Cutting Down Your Electricity Bills

Today everybody, no matter how rich he is, thinks about saving money. It may either be due to the recession or inflation. No matter what, every penny is worth saving for a better tomorrow.

One of the highest consumption in our houses is that of electricity,without which many tasks will remain undone. How can we save on the electricity bills? This article describes how the sensible use of your electrical appliances will help reduce your electricity bills by 20% or more.

Cooker

• Choose cooking utensils,frying pans and sauce pans of sizes which will cover the ring on your electrical oven cooker fully.
• Cover the utensil with a lid if possible . In this manner you can cook at lower temperatures in less time.
• Keep the cooker clean. It also contributes on saving electricity.
• When cooking meat and veggies,try cutting them in small pieces. They'll cook quicker than the larger ones if provided the same heat.
• use wooden or plastic spoons instead of steel ones.
• Plan ahead before starting to cook. If you've more than one dish to cook you can place them simultaneously. A hob ring remains hot for quite sometime even after you turn it off. Place another dish,if any, immediately on top to make the best use of this heat.
• Line your grill pans with foil. It'll reflect heat and help you cook food faster and more evenly.
• Use a pressure cooker to cook things that take longer to cook on a hob. It helps save both time and energy.

• Fridge and Freezer:

• Always place your refrigerators in a cool place where plenty of ventilation is available. Never place it close to the cooker as it'll then consume a lot of energy to maintain its temperature.
• Don't let frost or ice build up in your fridges and freezers. They reduce their efficiency and add onto
• your electricity bills.
• Check the seal around your fridge and freezer regularly:clean it if needed and replace if damaged.

Washing machine

• Try to wash your clothes at lower temperatures.
• Wash on full load if possible as two half load cycles will consume more electricity than one full load cycle.

Microwave

• A microwave cooks food much faster than an electrical hob,although it uses almost the same amount of energy.
• You can however save your time using a microwave.

Kettle

• Always boil the exact amount of water that you'll require for one use.

Dishwasher

• Load the dish washer fully before use.
• When buying choose a dishwasher with wash and hold programs to avoid having a complete wash cycle until the machine is full.

Hot water

• Have a shower instead of a bath. Heating up water for one bath costs you the same as around five 5-minute showers.

Heaters

• Use storage heaters instead of oil-filled heaters.
• It saves on energy if heaters with timers and thermostats are used. they turn themselves off automatically when the surrounding temperature has reached as set. Also with the help of timers,you can set when you wish to turn on the heating,esp when you are a
• Only turn on the heating when needed.
• Keep doors and windows shut when heating is on. Make sure they are well insulated.
• Use central heating instead of heating each room individually.

  TVs and Computers:

• Although they don't consume much electricity,you can save a lot by switching your television sets and computers off when not in use instead of leaving them in a standby mode.

Conclusion:

Sensible use of electrical appliances will help you make the most of them for less. When buying choose the appliances which do not cost you less initially,but those which will help you save energy for as long as the appliance is in use.

Choose energy tariffs which provide cheaper electricity. At certain times of the day,weekends and off peak timings some companies offer cheaper electricity. If its not convenient for you to use appliances at that time of the day,simply go for timer sockets which will help you turn on your appliances at the time you've set on these sockets.