In these days of international general austerity measures and financial cut backs, we are all looking for ways to make sure our core outgoings are achieving the best possible value. One area in which we can easily assess whether or not we are being cost efficient is our energy use levels, where with a little application we can both reduce our outlay on bills and help the environment by reducing our carbon footprint.
The most obvious way to reduce your electricity bills is to cut down the amount of power you consume and in order to do this you need to know how and where you use energy. This doesn’t mean you need to go without but simply means you need to make small adjustments to the way you monitor and use your domestic energy supplies.
Smart meters
‘Smart’ meters are increasingly being fitted all over the world to replace the old style meter than needed someone to call at your house and take a reading. These ‘intelligent’ units are connected to the supplier and give up to the minute details of your activity and consumption, thereby ensuring you are only billed for the energy you use.
It also has the bonus of working as a kind of ‘consumer bio feedback loop’, whereby you become more aware of the way in which you use energy supplies. This prompts you to make adjustments to your consumption, thus reducing the amount of energy you use and the amount you pay for your bills.
Smart thinking
Once you get into this mindset, making sure your equipment is set up in the most energy efficient modes is the next obvious step. Simple procedures such as setting lower time outs on screensaver activations or even shutting down devices instead of letting them go into sleep mode are some of the simplest but most effective ways of cutting down consumption.
Try and use the most up to date energy saving components wherever possible. Manufacturers of processors are constantly striving to make chips more energy efficient and new developments in low-energy, high-performance power-saving features continually come to market. New generations of low-voltage processors can significantly reduce energy consumption and smaller computers with ergonomic designs can help maximise airflow and reduce the power consumed by cooling fans.
Smart shopping
You should also try to make sure your general household appliances have a good energy rating. All new household appliances such as washing machines, fridges and dishwashers are given an ‘energy rating’, which reflects how efficiently they consume the power needed to fulfil their duties.
The A+++ rating is the highest available whilst G is the lowest. It’s not only labour saving devices that fall into this category, as power supply units and transformers all come in various eco-friendly flavours these days.
On top of this, shopping around for cheap electricity prices is also recommended. With everyone doing their bit to protect the environment, even leading energy suppliers are encouraging their customers to use and spend less by offering competitive tariffs. Compare electricity and energy costs online to ascertain whether you are getting the best deal and protect the environment, and your wallet, at the same time.
This is a guest post by Energy Helpline-the energy comparison website for businesses. Visit Energyhelpline.com and see how much you could save on your business’ utilities bill.