Do your monthly electricity bills seem higher than they should be? The reasons why might not be such a mystery. While so many things factor into your energy usage each month, there are some key things you can do to see a noticeable reduction in your bill.
1. Have your refrigerator checked out
This appliance is often overlooked when people are trying to save money on their electricity bill. When your refrigerator doesn’t work properly, it works harder to cool the items inside, which results in an increase in your energy consumption. Over time this could cost you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a refrigerator.
Companies like Sub Zero refrigerator repair can come out and make sure your refrigerator is functionally efficient for maximum food preservation. Again, this can save you a substantial amount of money.
2. Check out different electricity providers
Comparing electricity suppliers and providers, as well as rates, can be a time consuming and intimidating process. However, it can be well worth the effort. If you have never explored your options for electricity providers, there’s a good chance you are paying a lot more for electricity than necessary. Use iSelect as a tool to compare providers — it could end up saving you a considerable amount of money.
When you do sit down to examine which provider can give you the right deal, these are the points you need to consider:
- What are the peak and off-peak rates for each provider?
- What is your average household usage?
- What is the supply charge for each provider?
- What is the green energy rating for each provider?
- Are you prepared to be locked into a contract and, if so, for how long?
- Will you have to pay cancellation fees if you wish to change providers again?
3. Save money in the laundry room
There are tons of ways to save on your electricity bills just by starting in the laundry room. Washers and dryers use up a lot of energy, but they don’t have to if you make some minor adjustments.
First, make sure you are washing with cold water. Heating up water uses electricity, so switch it to cold for an easy modification to your routine.
Next, air dry any time you can. It might be a good idea to stock up on clothespins and hang up a clothesline in the backyard or somewhere around the house. Just cutting out a few dryer cycles can significantly decrease your electricity bill. If you do put a load in the dryer for a full cycle, adding wool balls for dryer is an easy way to help decrease the time the clothes take to dry. Wool or rubber dryer balls will help separate your clothes and get more air to them, but unlike rubber, the wool dryer balls absorb moisture. They can also reduce static, so you can ditch the dryer sheets.
4. Turn the A/C down a few degrees
Electricity providers are always telling their customers one of the easiest ways to reduce an electricity bill is by adjusting the air conditioning on the thermostat just a few degrees. It might not seem like it makes a big difference, but over time that simple adjustment can save a lot of money.
5. Replace your light bulbs
In just the past few decades, light bulbs have significantly changed the home energy savings game. Traditional incandescent light bulbs consume an excessive amount of electricity and must be replaced more often than their energy efficient alternatives. Although energy efficient bulbs are more expensive, their efficient energy use and longer lifetime means that they cost less in the long run.
Bottom line? Do you research, talk to your energy provider, and use common sense.
