Vincenze beats me to the punch by highlighting the news that Labor has committed to halting the sale of inefficient hot water systems if elected.

I was shocked to learn how much energy heating water chews up in the house - so we turned down the thermostat on our service and installed a water-saving shower head and saw significant savings in our electricity bill. As the shower is also one of the biggest consumers of water this has a double benefit too…

Legislation such as that proposed by Labor would see a very significant reduction in energy use, helping to delay the need for new power sources as population grows - the first pillar of Reduce, Renew, Offset. That combined with compact fluoro lights would make an even bigger dent.

Of course, if you own your home or are building, you don’t have to wait for the legislation - you can take action sooner by installing an energy efficient water heater, like a solar system.