Free Energy Monitoring Trial For Kiama Residents

If you want to reduce your energy bills, you need to know what it is in your house that’s using all the electricity. An Efergy energy meter is a great way to do that.

The Efergy meter is installed inside your electricity meter box, and transmits real-time energy usage information to a display panel inside your house. You can then go around the house turning lights and appliances on and off, and see the effect they have on your electricity usage. It can also add up your electricity usage over time, so you can get a picture of your daily or weekly usage patterns.

These electricity monitoring devices normally cost around $100, but Kiama Council is planning to install a whole bunch of them free of charge in residents’ homes. All the participants have to do is record their electricity usage over the 12 months of the trial, and compare it to the previous year’s electricity bills.

The idea is to install these meters in a variety of households around the municipality, from small one-bedroom units to large six-bedroom houses. Council is planning to gather both hard data and anecdotal stories from participants, and will use this information to assist the wider community to reduce energy consumption, help the environment, and save money.

If you’d like to participate, contact Byron Robinson on 4232 0465. It’s open to all residents of the Kiama Municipality – Foxground, Gerroa, Gerringong, Kiama, Jamberoo, Minamurra and surrounds. The closing date for applications is 30 April 2009.

This program is funded through the NSW Government’s Environmental Trust.

This is one of the first initiatives that has come through the Kiama Sustainability Advisory Committee that I’m a member of, and I’m really keen to see it get started. I’ve had an Efergy meter installed in my house for the past couple of months, and it’s an extremely useful tool in helping you (and your slightly-less-motivated family members!) monitor and reduce electricity wastage.