2 Easy Steps to Saving Money

Looking to save some money this summer? Who isn’t? Did you realize that there are two very easy ways to save money by changing how you use your electricity and who you buy it from? We have all the details on both of these methods!

 Reduce Electricity Usage, Reduce Bills

            Seems like common sense, right? The less energy we use, the lower our bills will be. It isn’t always about turning off unused lights or shutting off the TV when we leave a room, though both of those are important too. We don’t realize how much electricity is wasted daily because we aren’t visible able to see the waste happening.

            Did you know that just by having your television, bluray player, and cable box turned off, but still plugged in you are wasting electricity? That’s right! This is commonly known as the vampire effect, and it happens with all electrical devices. As long as something is plugged into the wall, it’s sucking up energy, even while turned off. Unplugging these devices stops the flow of electricity and saves energy. You can save time as well by plugging in a group of devices into a power strip and turning it off.

            Air leaks in your home really drive up energy bills because you’re constantly cooling air that gets lost. Sealing up windows, doors, and other gaps keeps more climate controlled air inside, so you’ll feel more comfortable and use less energy too! Kick it up an extra notch by raising the temperature a few degrees on your thermostat. Every degree of difference can equate to 1-3% difference in your energy usage.

  Switch to a New Energy Provider

            Save even more money by switching your electricity service to a new provider who is offering cheap electricity. All retail electricity providers (REPs) must have an electricity facts label (EFL) that spells out in detail exactly how an energy plan works. This includes the price per kilowatt hour (kWh) in different ranges, the cost of distributing electricity, and any fees. Depending on the plan you choose, you could save a lot of money over the course of your service contract.

Be wary of plans that offer cheap electricity but only for a certain range of use, like 500 to 1000 kWh, as it can be very tough to judge how much energy you’re using. Also read all the fees associated with a plan to ensure that you’re really getting a good deal. What may look like a cheap electric rate on the outside could have some hidden costs in the fees. All plans must list every fee in their EFL and terms of service (ToS), so you’ll never have to guess when you read those.