The real reasons behind a high electricity bill.
Are your electricity bills every month coming way higher than they should be? Do you shiver at the thought of checking your bill online or receiving it in the post? While it’s important to maintain an electricity budget, it can get tough when you aren’t sure why the cost is so high. We always look for excuses when the bill is high, saying it’s because of our provider, building, or other such factors. However, the most important factor is yourself. You have the power to reduce your electricity bill every month.
Excessive, unnecessary usage leads to a spike in your electricity bill. Especially in certain areas where taking care of your electricity is completely ignored. Don’t worry! Our experts have pinpointed certain areas around the house that have much higher power usage. Keep watch on these areas to reduce your consumption and bills.
Here they are.
Appliances on at night
Do you leave all your appliances plugged in before turning in to bed? Sometime ago, this wasn’t a problem, but nowadays, many appliances consume electricity even when turned off. It’s because of the fact that we’re in a standby era, and appliances don’t actually shut down but merely “rest”. When you switch off your appliances such as a computer, television, or even an air purifier, it goes into rest or standby mode instead of switching off completely. Why are most appliances in standby mode? So that they can be switched on fast and be more efficient.
However, these devices are taking in so much energy while you aren’t even using them. Also, appliances that show the time such as a microwave, require extra power and cut into your electricity usage.
How should you solve this?
A quick and easy solution is connecting your appliances to a strip of power and then turning these off when not in use, or, removing the plugs out of this power strip completely. In this sense and using this method, you would have removed the power source of the device keeping your electricity bills on the lower end.
Using too much electricity for high-consuming appliances
Appliances including washers, dryers, dishwashers, and so forth, use tonnes of electricity for every cycle. If you use them everyday, your electricity usage and bill will mount up to unimaginable amounts. Also, many times when people do indeed run these cycles, they don’t even use these appliances at their full load. While some modern appliances are smart and energy-efficient, the bulk of appliances in today’s day and age won’t be able to save energy automatically. You have to keep this in mind before using them.
How should you solve this?
Always ensure that every appliance you use is filled to the recommended capacity before you switch them on for the cycle. Also, make sure that you choose the right cycle for washing, drying, or dishwashing. To save up on your energy costs for washing clothes, a good tip is to try loading your laundry once a week or so.
Not keeping your lights and ceiling fans in check
Lights are often poorly handled, especially when people use too much brightness in the room. It’s not important to ensure that your entire room is bright, but you must shine the light on dedicated spots. These spots include chairs, workspaces, kitchen tables, dressing areas, and so forth. Ceiling lights placed across your home are highly inefficient, and these tend to be on even when they aren’t in use, racking up your electricity bill.
If you already have an air conditioner, placing a ceiling fan might not make sense, unless you wish to save costs on your electricity by using your air conditioner nominally. Also, ceiling fans only work for the rooms in which they are installed, and are often left on. Certain smart ceiling fans let you save energy by changing the rotation of the blades.
How should you solve this
Keep your lighting limited to strategic areas in your room. Make sure that you only use energy-saving bulbs, especially to save up on electricity consumption and bills when your lights are on. When no one is in the room, ensure that all your ceiling fans are turned off, and use them according to what’s best for the season.
Making use of appliances that are very old
Keeping and constantly using appliances that are super old contribute a lot to your electricity bill. Made for another era, they consume far more electricity than modern appliances do. For example, very old refrigerators might be in trend for their vintage vibes, but they will also skyrocket your electricity bill. Appliances made in the 1990s, such as your dishwashers or washing machines also consume way too much energy.
How should you solve this
Make sure to upgrade all your appliances and check their energy star rating. Newer models of appliances tend to use far lesser electricity, and some of these even come in a vintage design to match your aesthetics.
Wanting to own every type of device around
As the world evolves, so does the need to own several different types of devices. First it was cassette players, then CD players, and now you can connect to your television wirelessly. However, it should be noted that the more gadgets you have, the more you have to charge them, leading to a much higher electricity bill. So before you pick up the next best thing, it’s important to think twice.
How should you solve this
When you’re not charging your devices unplug the cables and also the adapter at large. Also, a pro-tip is charging your devices only when absolutely necessary. If your device has less than 10% of battery life, it might make sense to charge it at that moment. If you charge your phone when the battery’s high, this will not only increase your electricity bill, but will also reduce the power efficiency of your device’s battery.
There you have it!
Here are some expert tips on how to make a difference to your high electricity bills. Once again, you don’t want to dread the monthly statement, but you should rather have things under your control. Also, an expert can help you set up your home in a way that doesn’t consume too much energy. Expert technicians in companies such as Octopus are licensed to do exactly this.
Always switch out your old appliances and avoid charging your gadgets unless absolutely necessary. Unplug your appliances at night and swap out older bulbs for newer, energy-saving models.
For more information, reach out to Octopus at 800 3993, and our representative will get in touch with you.
