Paying too much for power?

The Home Energy Advice Team, or HEAT, began by advising governments on energy strategy, and was contracted to the ACT Government to provide energy audits to homes across the ACT as part of its energy initiatives.

Energy efficiency is one of the core ways to achieve lower emissions, and emissions from homes are a major contributor to the overall load. Homes in Australia are, on average, poorly built when it comes to energy efficiency. Only recently have new homes in the ACT been required to reach a basic Energy Efficiency Rating of seven, which is adequate, but there are still many homes around with ratings much lower than that.

We can advise you on how to improve yours, while improving its thermal comfort and lowering your power bills.

Let's get started.

There are many options for reducing the energy you use for transport and for housing. Primarily we advise you on reducing the energy costs associated with housing, but we can also provide advice on reducing your transport costs using electric vehicles if that is what you need.

Houses in Australia are mostly thermally inefficient. That means you put a lot of energy into heating or cooling your home, and much of that energy is lost or wasted.

It is lost through gaps in the building structure, through the walls and ceilings, through doors and windows. In fact it is lost, or gained, through every surface of your building — but it can take an expert to see where it goes in your particular case.

The trick is to slow down those losses and gains, and we can show you how.

The best way is by having an assessor visit your home. That way we can see what you already have and what needs to be done. A home audit takes about 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the size of your house. The assessor will compile a report to send you, outlining the ways you can improve the energy efficiency of your home, reduce your energy input and carbon footprint, and save money on bills.

Most businesses exist in buildings, and those buildings must be heated or cooled to make life comfortable for clients and workers.

There are ways to save energy and reduce the cost to your business, ranging from minor but highly cost-effective changes up to major refits.

Perhaps you want to train or inform your workforce on energy efficiency or sustainability. We can provide information and/or training sessions to suit your needs.

We have helped businesses — from hairdressers, to private schools, to government departments — to reduce their energy costs or educate their employees.

An audit for a small business might cost about the same as a small home, or $150. For that the owner gets an auditor to come out to them, examine the premises and energy use, and provide a report. A larger enterprise may cost a few thousand dollars for the same service.

Want to know more? Call us on 0414 489 329 to discuss what you need and what we can do for you.