Power saving tips for renters
When you don’t own your home, it can feel like you don’t have much control over your power bill. But even if you can’t make any changes to the house, there are still plenty of ways to reduce how much power you use.
Here are 10 ways to lower your power bill in a rental property.
1. Get rid of moisture
A damp home is harder to heat, so you can save money on heating by getting rid of moisture in the air. Use extraction fans in the bathroom and kitchen if you have them, try to open windows every day and dry your washing outside. You could also consider buying a dehumidifier.
2. Use less water in the shower
Having shorter showers will bring your power bill down. You could also look at installing a low-flow showerhead. They’re quite cheap to buy and reduce how much water you use in the shower.
3. Wash in cold water
If you’ve got a front loader, a warm wash will cost you three times more than if you did a cold wash. In a top loader, it costs six times more to do a warm wash. Save the hot washes for loads that need the disinfecting power of a higher temp.
4. Make the most of the sun
Open your curtains during the day to let the sun warm up your house. Then try to close them in each room as soon as the sun has gone past, so you're trapping the heat in.
5. Turn off what you’re not using
The cost of having appliances plugged in and ready to go can add up – especially if they can connect to Bluetooth and WiFi, as when they’re on, they’ll be working to maintain connections. Take a walk around your house – you might be surprised how many things are plugged in and on standby.
6. Stop heat from leaking out
If you’ve got gaps around your windows and doors, you’ll be leaking heat that you’ve paid for and possibly feeling the chill of draughts. Consider investing in draught snakes or just roll up an old towel to block the gap. You can also buy insulation tape that you put around gappy window and door frames – but maybe check with the landlord first.
7. Make your curtains work harder
You probably don’t have any control over what curtains you have in your home, but you can make a room warmer by rolling up towels and putting them between the curtain rail and wall. If the curtains you’ve been supplied are terrible, see if there’s a curtain bank near where you live (they give out donated curtains) or consider buying some cheap ready-made ones from somewhere like The Warehouse or Spotlight.
8. Use the right size heater for the room
It’s easy to work out what size heater you need using the Consumer NZ heater calculator – just fill in the info about the room and the calculator will tell you how many watts is right for the space.
9. Cook dinner in a slow cooker
Slow cookers are great – they can be cheap to buy, and they don’t use a lot of power compared to an oven. Add all the ingredients at the start of the day and it’ll only cost you about 20c in power to cook them, even though the slow cooker is on for 8 hours.
10. Get an electric blanket or heated throw
You might think of an electric blanket as an indulgence, but they don’t use a lot of power – especially if you just put it on before you get in bed to take the chill off, then turn it off when you get in. A heated throw on your lap when you’re on the couch is also a very cheap way to keep cosy.
How much could you save?
With the market always changing, it pays to check often for the best deals. We compare thousands of electricity and gas plans for free. Do a quick check to see how much you could be saving.