It’s cold and wet outside, and you’re feeling chilly from your comfortable position on the couch. It’s easy to just reach over and turn the heating up. While that’s fine a few times, it’s easy to forget about the impact that will eventually have on your next power bill.
Depending on what sort of heating you’ve got, the costs can vary greatly. And while a cheap heater might seem like a bargain at the time, the costs of running it can add up.
Let’s say you’re living in Queensland, and use your heater for about five hours a day. This is approximately what you can expect…
- Heated throw rug (purchase price approx. $69) at 150 watts costs about $0.18 per day, and about $1.30 a week to run.
- A five fin oil heater (purchase price approx. $45) at 1000 watts costs about $1.20 per day, and about $8.40 per week.
- A radiant heater (purchase price approx. $29) at 1800 watts costs about $2.16 per day, and about $15.10 per week.
- A convection heater (purchase price approx. $39) at 2000 watts costs about $2.40 per day, and about $16.80 per week.
- A fan heater (purchase price approx. $49) at about 2300 watts costs about $2.76 per day, and about $19.30 per week
- An 11 fin oil heater (purchase price approx. $99) at about 2400 watts costs about $2.88 per day, and about $20.20 per week.
As you can see, the costs can really add up! To help make sure you don’t blow your budget on an unexpected power bill, some simple homework can help:
- Check the compliance plate of all new appliances to see how much power they use (ideally before you buy them!)
- Make some house rules for how often you’ll use the heaters, and try to stick to it
Find out more about how you can save on your winter power bills here.