Meet the Wilsons
They may look like a typical North Adelaide family, but the Wilsons have a very special claim to fame. Jan and Trevor Wilson and their four children - Tash, Troy, Crystal and Emma - were the first family to become Adelaide Solar City solar citizens.
"I guess we'll put it to the test, having a family of six," said Jan.
But despite the challenge, the Wilsons are committed to reducing their energy usage and costs. Every one in the family is keen to help do something about climate change, and Jan and Trevor have already taken advantage of some of the energy-saving options available to Adelaide Solar City residents.
Their first step was to call in Big Switch Projects for a home energy audit. The Wilson's electricity bills were around $1500 per year and the household’s greenhouse gas emissions were around 7.8 tonnes annually. The energy experts from Big Switch Projects identified a whole list of simple steps the Wilsons could take to reduce their annual power costs and emission level without a lot of effort.
Here are a few of the energy-saving recommendations they made:
· Turning appliances off at the wall would produce an estimated 10% saving per year
· Consider using the laptop more often – it uses around 20% less energy than the desktop computer
· Only heat or cool the rooms being used
· By replacing their top loading washing machine with a front loader, around 50% of the power consumption costs could be saved.
“It’s no actual change to our lifestyle, apart from being more cautious about how and when we use energy ” said Jan.
"We're thrilled to be Adelaide Solar City's first solar citizens," said Jan. "It's a really worthwhile project to be involved in, and it's definitely going to save the environment and save us money,"
We'll be following the Wilson's progress in future editions of Adelaide Solar City News, so stay tuned for the latest updates on how our first family is going.
Like the Wilsons are discovering, it's easy to be more energy-efficient without compromising your lifestyle - anyone can do it. Getting involved with the Adelaide Solar City trial is a great way to start. To find out about the exclusive discounts available throughout the trial and how to become an Adelaide Solar City solar citizen, click to visit products and services page.
