Have You Tried Monitoring Your Electricity Usage?

Published on 18 April 2024

Energy usage is almost invisible, how much does it really cost to run a 3.5-star washing machine, a 5-star air-conditioner or a 4-star fridge? 

Most energy providers, as a part of their service to you offer free energy monitoring applications allowing you to see your energy usage. Energy usage is usually updated within 24-48 hours, helping you figure out if you are wasting energy or if appliances are using more energy than necessary. You can see:

• The amount of energy you are using broken down into yearly, monthly, daily and hourly time blocks
• The amount of solar energy that is being sold back to the grid
• The time of day your energy use is at its highest 
• The estimated cost of running your appliances
• The comparison of your energy usage year by year

Looking back at the hourly time blocks and reviewing your usage at a time when most appliances are turned off (for example 3am to 4am) will help you establish the energy usage of your fridge and appliances pulling standby power. 

• If an early morning start isn't your thing, you could also try turning non-essential appliances off at the plug and seeing if there is any significant change. 
• Record the time you ran the dishwasher to see its impact on your energy usage.
• Save on your energy bills by running high energy appliances during the ‘off peak period’ or during the day if you have solar panels. 

Energy monitoring applications are available under the name of your energy provider to download on your smart device (via GooglePlay or App Store) or contact your energy provider for more information.

To find out how much energy an appliance uses you can search appliances by model number in the energy rating calculator.

For more tips on how to reduce energy usage in your home, our Home Waste & Sustainability Advisory Service is available to all City of Ryde residents free of charge.

Sign up for a free Home Health Check