www.sa.gov.au/energysmart
0.0
Completing the audit is easy. Read the questions in the What do you do at home? column
and tick off your answers in the yes or no arrow boxes. If you answer no, follow the advice in
the What you can do to save energy column. Saving energy includes the actions of everyone who
lives in your home, so you may want to involve others when you complete your audit.
Most
efficient
Least
efficient
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
When heating, do you set the
temperature as low as you feel
Water heating
comfortable with?
HeatingDo& you
cooling
maintain your heating and
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
38%
Stand-by
power
Yes
a heating or cooling
7 When you purchase
Entertainment
Lighting
appliance do you
seek advice about:
electronics
Clothes washing,
the most appropriate appliance
the right size appliance dish washing &
small
appliances
the energy rating label or,
if there
No
Lighting
4%
Water
heating
25%
Yes
No
Yes
No
7%
10
Fridges
& freezers 7%
*Data based on Baseline Energy Estimates 2008.
Cooking
Cooking
3%
Stand-by
power
Other
appliances
Heating
& cooling
Fridges
& freezers
The pie chart below shows the average energy use in an Australian home.* When saving energy start
by focussing on the largest energy users.
Water
heating
Cooking
Lighting
38%
Heating and cooling can account for over a third of your energy use.
Stand-by
power
Other
appliances 16%
Yes
No
0.0
Completing the audit is easy. Read the questions in the What do you do at home? column
and tick off your answers in the yes or no arrow boxes. If you answer no, follow the advice in
the What you can do to save energy column. Saving energy includes the actions of everyone who
lives in your home, so you may want to involve others when you complete your audit.
Most
efficient
Least
efficient
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
When heating, do you set the
temperature as low as you feel
Water heating
comfortable with?
HeatingDo& you
cooling
maintain your heating and
Stand-by
power
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Cooking
Stand-by
power
Yes
a heating or cooling
7 When you purchase
Entertainment
Lighting
appliance do you
seek advice about:
electronics
Clothes washing,
the most appropriate appliance
the right size appliance dish washing &
small
appliances
the energy rating label or,
if there
Lighting
4%
Water
heating
25%
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
10
Other
appliances 16%
7%
Fridges
& freezers 7%
Cooking
38%
3%
Other
appliances
Heating
& cooling
Fridges
& freezers
The pie chart below shows the average energy use in an Australian home.* When saving energy start
by focussing on the largest energy users.
Water
heating
Cooking
Lighting
38%
Heating and cooling can account for over a third of your energy use.
Stand-by
power
Yes
0.0
Cooking
Heating
& cooling
Stand-by
power
Water heating
25%
Heating water for showers and clothes washing is a major energy user.
Heating
& cooling
Stand-by
power
Entertainment
electronics
Cooking
Lighting
Clothes washing,
dish washing &
small appliances
Cooking
Other
appliances
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Is your freezerWatertemperature
heating
between -15C and -18C?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Move
0.8 unit to a cooler location if possible or shade
windows to stop direct sunlight. Average home
Yes
No
If the flow rate is more than nine litres per minute, consider
0.4
installing
a three star rated water saving shower head.
To find out how to check your shower flow rate,
see 0.2page 6.
Choose the right size fridge first then select the model
with a high star rating on the energy rating label.
0.0
Have
dripping taps fixed as soon as possible.
Not only do they waste water, leaking hot water taps
waste energy too.
5
6
Stand-by
power
Other appliances
16%
Running costs for all the appliances in a home can add up.
Stand-by
Do your fridge and freezer
power
doors
seal
properly?
Entertainment Lighting
electronics
Cooking
Water
heating
use of
Yes
No
0.4
Replace
door seals if ineffective. heating and
See page 6 for how to check your door seals.
cooling
0.2
Clothes washing,
dish washing &
small appliances
0.6
Ensure
air can circulate around all sides.
Cooking
Heating
& cooling
Other
appliances
Fridges
& freezers
1.0
0.6
No
Water
heating
Lighting
7%
Most fridges and freezers are switched on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Water
heating
Lighting
Stand-by
power
Yes
No
Lighting
Yes
No
No
Fridges
& freezers
Yes
No
Yes
No
Cold water cycles will use less energy than warm or hot
cycles. The majority of energy used by clothes washers is
for heating water.
Yes
No
Yes
No
Lighting
Heating
& cooling
Other
appliances
Stand-by
power
7%
Cooking
Water
heating
Lighting
Other
appliances
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
0.0
Cooking
Heating
& cooling
Stand-by
power
Water heating
25%
Heating water for showers and clothes washing is a major energy user.
Heating
& cooling
Stand-by
power
Entertainment
electronics
Cooking
Lighting
Clothes washing,
dish washing &
small appliances
Cooking
Other
appliances
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Is your freezerWatertemperature
heating
between -15C and -18C?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Move
0.8 unit to a cooler location if possible or shade
windows to stop direct sunlight. Average home
Yes
No
If the flow rate is more than nine litres per minute, consider
0.4
installing
a three star rated water saving shower head.
To find out how to check your shower flow rate,
see 0.2page 6.
4
5
6
Stand-by
power
16%
Running costs for all the appliances in a home can add up.
Choose the right size fridge first then select the model
with a high star rating on the energy rating label.
