5 Easy Ways to Save On Your Electricity Bill

Many UK householders have been experiencing rising energy bills, over a period of some years. Although we’re often told by the main energy providers that such increases are a result of global trends, there’s often a suspicion that there’s less urgency to reduce our bills when global prices come down.

This can be frustrating for all of us and really hits household budgets. So what can we do to tackle the problem? It’s great to be given a guest slot here at Green Deal Initiative, where there’s a clear focus on reducing energy bills. I’ve pulled together a list of 5 top tips on how you can spend less on electricity:

Use a Smart Meter

Smart meters are going to be rolled out throughout the UK and it’s predicted that they will have many benefits for UK residents. These meters will allow us to accurately monitor electricity usage within our home homes.

Why does this matter? By getting a better understanding of how we’re consuming energy, we’ll be able to make alterations to our usage patterns. We may decide, for example, that some appliances simply aren’t efficient. Alternatively, we may realise that changing tariff could help us to make savings.

Crucially, a smart meter means that you’re not reliant on the dreaded estimated bills that are currently used by the main electricity providers.

Monitor Your Usage Levels

If you’re looking to reduce the electricity that you use, then it’s clearly helpful to know which appliances use the most and cost a lot as a result. If you don’t yet have a smart meter in place, then you can consider various other gadgets that monitor power usage.

By understanding usage levels, you can look to change habits.

Turn Out the Lights!

You probably have a fair idea of areas in the home where you are already wasting electricity. Do you, for instance, tend to leave the lights on when you are out of the home? Remembering to switch off the lights can help you to make some significant savings.

You may also be in the habit of leaving the lights switched on in rooms of the house that you’re not really using. Again, the simple process of switching them off can help.

Use Cheaper Forms of Energy

If you’re tired of paying high bills, then why not think about alternative sources of energy. It’s perfectly feasible for you to generate your own energy.

You may think that it’s unlikely that you can install a hydro-electric power plant in your garden, but why not investigate the installation of solar power, or maybe even a small wind turbine. The government is keen to promote such approaches, which means that generating your own electricity can be extremely cost-effective.

Use Appliances Correctly

The final thing that you can do to reduce electricity bills is to make proper use of home appliances. It costs a lot more money, for instance, to boil of a full kettle than it does to boil one that is only half full. So think about how much water you really need, particularly if you’re only making a single cup of tea.

It’s the same with televisions, laptop computers, dishwashers and many other home accessories. You can often reduce energy usage by switching them off, rather than by putting them on standby. You’ll also find that many have energy-reducing functionality. A brief read of the manuals could save money.

Author Bio

Keith Barrett writes about global environmental issues and believes that we can make many changes to the way that we live that will provide economic and environmental benefits.

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