How do I get cheaper electricity or lower my utility bill?
This is a very common question, especially in Winter and Summer when the use of some form of heating or cooling is in effect. There are a lot of ways to get your average electricity bill down and some of them are extremely simple to do every day. So you too can start saving electricity right now. Employing even 1 of these tactics should instantly reduce your utility bill.
- The most common thing to get a cheaper electricity bill is doors and windows. Most people don’t even think the check for air leaks in these areas. Especially in older buildings and apartments… these are built on a budget and will develop cracks with time. An easy way to deal with this is to get a towel and roll it up over the cracks. A lot of doors, especially those leading out of the house are not snug, you can again roll up a towel and place it along the bottom of the door to stop the air escaping.
- Keeping your blinds and curtains closed when you are out is another great way to help out the old air con unit or heater in the expensive months. Also don’t forget to turn off you lights whenever you leave a room. Cheaper electricity is as simple as remembering to do these things on the way out the door.
- Washing your laundry in cold water is another great way to lower your electric bill costs. Your water heating unit will get a rest and your bank account will thank you for it.
- With the use of computers being a common household occurance and a lot of households having more than 1 computer… be sure to turn them off when you are not using them. The same goes for the television. It may be a bit of a pain to wait for a reboot every time you want to use your computer again, but the cheaper electricity bills is worth it.
And finally… regarding cheaper electricity and meters.
Utility bills are often wrong. You can easily test this if you employ some of the above methods and watch your meter readings. You can then see if your bill decreases or not. A lot of energy companies do not check meters regularly and just use historical data to charge you (so whatever you got charged last year they automatically charge again).
Getting your cheaper electricity bills in such a case will be impossible until you contact your energy company and getting them to check your meter. Another common problem is that some meters don’t report correctly. I believe all the major energy companies will check your meters upon request but some may have a charge involved.
If they refuse you should contact your Ombudsman about it. They will light a fire under the energy companies butt for you.
So there is a few ways to get cheaper electricity bills. Go ahead and try some and remember to watch your meter.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-finance-articles/cheaper-electricity-bills-4659731.html
About the Author
Geoffrey Tuck is the owner of the Electricity Facts website. Wind electricity and more can be found there. Check it out today!
Tags: air leaks, blinds and curtains, cheaper electricity bills, doors and windows, electricity bill, meter readings, occurance, personal finance, saving electricity, utility bills, water heating