Cutting energy costs without solar

Bill and Ray live in a renovated 1970s brick and timber home with Bouddi National Park at their doorstep. With a north facing aspect and surrounded by beautiful spotted gums their home reflects a deep commitment to living in harmony with nature. When their deck was widened during the reno, they decided to retain the threatened species of spotted gum (Corymbia maculata ) and integrate them into the deck and overall house design.

In 2025, they decided further change was needed but this time to save money.  Electricity costs were rising fast.  “The energy bills were getting enormous. It just seemed too much” Bill says. Like for some of us on the Peninsula who enjoy bush surrounds, solar panels were not an option due to tree cover. Instead, they looked for alternative ways to reduce their energy costs.  Their search led them to heat pump hot water systems which can, they were told, save up to 80% on their hot water bill.

After speaking with their neighbours from Electrify Bouddi, they were encouraged to upgrade their conventional electric hot water system. The idea of a heat pump system made sense but the installation was not straight forward.

“It seemed impossible at first,” says Bill “as we had our existing hot water tank inside the laundry and the hot water pump we chose was better suited to being outside. We nearly reverted to choosing another traditional hot water heater, but the bills were just so expensive.”

With help from Same Day Hot Water and some clever adjustments involving electrical work and some copper pipe, the upgrade became possible. Today the Reclaim 250- litre heat pump sits neatly outside the house, always delivering consistent hot water.

“It is so quiet. We don’t hear it at all from inside the house and there is not much noise anyway, even when hot water is being used.”

At the same time, Bill made another practical change, replacing their old, vented clothes dryer with a Bosch heat pump dryer. This newer technology uses lower temperatures and significantly less energy making it a smart fit for their environmentally conscious lifestyle.

The savings have been impressive.  When Bill compares usage over time on their Origin energy bill, he sees a striking 48.41% decrease in electricity usage since the same period last year. That’s a substantial reduction not only in cost but also emissions.

In a bush setting without solar or storage, Bill and Ray  have made meaningful savings that don’t come from a big system but from smart decisions.

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Read about all the simple ways you can reduce your energy use and cut emissions and find out about heat pumps on our Hot water guide.