Tips to Save Electricity and Lower Bills including comparing energy prices

Electricity prices are rising and utility bills are getting ugly. Fight back with these tips to lowering usage and get business electricity price comparisons, which will result in a reduction of your electrical bill by up to 40 percent.

When you look into the energy price market you need to use an energy compare website, you need to use one of these sites because the energy industry is very complicated, with each supplier doing their own price names, rates, terms and conditions. One you have the right rates from the broker you can save on usage as well as price meaning your bill should be so much better than ever before.

Replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) is one of the quickest, easiest ways to save money—and a place everyone can start. CFLs use about 75 percent less energy
and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. This can save you up to $35 in electric costs over the lifetime of each bulb. Switching to CFLs in the five most frequently used fixtures in your house will save about $60 per year, according to Energy Star.

Choose CFLs with the Energy Star label to get the greatest savings. Energy Star products have to meet energy-efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and the Department of Energy. When you shop, keep in mind that light fixtures with dimmers require special CFLs; read the label.

When your CFLs are finally spent, recycle them (to find locations, check with your trash hauler or local government).

Motion sensor

Motion sensors (occupancy sensors) automatically turn lights on and off so you only get (and pay for!) light when you need it. Using motion sensors can save you $100 per year. Some motion sensors need to be manually turned on but turn off automatically. They’re great for bedrooms because they won’t turn on when you move in your sleep.

Some switches are installed in junction boxes; others are wireless. You can also buy light fixtures with built-in motion sensors. You’ll need special motion sensors for electronic ballasts that control CFLs. Special-order them at home centers or buy them on the internet.

Energy Star

When you shop for appliances, look for the Energy Star label. It means the appliance meets certain energy-efficiency guidelines. The average household spends £2,000 each year on energy bills. Energy Star says that appliances bearing its label can cut those bills by 30 percent, for an annual savings of about $600. But you don’t have to replace everything to see a savings. Just replacing an eight-year-old refrigerator with a new Energy Star model can save £110 a year or more in electricity.

Not sure what to do with your old appliance? Recycle it. Don’t salvage and resell it—that only passes the electricity—hogging appliance along to someone else. Check with your utility company or local home center for programs for appliance pickup and recycling.

Air conditioner maintenance

Roughly half of an average home’s annual energy bill (gas and electric), about £1,000, is spent on heating and cooling. Air conditioners placed in direct sunlight use up to 10 percent more electricity. If yours sits in the sun, plant tall shrubs or shade trees nearby—but don’t enclose the unit or impede the airflow. Place window units on the north side of the house or install an awning over them.
Keep your window or central air conditioner tuned up so it runs at peak efficiency. Every two or three years, call in a pro to check the electrical parts and the refrigerant.

If your central air conditioner is more than 12 years old, replacing it with an Energy Star model can cut your cooling costs by 30 percent and save maintenance costs. The payback for replacing a 12-year-old system is typically about eight years. An air conditioner’s efficiency level is measured by the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). The higher the number, the more efficient the unit.
A 13 or 14 SEER rating is considered high efficiency.

Turn off electronics

Seventy-five percent of the electrical use by home electronics occurs when they’re turned off, according to the Department of Energy. These “energy vampires” suck electricity all day long—costing you an extra £100 each year. So if you’d like to keep that money in your wallet, unplug your electronics or plug them into a power strip, then turn off the strip.
Don’t worry about losing the settings on new computers and TVs. They have a memory chip that resets everything when you power back up. If you have an old VCR or other devices that flash when the power goes out, keep it plugged in. Some power strips have a few outlets that always have power even when you flip off the switch. This type of strip has a main outlet for the computer. When you turn off the computer, the strip also shuts down other devices, such as your scanner, printer or modem.