in place uses an inverter, non-inverted or reverse cycle. Inverters are more efficient than non-inverters as they don’t require starting and stopping regulation throughout the day, but rather slow down or speed up the heating function. The reverse cycle system is probably the most efficient in terms of energy costs, and also tends to be the most effective in both heating and cooling.

In Australia’s warm climate, it’s important to have the ability to create cross-ventilation to cool down the house without relying solely on air conditioning units. If you’re able to open doors and windows that allow an air passageway to move right through the home, rather than through walls, you’ll be able to easily cool your house on hot summer days.

Orientation of the House

When looking at potential homes, one of the most critical and commonly overlooked factors is the direction that the home is facing. In the Southern hemisphere, the sun during Winter only penetrates from the north. Consider which rooms and areas of the house you will spend the most time in and which will require the most heating or cooling. You can always buy thick shades for South facing windows if needed. If you know you like to take advantage of winter sun in the back rooms, or your living room and kitchen are situated at the back of the house, find a house facing south so the living areas face north. If you’re more of a front deck kind of family, making sure the front points north etc.

These few simple tips can make a huge difference on energy costs throughout the warmer and cooler months of the year in your new home. If you can find a house that meets many of these requirements and you set yourself up with the right energy plan at Sumo, you won’t worry each month when you receive your electricity and gas bill. If you have any further questions, our team are happy to guide you with household energy saving tips.

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