How To Save Money On Electricity

With an economy trying to recover from a recession and budgets stretched to their limits, it is no wonder that people are trying to save money in as many ways as possible. If you’ve cut back on your luxuries and are stuck for ideas of what to do next, take a look at your utilities and see if you can reduce your outgoings on energy. Here are a few suggestions to reduce your electricity bill and become more environmentally friendly, too!

Lighting

Consumers are always being told to turn lights off when we leave a room and this has actually been shown to save money in the long-term. Obviously, if you are constantly turning the same light on and off then this won’t do the trick, but if you are going to take a shower don’t leave the light on in the bedroom ready for when you return. It is also worth looking at what type of light bulb you are using and changing to energy saving alternatives. Although they cost slightly more initially, they last longer and are estimated to save up to £50 over the life of the bulb. It doesn’t sound much but with the average household having between 5 – 8 rooms, this could save you hundreds of pounds.

Go Green

Most energy suppliers are beginning to increase the amount of ‘green’ tariffs that they offer and these are widely encouraged. Renewable energy sources such as hydroelectricity and wind-powered farms help to reduce the amount of fossil fuels being used, are much better for the environment, and can save money for you and the economy. Green tariffs are not noticeably cheaper to begin with; however, take a look at changing your supplier as many are offering incentives to new customers who switch to a green tariff, and they will save you money in the long-term.

Smart Meters

Smart Meters are being introduced slowly by energy suppliers to replace existing energy reading meters, with the Government’s aim that they will be in every household by 2020. These meters can be accessed remotely by energy suppliers meaning that you will no longer have to be in for them to read your meter, saving the company their time and saving the customer the intrusion into their home half way through the day. Smart readers are much easier to read than current meters as they not only show the energy used but the cost of the energy, too. Customers can monitor ‘real time’ use and work out when they are using more energy, encouraging you to make changes and saving you money.

Money Saving Appliances

Most appliances should have an energy-efficiency grading using a letter system; the closer to ‘A’ your machine is the better. Although the initial spend may be expensive, more energy-efficient machines are estimated to save you hundreds of pounds on an older appliance during their lifespan. Another tip is to use your dishwasher or washing machine at lower temperatures as this uses less energy and therefore less money. In addition, where possible, set your washing timer to do your laundry at cheaper times such as late at night or early in the morning to take advantage of specialist tariffs. Lastly, always encourage people in your household to unplug electrical items such as televisions, phone chargers and games consoles rather than leaving them on standby, as this will save electricity and increase the battery life of the product.

There are several ways in which the customer can cut back on electricity usage, or if you can’t then you can change the way or the times that you use it to make similar savings. Don’t be afraid to shop around for new offers but always make sure that they cover your household’s needs.