What’s a powerhack, you ask? Think of it as a life hack that helps you save on your power bills. With energy prices at a high, these powerhacks can help you take back control over your bill.

This is the first of a series of powerhacks, with this edition focusing on the bathroom and kitchen.

Powerhacks for the bathroom

Find a four-minute shower ballad

Search your playlist for the perfect shower tune to kickstart your day. Make it four-minutes long (give or take), pop it on, jump in the shower and dance up a storm. By the time it’s done, your shower should be too.

Time your shower

If you’ve got a few people at your place who are partial to a long hot shower, your energy bill can balloon (hot water accounts for approx. 25% of the average Queensland’s household’s energy consumption). Grab a shower timer to keep track of the hot water minutes being clocked up. You could even have a household competition to see who can take the shortest shower while still keeping squeaky clean.

Throw cold water on your daily habits

Every time you heat up water it costs you money. Washing hands, shaving, and cleaning your teeth can be done using cold water to save money.

Shower together

What’s the easiest way to cut your shower bill in half? Shower together. Throw the kids and dog in for super-shower savings.

Water-saving showerheads save energy too

Less water used means less water heated. Switch to a water-saving showerhead with a flow at 9L/minute or less. The shower pressure is still great, and it saves on both your water and energy bills. Winning.

Powerhacks for the kitchen

Break up with your second fridge

Got a second fridge? A second fridge = a second fridge bill. Turning off your second fridge when you’re not using it can save up to $161 per year.

Make a snappy decision when searching for snacks

Leaving the door open while you’re hunting for snacks chews extra energy as your fridge work harder to bring the temperature down. Consider what you’d like to eat before opening the fridge or try to keep your snack decisions snappy.

Goldilocks fridge

Having your fridge too cold costs you money. Set your fridge to 4 degrees – it’s the perfect Goldilocks temperature, not too hot and not too cold. Just right for your food and your bill. Plus, no one likes frozen cheese.

Blowin’ in the wind

Put a $5 note in the seal of your fridge to see if air is escaping (the note will slip or be easily pulled out if the seal is loose). If air is escaping, it is costing you money as your fridge works harder and chews more juice – replacing the seals is reasonably cheap and will save you money in the longer term.

Keep a lid on it

Use lids on your pots and pans to trap in the heat. This cuts down your cooking time and your energy use. Bon appetite!

Make sure your pan is a perfect fit

When you cook up a storm on the stove, make sure the size of the pot is a good match for the element you are using. Heat (and money) is lost when small pots are used on large elements.

Run a full load

It pays to wait until your dishwasher is full before you run it. Running a half-empty dishwasher wastes water and energy to clean a small number of dishes.

Be a smart appliance and lights user

It’s always a good habit to turn off your appliances and lights when you’re not using them. Use a smart Wi-Fi plug or timer to turn off hard-to-reach appliances and consider smart lights that turn off when you’re not in the room.

That’s it for our first powerhack edition – let us know on our socials what hacks you’d like to try or even share one of your own powerhacks that has helped you lower your energy bill.