Everything in your home, from your heating and cooling needs and all appliances need energy. At the end of the month, you are handed a bill, the amount of which never ceases to surprise you. Sometimes they’re a nasty shock! You certainly never thought you had consumed that much energy! Now you have smart meters to help you reduce your energy bill. It does this by taking real-time gas and electricity usage readings, which are exact readings. This helps you to control usage and thus reduce your energy bill. Another obvious way to reduce your monthly bills is to shop around and find the best electricity plan with the benefits that serve your electricity needs. No matter how energy efficient your appliances are (or aren’t), make sure that energy costs as little as possible by getting Electricityrates to switch you to the best electricity plan possible. Another great solution is switching to solar. Get solar power for your home and save a lot on your bills as it is not only the cleanest power source available but also one of the most affordable.
Tips to keep energy bills under control
Some tips to help you keep your energy bills under control:
- Use smart meters
Smart meters take readings automatically. The readings information is sent to your phone via SMS or GPRS and also to your energy supplier. This data is available online too which you can check anytime to know what your actual consumption is. You are free from estimated bills after usage, which make it difficult to calculate costs, as is the case with other meters.
With smart meters you know exactly how much energy you have used and when, thus knowing the accurate cost at all times.Analyzing thehistorical data smart meters provide will help you to make informed changes regarding your energy usage, as you can compare past and current usage and this can lead to reduced bills.
Some smart meters provided by energy suppliers have added advantages. You may be eligible for special plans to further control your electricity bill. For example, using major appliances during off-peak hours, like early morning or late evening, enables you to utilize the special plan’s offer of low electricity charges which can help to reduce your costs. Some smart meters send alerts to let you know when you might be going above your desired budget.
A dashboard tool forecasts your current bill costs and which areas of your home are consuming the most energy.A smart thermostat which can be controlled remotely through your phone or computer with internet access allows you to control your electricity costs due to heating.
Monitor your energy using monitoring tools
There are some monitoring tools to help you gauge your energy consumption. Tabletop smart monitors are available which help you discover exactly how much energy is being consumed in your home. There are two kinds of energy monitors, online and offline smart whole house monitors and plug-in monitors.
Smart monitors have a unit which is clipped on to the electricity meter to measure usage which is then displayed on the screen. To access data from online monitors you have to go online and get the data using your phone, desktop/laptop and tablet. The advantage of a smart monitor is that you get to know the total usage of devices like immersion heaters, lighting circuits, alarm systems and others, which are not plugged in. You can carry these monitors to each room of your house and measure the usage.
Plug-in energy measuring devices are used between the plug of the device being measured and the socket. You can measure the individual energy use of each device with this monitor.
Make changes in your usage and reduce your bill
With the help of smart energy meters and monitors, you can have an accurate idea of your energy consumption. You get to know how much energy is used up when you leave devices on standby, how your bill is increased when you spend most of your time at home and when you don’t, and which of your devices consumes most energy. You can then change your energy habits as you can cut down on using certain devices.Investing in a home energy management system will aid in lessening costs.
You have to train yourself to become more energy efficient. Simple things like changing your washer setting from hot to cold will save electricity. Switching off lights in rooms when you’re not there, making sure your house is properly insulated, changing to a cheaper energy supplier – all these things will contribute to less consumption and thus reduced bills.
Smart meters and monitors provide accurate energy usage information that helps you understand and change your energy consumption behavior. This leads to a better control of your energy use and a welcome relief from huge bills.
