Sweating the small stuff: Half of Aussies go to extreme lengths to save on energy bill
Households are taking severe steps to save money on their power bills, according to new research by Finder.
A Finder survey of 1,013 respondents found more than half of Aussies (53%) – equivalent to 11.1 million people – have gone to extreme lengths to save on their electricity bills.
Almost 1 in 3 (29%) shivered through the cold to avoid the cost of their heater, while 1 in 4 (24%) didn't turn on the air conditioning even on a really hot day.
Nearly 1 in 5 (17%) are monitoring their daily energy usage, while 15% only run their appliances during off-peak times.
Mariam Gabaji, energy expert at Finder, said people are having to get creative to live on the cheap amidst the cost of living crisis.
"Aussies are so stretched financially that they dread the prospect of a high electricity bill and are doing what they can to avoid that.
"Many are having to shatter old habits to avoid bill shock."
The average quarterly electricity bill in Australia as of October 2024 was $410 according to Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker – equivalent to $1,640 per year.
Finder's research found 1 in 8 (12%) have flocked to air conditioned public places such as shopping centres to keep cool in the heat, while 6% went to the office to avoid using air conditioning/heating.
Using a hairdryer instead of the dryer (5%), steaming clothes while in the shower (4%), using a neighbour's appliances (3%) and using an oven to dry clothes (3%) were all tactics Aussies use to bring down the cost of electricity.
Gabaji said there are less extreme ways to save money on your bill.
"Living mindfully including turning off appliances and lights when not in use, taking advantage of breezes and sunlight and choosing the most economical appliances is recommended.
"Aircon units have to work harder if they're not functioning correctly – so a service before the peak of summer could save you money in the long run.
"Try setting the air conditioner a few degrees higher in summer to shave money off your bills, also consider buying a powerful fan so you can alternate between using it and the air con."
Finder analysis shows the average annual cost of running a clothes dryer twice a week comes out to $130, while running your washing machine 5 times a week averages out to $90 per year.
Gabaji said government subsidies were a welcome relief for stretched households.
"Use this bit of breathing room to shop around as some plans are a lot more competitive than others.
"For instance, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive plans in the market is as much as $500-$700 depending on where you live."
Finder crunched the numbers and found that Australians paid a collective $1.1 billion in loyalty tax for electricity in 2023.
Have you gone to any of the following extreme lengths to save money on your electricity bill?
| Not using my heater even though it was really cold | 29% |
| Not using my aircon even though it was really hot | 24% |
| Monitoring my daily energy usage | 17% |
| Only running appliances during off-peak times | 15% |
| Went to shopping centres to avoid using aircon/heating | 12% |
| Went into the office more to avoid using aircon/heating | 6% |
| Having cold showers | 5% |
| Used my hairdryer to avoid using the dryer | 5% |
| Steamed my clothes while I'm in the shower | 4% |
| Used my neighbour's appliances | 3% |
| Used my oven to dry my clothes | 3% |
| None of the above | 47% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,013 respondents, September 2024 |  |
Methodology
- Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a monthly recurring nationally representative survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
- Figures in this release are based on 1,013 respondents from September 2024.
- The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics.
- The survey has been running monthly since May 2019.