How much do you know about electricity?
Whether you only know how to plug in a lamp or are fully aware of how electricity works, there’s one thing for certain. If you’re reading this, your life is powered by electricity.
From keeping food cold to providing entertainment, most of us in the modern world use electricity every day.
However, that doesn’t mean we’re happy about paying for it. If you’d like to have your cake and eat it too, read on to learn a few helpful tips for slashing your power bill.
The Rising Cost of Electricity
Electricity may be necessary for a comfortable modern life, but it also costs money — something no one gets excited about. To make matters worse, it keeps getting more expensive.
In the past 3 years, Australian households have watched their electric bill sneakily go up by over $550 on average. But it hasn’t gone unnoticed. In one year alone (2011), electrical disconnections in South Australia nearly doubled as people couldn’t pay their monthly bills.
Slashing Your Power Bill
Whether you’re concerned about financial hardship or simply would like to avoid a large bill, here are a few tips that can help.
Install Energy-Efficient Lighting
Though the lighting is a small slice of your electricity budget, new energy-efficient lighting is so superior to the old stuff that it still makes a big difference. In fact, the lights use so little electricity that it almost doesn’t matter if you remember to turn them off or not.
Get a quote from a qualified electrician to see how much it would cost to retrofit your home. Once you factor in how much you can save on your bill (and the added sale value of your home), new lighting isn’t even expensive!
Use the Dishwasher
You’re going to like this one. Dishwashers are actually a more energy-efficient way of washing dishes than by hand. You have to use more water to wash dishes by hand. This means both a higher water bill and an electric bill if you have an electric hot water tank.
Always fill your dishwasher to the brim. The dishwasher will use the same amount of hot water to wash 4 dishes as it will 40.
Watch Your Washing
Another easy way to save is in the washing room. Wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot to avoid using electricity to heat the water.
Items like socks and underwear should still be washed in hot water for sanitation’s sake, but everything else is fine to wash in cold water. In fact, clothing washed in cold water is less susceptible to colour bleeding — always a good thing!
Turn Down the Thermostat
For every 1 degree over 20 degrees that you set your electric heater in winter, your costs rise by about 10%. Keep your thermostat between 18 and 20 degrees to see some significant savings on your bill.
Spend Less on Power
Follow these tips to start enjoying a lower power bill today!
