How to beat the rising cost of electricity

David Banks
Authored by David Banks
Posted Wednesday, July 17, 2019 - 8:06am

Every year the cost of electricity becomes dearer.

As people struggle to pay their bills every month it becomes clear that something has to be done.

Waiting for the price of electricity to go down is not the answer. We have to take matters into our own hands and do something to mitigate the cost.

Luckily there are a lot of ways to deal with the expense even though much of our daily life relies on energy dependant fixtures.

Let’s take a look at some ways you can offset the cost of electricity by taking some different measures.

Switch your provider

The easiest way to save on your electricity is to shop around. You may not even realize that this is an option, but the rate you are paying now could be beaten by another provider in your area. All you have to do is visit a site like Simplyswitch.com - Energy Comparison who will do the shopping for you. 

You could find that you are eligible to save hundreds of pounds per year by switching your energy provider.

Even though the costs seem to be steadily rising, there are still some deals to be had. 

Cool your house passively

With the recent spate of heat waves in the UK recently you may be tempted to opt for an air conditioner. These are energy hogs and even the most efficient model will have your bills rise even further. Instead try to cool things down without using electricity.

Keep your blinds closed when the sun is low in the sky. This will keep the house from heating up in the first place. Also, keeping windows open strategically will allow for cross ventilation to keep things cool.

Lastly, wear loose fitting clothes or keep your attire to the bare minimum to avoid heating up your body.

Use innovative ways to do everyday chores

Instead of using your oven to cook, try a toaster oven. Save the oven for the Sunday roast and use the toaster oven during the week for smaller meals. They cook faster anyway so there is less time to wait.

Do your laundry at night when the peak rates are lower and you will see immediate savings. You can often program your washer to run at a set time so you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night. 

Turning your hot water heater thermostat down will help reduce your bills. In the summer especially when you don’t need to be taking hot showers as often. On that note, you should turn off the hot water when shaving, washing your hands or face. Again, this will reduce the time that your heater is warming your water.

If you have a laptop computer at home, start using that instead of your desktop as those suck up electricity. Even in sleep mode they do leach electricity. 

Final thoughts

Beating the high cost of electricity doesn’t require any dramatic actions. A few adjustments to your routine will have you saving hundreds per year.


 

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