One of the unanticipated costs that life will spring on you every month is the size of the electric bill. Saving money on electricity is a favorite way for many people to lower their monthly costs, and using less electricity is excellent for the environment. With a bit of extra thought, you can save piles of money each month on your electric bill. Start saving all that money by understanding your demand charges, turning off lights, minding the thermostat, thinking about the electricity electronics purchases will use, and unplugging those electronics when you are not using them.
Understanding
Electric Demand Charges
If you
have ever taken a closer glance at your electric bill, you will notice two
charges, one for demand and one for consumption. Understanding your electricity demand charge takes looking into
how your utility company creates this charge. Usually, the demand charge is the
average electrical usage over 15 minutes. While it is easy enough to save on
consumption, which is the total amount of electricity you use a month, you need
to consider how much you constantly use, which increases the amount of
electricity your electric company must create.
Being
Mindful of Home Usage
Turn off lights when you are not using them. Consistently doing this will add up over time, even though it may seem to be a small thing at first. Still, know that this little act of mindfulness will help both the environment and your wallet. Some people enjoy leaving the TV running in the background or lights on at night so they can see their path to the bathroom, but when pursuing a lower demand charge, these little things make a big-league difference. So, it is best to turn off the TV during dinner and the lights at night, then reap the savings.
A bit of
mindfulness applies to the thermostat as well. The thermostat is the most
critical household item for electricity savings. So, even heating a room a
single degree colder in the winter or warmer in the summer will save you a
bundle. Another cost-saving measure around the house is to use cold water to
wash your clothes and be sure to avoid constantly washing, which is another
sizable, environmentally friendly way to save on your electric bill. Still, all
of this does not mean that you need to take freezing showers, merely take
shorter ones.
Strategic
Shopping
Look into
the price per year in electricity that your electronic purchases will cost.
Even though it may not appear significant upfront, hot-ticket items such as TVs
can cost around $80 each year. Other electronic things make a difference too,
and that can spell disaster when it comes time to pay your electric bill. So,
consider these items’ costs before purchasing anything that will consume
constant and copious amounts of electricity. While this may cost you a bit of
precious time, you are the one responsible for your electricity use because you
have the most to lose by buying costly electronics.
It would
be best to unplug unused electronics when they are off to save the maximum
amount on your demand charges. Even though this appears to be an enormous
hassle on the surface, this will pay massive dividends on your monthly demand
charges. So, consider making the plug easy to reach when plugging in
electronics for the first time. That way, you will have a lot less trouble
plugging your electronics in and out, and over time, you will save untold sums
on your monthly demand charges from your utility company.
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