Electricity “leaks” are a major hidden household cost.

Probably not. But most of us are doing something very similar every day, according to energy efficiency expert Tim Bray, who says “hidden” electricity leaks are costing households thousands of dollars a year.

Mr Bray, chief executive of Ecocentric Energy, says most of us would call a plumber if we noticed a tap leaking, but leaking electricity is a concept we rarely think about.

With the average energy bill costing households around $1690 a year, and power prices across the country continuing to rise, electricity wastage is a growing problem.

“Unlike water, we can’t see electricity,” he said. “Out of sight, out of mind. With a leaking tap there is evidence, drips of water pooling from the source of the leak.

“With electricity, most people have no idea they are wasting — to use a water-equivalent metaphor — ‘bucket loads’ of electricity every day.”

In Western Australia, an energy efficiency study conducted by the state government in 2012 found households were able to save up to $1000 on their power bills by changing their behaviour.

Some were able to save more than $200 a year through simple actions like turning off lights and appliances when not in use, and using fans instead of airconditioners.

Kitchen appliances, electronics, light bulbs, small heaters and air conditioners can account for electricity wastage of up to 44 per cent of your household bill.

Inefficient household appliances like heaters can be very cheap to purchase but may end up costing you a lot more by the time your power bill arrives.

For businesses, too, electricity is one of the biggest operating costs. For grocery stores, electricity expenses can account for up to 15 per cent of their budget.

In 2012, three IGA stores in Western Australia shaved $40,000 from their annual energy costs by making simple changes to the way they operated their businesses.

Cities are a massive drain on energy resources with buildings accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the world’s total energy consumption.

The World Energy Council believes being energy efficient in buildings could result in energy savings of between 20 and 40 per cent.

Commercial property firm Savills recently estimated that a simple change to the thermostat — no higher that 19C in winter, and no lower than 25C in summer — could save Australian businesses up to $100 million a year.

“While we would all like to use less energy to save money and save the planet, current metering technology just hasn’t support business or households to know where the leaks are and what to do about them,” Mr Bray said.

“As a consequence, for most businesses, they don’t even know where to start. Technology that allows real time monitoring of electricity consumption is not yet available.”

According to Mr Bray, until there is technology that allows real-time monitoring of electricity consumption for every device in your business and home, many households will continue to waste money.

“Existing metering technology, including so called smart meters, actually aren’t very smart at all,” he said. “As a consequence, your bill actually tells you very little apart from the total kilowatt hours consumed, a unit price and the amount due.

“But how does this help you actually manage your consumption? Well it doesn’t.”

But it won’t be long until that technology is available. “When it is we will flick the switch in the same way we turn off the tap to stop our hard-earned money going down the drain,” he said.

“Access to and analysis of energy data is the single biggest barrier to energy efficiency — and the biggest driver of success when implemented. When empowered with good information it is possible for both businesses and households to become net zero consumers of energy.”

HOW TO PLUG ELECTRICITY LEAKS

1. Replace old inefficient appliances. The 20-year-old beer fridge will be costing you dearly.

2. Use energy-efficient globes and be aware of lights left on that are not needed.

3. Use economy cycles on dishwashers and washing machines.

4. Don’t overfill the kettle — just boil the amount of water you need at the time.

5. Set the fridge temperature to 4-5 degrees and the freezer to minus 15-18 degrees.

Source: Ecocentric Energy

frank.chung@news.com.au