EnergySmart South Australia Launched

A new initiative providing South Australian households and small businesses with information on how to improve energy efficiency and reduce power bills was launched yesterday.

Part of the initiative is the EnergySmart South Australia guide to reducing energy bills, which can be downloaded here.  The guide, funded by the South Australian Government, provides information in a series of 10 steps:

• STEP 1: Negotiate a better energy deal
• STEP 2: Switch off and save
• STEP 3: Watch your thermostat
• STEP 4: Cut your lighting bills
• STEP 5: Get comfortable with insulation
• STEP 6: Lower your heating and cooling costs
• STEP 7: Cut your IT and home office costs
• STEP 8: Reduce equipment energy costs
• STEP 9: Cut hot water costs
• STEP 10: Save money with solar

The section of the guide dealing with solar offers a broad overview of the technology, incentives and buying tips. For South Australians wanting more information, SolarQuotes offers a number of useful resources, including:

• A beginner’s guide to solar power
• Solar batteries explained
• A guide to Australia’s “solar rebate”
• The top 7 mistakes people make when buying solar power systems
• Comparing solar feed-in tariffs
• Reviews of 1,426 solar installation companies

In addition to the EnergySmart South Australia guide, a series of 15 related workshops will be held across the State; covering topics discussed in the booklet. Further information on the workshops can be found on the EnergySmart South Australia web site.

“EnergySmart South Australia complements our energy plan, which is all about putting downward pressure on energy prices, improving reliability and striving towards a cleaner energy future,” said South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill.

Spearheading the EnergySmart South Australia initiative and delivering the workshops is Jon Dee, co- founder of Planet Ark and DoSomething. Mr. Dee was also behind the ‘Ban The Bulb’ initiative that resulted in incandescent light globes being phased out in Australia.

“There is huge potential for South Australians to reduce their energy bills. Energy efficiency has already saved Australians billions of dollars and it has the potential to save billions more,” said Mr. Dee.

Yesterday, Mr. Dee spoke at the Energy Efficiency Expo and Seminar, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre.