A new report giving home owners tips to save on the rising cost of energy bills has sparked calls for more government action on the issue.
Anita Ward from the Adelaide suburb of Para Hills said she cut back on going out so she could cover the essentials, including heating.
"To heat the whole house with that small gas heater, you know it's on anywhere between five to eight hours a night, it really does add up," she said.
The Renew report, on behalf of South Australian Council of Social Service, outlines how people like Ward can make significant savings.
Simply switching from gas to electric heating can save more than $550 per year, it notes.
Changing from gas to reverse-cycle air conditioning plus adding energy measures like insulation, draught sealing and blinds can save almost $1300.
"With some modest investments we can ensure, particularly low income households, have access to much lower energy bills," Ross Womersley from the organisation said.
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These changes would not only reduce household bills for many but also carbon emissions and ease pressure on the electricity grid.
SACOSS has called for government support to make these investments more affordable.
Womersley urged politicians to "think very carefully about the policies they could put in place and the funding mechanisms that they could create that might enable these opportunities for low income households."
