Are you asking yourself why is my electricity bill so high or even why my power bill is so high? Anyone who enjoys a cold winter with snow enjoys a warm summer even more. They also enjoy a lower energy bill in the summer, or they should. Here are 6 easy tips to help you fight high energy bills in the summer months. We hope that this Why Is My Energy Bill So High | Why Is My Electricity Bill So High post inspires you.
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While most people think of electricity in the summer, there are other types of energy used. If you have a swimming pool you will use something such as propane to heat the pool on those cold summer nights early and late in the season. Or if you have a hot tub, it will need to be heated – often with something other than electricity. Identifying all these sources of energy consumption will make you aware of them, and that is always the first step to reducing your usage of something.
Asking yourself why my power bill is so high? There are things you can do around the house that will have an ongoing energy-saving effect. Replacing old windows will keep more heat in during the winter, and more heat out during the summer. The same is true for improving your insulation – adding a few inches in the attic can easily take $20 a month off your energy bills. Even just keeping windows and curtains closed can lower the temperature in your house by five degrees on a summer day, and help you win the fight to lower your summer energy bills accordingly.
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While this seems a bit like identifying the sources, it's not. You also need to know how often you use items that consume energy, and when you use them – time of day, time of week, and even time of summer. The reason for this is best shown by the electric company. They have to provide electricity for all their customers at all times of the day and year. In the winter this means heating homes, and in the summer it means running air conditioners. It also means being able to provide all the power when people come home from work and turn air conditioners on full, heat up the stove and oven for supper, and start doing laundry while watching TV. It doesn't take long for every major source of energy consumption in your house to be used, which creates a very high spike of needed energy that the electric company needs to provide. This peak is what costs the electric company a lot of money, and will cost you money as well.
There are many little things you can do that will save energy and add up to big savings on your utility bills. The first one people think of is to turn your air conditioning two degrees warmer – you won't notice the comfort difference, but you will save up to 20% on your bill! However, turning off lights and appliances that aren't in use will save you a surprising amount on your bill too. Changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) will reduce your light's electricity consumption by up to 75%! Using solar lights in your yard replaces the need for hundreds of watts of conventional lighting. Other things such as doing large loads of laundry less often, or using a toaster oven instead of a full-sized oven will have a positive impact as well. Often you can avoid turning on your air conditioner if you have ceiling fans to move the air around and help you win the fight to lower your summer energy bills accordingly.
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Once you have reduced your energy consumption, you can consider alternate energies to further reduce your dependency on mainstream energy sources. For example, if you have reduced your household electricity consumption by 75% through improving your habits, you might be able to use solar power to power most of your home! You can even turn to gas-powered major appliances to further offload the electricity needed. If you live in a windy region, you can use turbines to generate electricity from wind. Hydropower can use flowing water from a river or stream to generate electricity as well.
You can also use time-of-day billing to save money. If you install a battery backup system in your house, you will be able to charge the batteries with the cheapest time of day electricity, and then use the batteries to power your house when the charges go up later in the day. This difference can easily be enough to more than pay for the system. Plus you have the bonus of a backup system in case of a blackout!
Your car uses energy as well and should be considered in this equation. When you drive you burn gas which costs you money and uses up a non-renewable resource. There are cars designed to drive on ethanol fuel or bio-diesel, both of which are made from corn sugar cane, or other renewable sources. Imagine how much you could save on your summer trip if you could make your gasoline instead of buying it at outrageous prices.
Often local electric companies encourage people to generate and sell electricity back to them. This helps them meet the needs of their customers without investing in expensive equipment. It also helps you pay for your other bills around the house. You likely won't get rich doing this, but every little be helps, right?
Once you have followed these 5 easy tips, you will see your energy bills taking less and less money out of your wallet during the summer months. That money will free you up to do the things you enjoy in life – things like energy-neutral fishing on the dock, or relaxing at the lake! We hope that this Why Is My Energy Bill So High post inspires you. Good luck!
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