introduction: This article discusses numerous ways to save on electricity. By doing so, you ultimately save on electric bills. Read carefully!
When you give up a family road trip for a stay at home holiday trying to save money, you certainly won’t be making any significant progress if the air conditioner is going to be run at 16 degrees Celsius all summer long!
In spite of no concrete rise in oil and commodity price tags due to the economy still down on its knees, prices for electric energy utilized at home are forecast to shoot up by 4.7% in the current year compared to the one of previous. And even worse: it will spike up another 3.3% by next year. Isn’t it high time that you learnt how to save on electric? When you save on electricity, not only do you save money, but you also reduce carbon emissions! (An increasing amount of carbon dioxide is being released to the atmosphere as you increase your output of electricity.
Here is a small list of guidelines to follow so that, even if electricity prices rise, you know how to save on electric bills.
Get Your Equipment in Shape
Organize an HVAC inspection: In order to ensure that your air conditioner and heater are in top form, organize an HVAC inspection. In order to do so, you must make contact with a professional technician. A leakage can amount to up to 20% energy loss, severely draining your wallet. Hiring a technician will cost you about $100 but it will help you save on electricity worth thousands of dollars every year.
Be critical of size: The next time you go out to buy something, be careful of the size you choose. For example if you are to buy an AC, should you buy a 1.5 ton AC or a 2 ton AC? Let your need judge what size is better. If you buy a bigger one for a small room it will give you the same output as a smaller one; however it will consume much more energy.
Get rid of Dirt: Make sure that all air conditioners, light bulbs, plugs and sockets are free from any dirt. If you change the air filter to have uninterrupted air flow then will quickly reduce the amount of energy spent.
As a result of owning an energy efficient home, you will be able to save on electricity and additionally gain from tax credits.
Don’t allow air to escape; Cold air is very heavy on the pocket and permitting it to escape is very much like adding wings to your money. Spend a few bucks on caulk to seal up window and frames. The more energy leaves your house, the harder your air conditioner will have to work. This translates to huge electricity bills.
Get rid of incandescent lights: This is the most common step taken by many people to save on electric energy and consequently bills. Every 100 watt bulb you replace with a 25 watt energy saving bulb saves you around 30 dollars per year. Furthermore CFL bulbs produce less heat and therefore the cool air in your room won’t be affected.
Use Blinds: Sunlight will create added heat of the kind you don’t want. By using blinds, you won’t have to switch on the air conditioner very often.
Fans: Fans are great: they can keep you cool without taking up huge chunks of electric energy. fans will not drastically reduce the room temperature but they will certainly keep the room cooler than the outside temperature.
Wires: Wires are what allow electricity to reach appliances. Old wires will develop an internal resistance which will slow the current of electricity, and ultimately a wastage of energy. Look closely at the wires of microwaves and computers. Signs of aging should never be ignored. get a replacement. It will do two things – save on electric energy and be safer for the kids!
Pull it out: Don’t get any funny ideas – we are talking about plugs here. Leaving the TV on standby all night is just as costly as leaving it switched on. Appliances, when on standby, use as much as 90% of electricity; this compared to when they are being used. Comparing statistics, up to 10% of the total residential electricity is wasted by leaving appliances such as computers on standby. And 10% is a big number! The easiest, and most convenient, way to save on electric energy is just unplugging electric appliances.
Look up other providers: Different states will have different electrical companies in operation. If your state is one of them, it makes sense for you to check out the best rates, and compare and contrast. The right provider could result in you saving somewhere between 4 percent and 14 percent. What’s better is that some providers make use of renewable or alternative energy. Also, this will be good for the planet. What you need to be careful about here is that providers will ask you to sign a contract for a long term commitment. By any chance, should you want to opt out of it earlier than previously decided, you could end up paying a big sum of money.
Electricity is a major expense in every household. The only bigger expense than electrical energy is food. Every year we end up paying thousands of extra dollars due wasted electricity. Should that money be saved, you could certainly have an extra family holiday every year or at least every two years. You’d be surprised, by putting these guidelines to use, how you can save on electric bills.
