Got to say, I'm pretty impressed with how our house goes in the heat. On any of the warmer days, say 30+, the temperature inside will sit anywhere between 4-6 degrees lower on average. But on the really hot days, like yesterday when it reached 40, at one point we were 11.5 degrees cooler inside than it was outside
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Given how much electricity has been going up in NSW, and the fact that there are more rises set over the next couple of years, anything that cuts power bills is good.
Couple of recent things I found were people who had substantially cut their electricity usage and were still paying way more than they used to thanks to rises. I begrudge paying the bastards that charge people more for reducing their power usage. And some companies have started charging people who have solar cells more for any electricity they have to buy. I knew about this before we got the panels, and figured with our already low power usage we'd still be better off. Plus while I haven't done the math on the environmental impact behind the construction and installation of solar cells, I'm hoping it will reduce our carbon footprint a bit.
I don't think ours is one of the companies that charges the increased premiums.
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Solar panels are something I'm looking at, as well as replacing the current stovetop with gas.
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Pyramid Power did our solar panels, and I was really happy with the service. They were good, their contractors were good, and while there were a couple of minor errors, they were very quick and professional when it came to fixing issues.
Upgrading old insulation is a good starting point. If I had the money, I'd be looking at double glazing. It's getting cheaper and is the norm in many other countries.
Because I'm home during the day, I keep half an eye on the outside/inside temperatures and humidity. So in the mornings I leave everything open until temp is close to even, in the afternoon/evening I keep the windows closed, and curtains drawn until the difference is 2-4 degrees, then open everything up.
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Hot and humid is an awkward combination to get good cooling. I've started looking into solar thermal, which works well in hot+humid conditions, but such systems don't seem to be currently available at the residential end of things. (The idea of solar thermal is that you're using the sun's heat - not light - and it usually works by driving a desiccant cycle that can pull the water out of the air, reducing the uncomfortable humidity so that less actual cooling is needed.)
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While I myself like the idea of solar panels etc. the fact that I live in a strata apartment makes it unlikely in the extreme that I'll get to put any up. On the plus side however I have insulation from everyone around me and the closest I've gotten to using space heating or cooling is a fan on Christmas day when my family was over. Once.
Water is instantaneous gas which is again probably the best I can get with my situation.
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