In this economic recession, every Australian is looking for ways to save money in some way. Eventually, the need to reduce our household utility bills comes as the priority. In Australia, using the following ways you can cut down your monthly utilities bill:

1. Convert certain appliances from natural gas to electricity because hike in natural gas prices is considerably more than electricity prices. It will have some initial expense, but the overall savings shall justify it.
2. Use energy efficient devices and replace all your light bulbs with compact florescent or LED lights to reduce the energy consumption.
3. Encourage the children to turn off lights, DVD, videos and TV when it is not needed. Reduce the wasteful usage of electricity by turning room lights off while leaving.
4. Always turn off the computer if not in use. Though the computer takes less power, overtime results into higher consumption. Replace the old CRT monitor with a LCD monitor as CRT monitor consumes more electricity.
5. Check the seals of doors, windows, refrigerators and freezers because these small air leaks cause A/C units to work much harder and increases the utility bills.
6. Use window or ceiling fans instead of air conditioners on mild days and keep the windows open to cool the house naturally.
7. Keep all the doors and windows closed on a cold day.
8. Use shades to reduce the heat caused by the sun.
9. Consider some alternative energy sources like solar or wind energy system to produce the electricity for home use and to save on your electricity bill.
10. Use of cooling system for heat pump lowers the air temperature around it as the pump runs, which in turn reduces the amount of electricity consumption.
11. Usage of only one Car or car pools lowers your overall transportation and insurance costs.
12. Grow those plants that give you all types of vegetables and fruits. You will eat better home made recipes and also save your restaurant bill.
13. To reduce you phone bills make cheap calls via internet with an online calling service.

If every Australian follows these simple ways, they can not only save money on utility bills but also reduce the impact on the environment.