How high is your electric bill? Unfortunately, the price of power never seems to go anywhere but up.

Very few of us can even imagine going a whole day without using electricity, it has become a commodity we simply cannot do without. So, we pay the bill because we need to.

However, there’s no reason that the bill has to stay high. There are plenty of simple tricks you can do to help bring your power costs down to a more reasonable level. Check them out here!

The Price of Electricity

Power costs are rising…again. That seems to be a frequent refrain these days. Have you ever wondered how they decide what to charge you for electricity? It isn’t just a number pulled out of a hat.

Every customer is charged a flat daily fee for being connected to the power grid. This charge is fixed, but providers occasionally raise this fee to cover the increasing costs of maintenance and supplies like poles and wires.

Then, you are charged a price per kilowatt hour (kWh) that is based on how much energy you use.

How to Pay Less for Electricity

Everybody working together to use less electricity (and lower demand) can help bring down the fixed charge. You can directly affect how many kWh of electricity you use, thus shrinking your own bill considerably.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Go Light on the Lighting

Energy-efficient LED bulbs use about 75% less energy than regular halogen light bulbs. Plus, they last longer. It might not seem like much, but simply swapping out a few light bulbs can add up to hundreds of dollars of savings over time.

Also, get in the habit of using smaller task lighting instead of having all the lights on all the time.

2. Check the Fridge

Since the fridge is always on, it is one of the most power-hungry appliances in the home. Check the seal around the door occasionally for leaks. Cold air escaping means the fridge has to work harder to keep everything cool.

Also, if you have a second fridge, consider downsizing to just one. You’ll use half the amount of electricity!

3. Cold Water Wash

Do you know how much energy goes into heating the water to wash your clothes? Save it all by washing most of your clothing in cold water. Hot water makes the colours bleed anyway.

4. Use the Dishwasher

Here’s one to get excited about. Modern dishwashers use less water (less energy needed to heat it) than the average person washing dishes by hand. So you can skip washing the dishes and let the dishwasher take over. Keep in mind, it only counts if the dishwasher is full.

Living With Less Electricity

You might think that using less electricity means giving up some creature comforts. However, as we’ve seen there are many ways to save on electricity that don’t change your lifestyle much at all. Try them out and see what happens to your bill!