How to save money on your electricity bill

Save money on your electricity bill

Reducing electricity consumption is a perpetual headache in a household. Indeed, receiving the electricity bill often feels like a cold shower, with figures that seem to exceed our expectations. Don’t panic, there are various actions you can take on a daily basis and inexpensive tricks to reduce your energy costs.

Turn down the heat

It’s a simple gesture, but one that can go a long way in reducing your consumption. If you find that your electricity consumption is higher than you expect, lower the temperature of your heating slightly so that you don’t feel the difference. Every degree less saves you almost 7% on your bills.

For example, if you change from 22°C to 19°C during the day, you save about 20%. Do the same at night when you sleep. However, don’t reduce the temperature too much so that you don’t feel the difference. Turn it down just right.

Change your lighting

Lighting in a home accounts for about 15% of your electricity bill. By switching to more energy-efficient lighting, you can find a noticeable difference in your consumption. To save on lighting, consider replacing all halogen bulbs with LED bulbs. Indeed, the halogens are very greedy.

For comparison, this type of bulb consumes 90% more energy than an LED bulb. Fortunately, they are becoming increasingly rare and will soon disappear from the market. In addition, LED bulbs have a life span 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

Choose appliances based on their energy performance

It is possible to already consider energy savings just by buying the right appliances. To do this, consider several points. First, tailor your purchase to your needs at home. For example, it is not necessary to buy an air conditioner that is too powerful for a house with only a few rooms.

Also choose appliances with an energy class of A+, A++ or even A+++. They consume less energy while performing as well as the others. Finally, buy appliances that have energy-saving features such as eco-mode or programmable run-time features.

Optimize the insulation of the house

Another effective way to save energy costs is to insulate your home properly. Indeed, a poorly insulated house generates a temperature loss effect. This leak will have to be filled by the heating and cooling equipment running longer than expected to heat or cool the entire house.

So, if you want to reduce your electricity consumption, check the insulation of your attic, walls, doors and windows to minimize the exchange of indoor/outdoor temperature.

Installing electrical load breakers

Thermal load breakers are devices that are installed at your electrical panel. They allow you to distribute your electrical power requirements fairly according to your needs. For example, when you use the stove, the load shedder will automatically cut off the power to the heating system for the time and allow the stove to have the optimal power to operate.

This type of device is valuable for saving energy. Indeed, thanks to it, you can subscribe to a subscription below your normal energy needs and you will have to pay less in electricity. Thus, when you need more power, the load shedder will allow you to turn off certain appliances that are not immediately useful.

Have a time delay switch installed in your electrical panel

It works in a similar way to the electrical load shedder. The off-hours switch allows you to program the operation of certain appliances only within a specific time frame. This option is particularly recommended if you subscribe to an off-peak subscription, i.e. an offer where electricity is free at certain times of the night.

This way, you can program to use power-hungry appliances only at these times. The off-peak switch will then turn them on right at those times without you having to get up to do so. Once the off-peak hours are over, the device will automatically stop them.

Limit the use of electric water heaters

The electric water heater can also be a major source of electricity consumption. Indeed, this kind of device is quite greedy and limiting its use is necessary. To do this:

  • There is no need to program the heating temperature to the highest setting. You risk running the unit too long, while you will still be cooling the water with cold water afterwards;
  • Do not leave the water heater running continuously. If you are going to be away for a long time, turn it off, since no one will use it in the meantime;
  • Limit the use of your bathtub and prefer the shower. Not only will you save water, but you’ll waste less hot water.

Adopt various simple actions on a daily basis

Finally, your daily actions alone can save you money on energy costs. Here are some of them:

  • Always turn off the lights in a room when you leave it. You can opt for a motion sensor device that automatically turns the lights on and off when you enter or leave a room;
  • Turn off your speakers, computer or console when not in use. Even the standby mode of appliances consumes a certain amount of electricity. If you don’t watch TV or listen to music anymore, turn off all these devices to save energy;
  • When you go on vacation, make sure the lights throughout the house are off. Also remember to turn off the heat and air conditioning and turn off all unnecessary appliances;
  • Although outdoor lighting beautifies your yard, limit it to avoid unnecessary electricity consumption;
  • When operating your heating and cooling system, be sure to close all windows in the rooms of your home. The temperature loss caused by open windows will force heating and cooling equipment to run longer and harder to fill the leak.