As we barrel through the holiday season, the new year will soon be upon us–which means there is an opportunity for change in your life. Dieting, exercising, communicating, being more creative… the typical New Year’s Resolution Lists usually include aspirations that quickly become too time consuming, too monotonous or too expensive to follow through with. But here is a one that you are guaranteed to want to keep—saving yourself some money. How might you go about achieving this? Well, you can start by reducing your electricity bill and pocketing the savings. Here are four easy steps to get you on the way to spending less on electricity, and more on yourself.
1. Changing Suppliers
For utility suppliers, it always costs them more to draft new customers than it does to retain the ones they have. The reasons for why this is the case are extensive, ranging from marketing to get their brand out there, to stocking up on supplies for installation. But when it comes to your involvement with your electricity supplier, remembering that it would cost them more to replace your custom will come in very handy.
If you are on a contracted tariff, then unfortunately you will have to wait until it is up for renewal to do this. But when it is, or if you have a short term tariff, then it’s time to strategize to your own advantage. Keep in mind that every energy company wants your business, but your original company wants to keep you even more, so head over to iSelect and make a list of competing companies who are offering cheap electricity. Using a price comparison website as ammunition when negotiating a new contract for your electricity (or any utility, for that matter), will present you with two possible outcomes. Either your original supplier will offer you a similar deal for a similar amount, sans installation charges or they won’t, in which case you have already found yourself a cheaper replacement.
2. Improving Efficiency in the Home
Along with the onset of 2021 comes the annual spring clean. But next year, use it as an opportunity to carry out some renovations on the home. It may surprise you to know this, but some improvements that you can make around the house can actually save you money on your electricity bills. A large portion of your electric bill tends to go into your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, which is why you should look into improving several key areas: windows, flooring and roofing. By improving your insulation, you stave off any heat loss, meaning that your furnace and heating system is not working more than it has too. In addition, adding double glazing to your windows will help insulate heat, but will also help regulate cool air and ventilation during the hotter months, reducing reliance on the air conditioning. The flooring kind of falls halfway between this, but with laminate flooring you are also using your power less, as a sweeping brush will work far more effectively than a vacuum cleaner.
3. Using Less Appliances
Similar to the last point regarding your vacuuming, there are plenty of opportunities to use less electricity hungry appliances. Ask yourself, do you really need to set your washing machine to start, when you are only washing a few items? Must you cook a meal when you only want a snack? Washing machines use the same amount of energy to clean half full loads than they do for full loads, and microwaves are far more energy efficient than ovens.
4. Spending a Little to Save a Lot
One of the handiest ways to save money will require a little bit of initial expenditure, but the outcome is that you will ultimately save money in the long run. Go online and check out LED lights, as these use less electricity than typical filament lightbulbs. If you are in need of new appliances, check out their energy efficiency reviews before purchasing. The appliances that use the less energy, will save you the most money. Plus, they are better for the environment as well!
