Gas efficiency in the home
Using gas efficiently in your home can help reduce your energy bills and your household's impact on the environment.
The Australian Government's LivingGreener website provides information and tips on reducing household energy consumption and various other actions you can take to reduce household greenhouse emissions and your energy bills.
Why is energy efficiency important?
Most energy in Australia comes from burning non-renewable fossil fuels like coal, gas or oil. Producing energy from these sources releases harmful greenhouse gases into our environment, including carbon dioxide.
Australia's households account for almost 20 per cent of our national greenhouse gas emissions, so by choosing efficient appliances and making simple changes to the way energy is used in your home, you can play an important role in helping Australia meet its overall greenhouse gas reduction target.
As well as the environmental impact, energy usage costs money - for individuals, households and the wider community. By using energy more efficiently, you will save on your energy bills.
One way to save energy is to choose Natural Gas or LP gas appliances.
Identifying energy efficient appliances
Appliances can account for up to 30 per cent of your home energy use. As our reliance on appliances increases and energy prices are also on the rise, choosing energy-efficient appliances becomes more important.
New gas appliances display an Energy Rating Label. The gas rating label is similar to the electrical appliance label except it is blue in colour and the annual energy consumption is shown in MJ (megajoules) per year.
The label also provides an incentive for manufacturers to improve the energy performance of household appliances they supply to the market.
Gas appliances that carry energy rating labels
Energy rating labels appear on all new:
- Space (room) heaters
- Ducted heaters (central heating)
- Water heaters - storage and instantaneous
Understanding the appliance energy rating scheme
When buying an appliance compare the size, features, price and running costs of different models. For gas appliances the energy rating label shows how efficient the appliance is and how much gas it uses each year.
More stars on the label means it is more efficient than other models in that category. The lower the energy consumption figure, the more efficient it is.
Sometimes high star-rated models can cost a more to buy, but choosing a cheaper product with fewer stars could end up costing you more in the long run, as the running costs over the product's lifetime can easily add up to more than the original purchase price. If you look at the running costs like a “second price tag” it could help you decide which appliance to buy.
Example: Energy label for a gas water heater
Further information about Energy Rating Labels (ERLs) and Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) can be found on the Energy Rating website.