An electric bill has got to be one of the most annoying bills we try to control monthly. This is because it fluctuates wildly. Personally, I used to curse a lot whenever I receive my electric bills until I figured a way to control the factors that increase it.
It took months of trial and error to finally get down my electric bill from a monthly range of $120 – $170 to about $9 – $30. For me to do this, I had to realize that the electric company is not trying to screw me every month. Instead, I was the problem. I was not paying attention to some habits that are increasing my electric bill.
A number of factors contribute to the high cost of electric bills we receive monthly. Some of these factors include the weather, the season and our habits. Mostly, our habits contribute a lot.
What Costs the Most On Your Electric Bill?
Usually, it is the heating and cooling appliances which cost a majority of the electric bills. This is especially during summer and winter seasons. According to a U.S Energy Information Administration research,
| U.S ENERGY USE | PERCENTAGE OF CONSUMPTION |
|---|---|
| Space heating | 41% |
| Water heating | 18% |
| Other electrical appliances | 35% |
| Air conditioning | 6% |
This may vary from state to state, since different parts of the United States have different seasons. For example, a state like Texas will have higher air conditioning consumption than the state of New York. Given their different weathers, such is expected. However, the fact remains you have to pay attention to your heating and cooling energy usage in order to save on electric bills. Once I became aware of these, I was able to find ways to optimize my electric usage.
Furthermore, it is important to note the duration of electric usage plays a vital part on your monthly electric bill. Electricity is billed on price per kilowatt hour. If you are one to leave your air conditioning unit or space heater working for long hours, you will have an unusual high bills. I have observed a room which has been cooled by air conditioner or warmed by space heater tends to stay that way for hours. Hence, the need not to keep the units running as soon as they have done their jobs.
Finally, do not let your comfort in the constant availability of electric make you take it for granted. It is what will increase your usual electric bill. My monthly electric bill used to range from $120 to $170, before I got it to about $30 or less. With that said, I will tell you how to get your electric bill under control by a huge percentage.
How Do You Cut Electricity Costs?
When I finally figured I took the constant availability of electricity for granted, I took measures to curb it since it costs me too much. Below are my measures:
1. Use Rechargeable Lanterns To Minimize Light Usage
There are these rechargeable electric lanterns which cost less than $25 bucks. I have one. I used it immediately the sun goes down until I go to bed.
Some of the lanterns are made of LEDs and fluorescence tube. The light is soft,not harsh like the heat-generated yellow electric bulbs in our houses and apartments.
I have not turned my electric bulbs in months! This electric lantern, when fully charged, can last up to 40 hours. It takes an hour or two to fully charged it.
It is easy for me to carry one wherever I go in my residence.
My apartment has about thirteen lamp sources. My energy company charges $0.045 per KWH. A 60 Watts bulbs will consume about 1860 Watts of electric power by the end of a normal month (31 days).
If I used 10 hours of an electric bulb in a month, it has added $0.82 to my monthly bill. That is $0.027 per bulb daily. For thirteen electric lamp sources I had, it amounted to $10.66 monthly. That is just for 10 hours of use!
The rechargeable lantern eliminates this part of the bill by keeping those lights off for about 40 hours.
2. Use Air-Conditioner Unit only when necessary
When it came to this one, I had to battle myself to introduce this measure. We are so used to the AC in Texas, that it is hard to turn off the AC in a cool weather- say during and after a rain. I observed this is more of a habit than a necessity.
My AC kept blasting in cool breezy weather during Spring. I did not even know. You are probably unaware of this too, since the AC feels like a part of your house. You barely touch or recognize it.
You may have noticed once it got too cold in your home, and you had to turn the AC off.
This lack of awareness is not good at all. It costs us money. If the weather is cool and breezy, open the windows and turn on the fan. Let the fan does its work of recirculating air for you. The room does not need to be cooled by the AC, because the fan will circulate that cool air throughout your house.
It is cheaper to run a fan than an Air-conditioner unit, especially in a cool weather. A fan on full blast will use less energy. So suspend the Air-conditioners during cool weathers and let in the fresh cool breeze.
3. Besides refrigerated units, turn off every appliance
It is important to turn off every appliances when they are not in use. Always turn off every appliance when you are not at home. This one probably is why I save a lot monthly in my electric bills.
Besides refrigerated units, I turn off every appliances prior to work. This is because they don’t just sit there waiting for you to return, to start billing again. You are getting charged per KWH on the television on standby, Air-conditioner blasting in your absence, the kitchen light, the porch light and the aesthetic twinkling electronic gadgets lying around.
Turn off the electric bulbs during daylight. Open your windows and let in some daylight when you get off work. That is why we have windows.
Prior to taking these measures, I used to have my bedroom lights on with the daylight streaming through the windows. When I think of it now, it was utterly a foolish thing to do. This is because I could see well in the rooms without the bulbs on.
You have no idea how much this is costing us everyday. Hell, this contributes to why we rain all manners of vile curses on electric companies each time they send bills. God knows I used to blame them, until I found not turning my appliances off contributes to my electric bill.
Listen, I know we have to use the appliances. However, let’s turn off our appliances prior to work and sleep time. It makes a huge difference in the monthly electric bills.
4. Unplug chargers from power outlets to prevent phantom load
I always unplug chargers from walls when they are not in use. This is after I learned a phenomenon called Phantom Load.
Phantom load is when electrical appliances which are on standby or off, use electricity. This is a problem that could cost you a few dollars per month.
This is true because chargers with light still consume electrical energy, even when we don’t attach electrical loads on them. As long as they are connected to a power outlet, they have contact with a live wire. Therefore, costing you per kilowatt hour.
Please unplug your chargers from your power outlet after charging. Save on your electric bills.
5. Use energy efficient appliances to save on your electric bills
The use of energy efficient appliances helped me regulate my electric bills. Nowadays, there are energy efficient alternatives to every electrical appliances out there. There are energy efficient refrigerators, televisions, electrical irons, laptops and others out there.
You can identify them by the green tag on them that shows how much they save you on electric bills. Often, these tags are on the front of the appliance or side.
Also, the use of energy efficient electric bulbs go a long way when you have to use them. The traditional incandescent bulb burns more electrical energy than the fluorescence and LEDs lamps. This is because some of its electrical energy is converted to heat. That is why they are always hot.
The more energy is lost as heat. The more kilowatt per hour is used to light up your house. Hence, the need for energy efficient appliances in order to cut the energy loss. Try to use them to save on energy.
To sum up, these are the simple ways I pay about $30 on electric bills monthly. I would like you to try these and tell me in a month, whether there is any significant difference in your monthly electric bill. Good luck!
