Many Tasmanian councils have made available Home Energy Audit Toolkits (HEAT) to provide residents with practical and affordable suggestions on how to save on energy use and bills.
HEAT was developed through the Southern Tasmanian Councils Authority’s Regional Climate Change Initiative led by Hobart City Council.
HEAT information sheets have been specifically developed for Tasmanian households and complement other home energy audit services and programs.
Launceston City Council Mayor, Albert van Zetten, recently tested a kit at home and was pleased with its ease of use.
“This toolkit is very practical and shows there are lots of inexpensive ways of saving energy and money straight away,” he said. “This is important as costs increase in all areas and it becomes a struggle to cover all the bills.”
Each Home Energy Audit Toolkit contains:
- a Power-mate, which
measures the electricity
consumption of all
electrical appliances with
a standard three pin plug; it
is useful for fridges,
televisions and computers - an infrared radiometer
used to check for leaks
around fridge doors and
adequate ventilation behind
the fridge/freezer - a stopwatch to determine
the flow rate of hot water
from showers and taps - a Silva compass to identify
the home’s orientation
for solar aspect
considerations - laminated information
sheets developed
specifically for Tasmanian
households, providing
instructions on how to use
the kit’s contents.
Launceston residents can borrow the toolkit through Council’s Customer Service Centre.