Stand-by
Do your fridge and freezer
power
doors
seal
properly?
Entertainment Lighting
electronics
Cooking
Water
heating
Clothes washing,
dish washing &
small appliances
Yes
Yes
0.6
Ensure
air can circulate around all sides.
use of
Cooking
Heating
& cooling
Other appliances
0.0
Have
dripping taps fixed as soon as possible.
Not only do they waste water, leaking hot water taps
waste energy too.
Other
appliances
Fridges
& freezers
Yes
1.0
0.6
No
Water
heating
Lighting
7%
Most fridges and freezers are switched on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Water
heating
Lighting
Stand-by
power
0.4
Replace
door seals if ineffective. heating and
See page 6 for how to check your door seals.
No
cooling
0.2
No
Lighting
Yes
No
No
Fridges
& freezers
Heating
& cooling
Other
appliances
Lighting
Yes
No
Yes
No
Cold water cycles will use less energy than warm or hot
cycles. The majority of energy used by clothes washers is
for heating water.
Yes
No
Yes
No
Stand-by
power
7%
Cooking
Water
heating
Lighting
Other
appliances
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Cooking
Heating
& cooling
Stand-by
power
Stand-by
power
Cooking
4%
1.0
Entertainment
electronics
Cooking
1
2
0.6
What
you can do to save energy
Yes
Yes
No
Fridges
& freezers
0.4
Replace
door seals if ineffective.
Water heating
The most accurate
way to find an appliances running cost is
toHeating
use& cooling
an appliance power meter. You can borrow a power
meter in the Home Energy Toolkit free of charge from most
public libraries in South Australia. See page 10.
0.0
Stand-by
power
3%
Stand-by power
Switch off at the wall to avoid stand-by power costs.
Entertainment
electronics
Cooking
Water
heating
No
Step
Action
Other
appliances
More information
How to check for draughts
Clothes washing,
Lighting
Step
Lighting
Cooking
Follow the steps in the tables
below to calculate the running
Stand-by
power
costs of electric or gas appliances.
Heating
& cooling
Other
appliances
Clothes washing,
dish washing &
small appliances
Lighting
Lighting
Water
heating
0.8
a thermometer
Step
Action
Cooking
Heating
& cooling
Stand-by
power
Stand-by
power
Cooking
4%
1.0
Entertainment
electronics
Cooking
0.6
What
you can do to save energy
Yes
No
Fridges
& freezers
0.4
Replace
door seals if ineffective.
Yes
No
Water heating
The most accurate
way to find an appliances running cost is
toHeating
use& cooling
an appliance power meter. You can borrow a power
meter in the Home Energy Toolkit free of charge from most
public libraries in South Australia. See page 10.
0.0
Stand-by
power
3%
Stand-by power
Switch off at the wall to avoid stand-by power costs.
Entertainment
electronics
Cooking
Water
heating
No
Fridges
& freezers
Action
Other
appliances
More information
You can check for draughts by:
looking for daylight around the edges of doors
and windows
looking for gaps around skirting boards
feeling draughts on a wet finger.
Step
Clothes washing,
Lighting
Step
Lighting
Cooking
Follow the steps in the tables
below to calculate the running
Stand-by
power
costs of electric or gas appliances.
Heating
& cooling
Other
appliances
Clothes washing,
dish washing &
small appliances
Lighting
Lighting
Water
heating
0.8
a thermometer
Step
Action
Always read the dials from left to right, ignoring the dial
marked 1/10 as it is only for testing.
Each dial revolves in a different direction to the one next to it,
eg anti-clockwise, then clockwise
Always note the number the pointer has just passed eg it if
is between 7 and 8, write down 7.
If the pointer is directly over a number underline that number
when you write it down.
If any of the underlined numbers are followed by an 8 or 9
reduce the underlined number by one.
7
7
Always read the dials from left to right, ignoring the dial
marked 1/10 as it is only for testing.
Each dial revolves in a different direction to the one next to it,
eg anti-clockwise, then clockwise
Always note the number the pointer has just passed eg it if
is between 7 and 8, write down 7.
If the pointer is directly over a number underline that number
when you write it down.
If any of the underlined numbers are followed by an 8 or 9
reduce the underlined number by one.
7
7
Action
Example
You can determine how much electricity has been used over
a period of time by subtracting a previous meter reading from
the current meter reading.
10
Convert to megajoules
11
Example
Convert to megajoules
Borrow a
Home Energy Toolkit
Home Energy Toolkits can be borrowed free of charge
from most South Australian libraries. They come with a
comprehensive home energy auditing manual which lets
you explore your home energy use in much more detail.
Each toolkit contains a thermometer, compass, stopwatch
and a power meter that can measure home appliance energy
use, running costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Action
Example
You can determine how much electricity has been used over
a period of time by subtracting a previous meter reading from
the current meter reading.
10
Convert to megajoules
11
Example
Convert to megajoules
Borrow a
Home Energy Toolkit
Home Energy Toolkits can be borrowed free of charge
from most South Australian libraries. They come with a
comprehensive home energy auditing manual which lets
you explore your home energy use in much more detail.
Each toolkit contains a thermometer, compass, stopwatch
and a power meter that can measure home appliance energy
use, running costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
ED01 1111