Updated June 07, 2018 15:39:44

Photo: Don't let Canberra's cold in. Don't let your heat out. (ABC Radio Sydney: Amanda Hoh)

With the news that electricity prices are about to rise by as much as $300 a year for many homes in the ACT, you might be looking for a way to avoid getting hit too hard by the increase.

Odds are you probably can't get a solar panel installed tomorrow and for many people a one-off payment of that size — even if there are long-term savings — is not realistic.

So here are a few things you can do straight away to keep yourself from being walloped too hard by rising power prices.

Prices up with the mercury down

Photo: Don't blast your heater to the point that your home becomes a sweat lodge. (Flickr: Corgi Home Plan)

It's no secret that every winter in Canberra sees a spike in energy use as heaters and electric blankets get switched on in a desperate attempt to get toasty.

There is never a bad time for a few helpful hints to keep your bill from exploding in the cooler months.

Whether it's your first winter in Canberra or you just need a timely reminder, here are some tips about how to get through the capital's coldest months.

Many are obvious — like heating less space, for less time, on a lower setting — but did you know that hitting that minus button on the air conditioner just once can reduce the energy being used by as much as 10 per cent?

Don't push the heater to the point that you can strut around in a tank top and footy shorts. It's still Canberra, so don't try to turn your house into a sauna — put on a jumper and some trackie-dacks and get under a blanket.

Also, whether you're hot in summer or cold in winter, curtains are your friends. They will let the sun in or keep your heat in during the colder months, and prevent your windows from turning your home into a greenhouse when things warm up.

And block any other gaps in door frames or windows if you want to really maximise your climate control.

Apply yourself to your appliance use

It's also very much worth taking those extra five or 10 seconds to make sure you're not overworking your appliances.

There are easy things that we don't always do, like adjusting your washing machine to suit the load you're doing, rather than just sticking to the settings you always use. Not everything needs a wash-rinse-spin cycle — soaking is your friend.

Also, invest in a decent-sized clothes horse to hang your washing on rather than use the dryer every time. Or, if you must use the dryer, check the clothes intermittently to avoid running it for longer than necessary.

Photo: Finding an energy-efficient fridge is only half the battle. You still have to use it in an energy-efficient manner. (ABC Melbourne: Simon Leo Brown)

In the kitchen, microwaves use less energy than the oven at full whack, but the fridge is one of the biggest pain points in the entire house.

A small gap in the door seal can force the fridge to work much harder, as can leaving the door open or failing to allow leftovers to cool down before putting them in the fridge.

Also, if you do have a second fridge on the go, ask yourself if you really need it.

ActewAGL actually runs a fridge buy-back service and will come and pick it up from your place.

And of course there are the classics that everyone heard growing up — like turning the (bloody) light off when you leave a room, switching things off at the wall or cutting down on showering time by doing something as simple as brushing your teeth after you get out.

So perhaps the moral of the story really is: Listen to your parents.

Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, environment, canberra-2600, act, australia

First posted June 07, 2018 15:26:24