Ways To Cut Down Electricity

By Author: Gene Armstrong
Total Articles: 3
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Running a household is no ordinary job. It takes some good housekeeping, maintenance, and management of funds to ensure that everything is well kept and running properly with the least possible costs. With electricity and gas essential to a household's utilities, it is important to keep it energy efficient to lower down the electricity bills. With the rising price of energy these days, anyone must take necessary steps to reduce their expenses.

There are easy ways to make your energy usage more efficient, but it does take conscious effort and responsibility. If you are truly geared towards more savings, here are some simple tips to help you reduce your energy consumption.

Choose Energy-efficient Appliances and Tools

Certain appliances require more energy to operate, and thus, you incur more expenses than necessary. Knowing what these appliances are can help you replace them for better ones, buy low-cost alternatives, or limit the usage altogether. For example, ovens consume more power as it requires preheating and takes longer to prepare a food. If you can limit the use of such appliance and opt for oven ...
... toasters or microwave for heating, then you will save energy and cost at the same time. You would also benefit from purchasing ovens with a good energy star rating, which means that it consumes less energy than traditional brands or types of ovens.

One of the easiest methods is to replace incandescent light to CFL bulbs. The cost of these bulbs is pretty much the same but the energy required to power up an incandescent light bulb is significantly higher than CFLs. With the same level of lighting, you spend less electricity when you use CFL bulbs. If you're still using the traditional incandescent lighting, now is the time to head out to a hardware store to get your more energy-efficient replacements.

Know the Right Settings for Your Fridges and Air-conditioners

In simple terms, the colder or hotter the setting, the more energy your AC or fridge consumes. The air-conditioner, for example, would need more power if set in higher temperature, thus costing more than if set in its recommended temperature. AC, fridges, and heaters are the biggest bulk of your energy consumption, and knowing how to manage these appliances will help you cut down your bill. Most types and brands recommend the mid setting. This is the regulated temperature recommended by manufacturers. Also, make sure your appliances are cleaned and maintained regularly to ensure their good condition.

Switching to a Better Supplier

You have the option to switch energy suppliers based on cheaper rates, quality of service, and payments terms. That is if you are not locked-in to any contract with your current provider. If you are not happy with the service and the increasing energy rates of your current supplier, you can search online, check out other energy providers, and do some price comparison. If you live in Australia, you can also check out energy comparison site: Switchwise.com.au.

With small steps and a closer look into your energy consumption, you can soon enjoy more savings and find yourself not worrying about utility costs and bills. You will also help the environment by contributing an effort in reducing your energy consumption.

Gene Armstrong is an energy expert based in Australia. He specializes in knowledge about switching, energy efficiency, and green energy. To know more about energy in Australia, log on to Switchwise.com.au.