There is no secret: to pay less, you have to consume less. As a consumer, you can’t fight the rising taxes and network costs that fit your bill. On the other hand, it’s up to you to take small steps that will save you money in the long term.
Consume Less Electricity:
The consumption peak is between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. Average, at this hour, stores and offices have not yet closed their doors, public transport and trains are running in large numbers, and people have already returned home.
This large consumption of electricity, which takes place simultaneously, entails the risk of load shedding. These sudden interruptions of current are not very restrictive when they are brief. However, they deprive you of everyday items and cause many unwanted situations.
For example, your landline phone will be damaged just like your mobile phone, not to mention all the electrical devices that will no longer work. Fridges, freezers, televisions, computers… None of them will be turned on, so it is impossible to use them. The same is true if you want to charge your electrical devices, you will have to wait for the power to return. Not to mention that the boilers will be cut and that the elevators and automatic garage doors will no longer operate. As for the pumping installations to avoid flooding, they too will be shut down. Finally, another consequence, water pressure will decrease.
In Ontario, the concept of Global Adjustment is gaining recognition. It is used to fill the gap between the market wholesale price and the fixed-price. It assessed the residential, commercial, and industrial consumers that vary each month depending upon what’s happening in the real-time energy market.
To prevent a load shedding from occurring, there is only one solution: reduce your electricity consumption during this time. But how do you realize your desire for savings while respecting the general interest? It is by changing your bad habits that it becomes possible to prevent an electrical shortage. This prospect does not seem encouraging, and yet making an effort should not affect your comfort. Electricity is not an inexhaustible source. These are good reasons to use it responsibly!
Practical Steps to Save:
Approved by the Federal Public Service (SPF) Economy, they should quickly allow you to see the difference.
Lighting:
Reduce the number of lights on in the room where you are and adjust the necessary brightness according to the task to be accomplished;
Remove your old bulbs and replace them with energy-saving bulbs: the latter consumes less electricity than an incandescent bulb and provide at least four times greater brightness;
Reduce your use of energy-consuming appliances such as halogen lamps, irons, ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners…;
Do not overuse decorative lighting;
- Make the most of natural light;
- Clean your bulbs from time to time to remove dust.
- Prefer your laptop to your stationary PC;
- Unplug the appliances that you do not often need because some can consume electricity at the level of the transformer, the accumulator;
- If you buy a new electrical appliance, pay attention to its energy class: A, A +, A ++, or even A +++ for the less energy-intensive.
- Defrost your fridge or freezer as soon as 3 cm of frost appear because they double your consumption. However, do not use the “Automatic defrost” option, which consumes 30% more electricity.
Standby Devices:
- Switch off all your devices (computer, television, decoder, DVD player, etc.) instead of leaving them on standby;
- Remove the charger of your mobile or your laptop from the socket when they are not charging;
- Connect devices without a built-in switch to a power strip with switch and switch it off when the devices are not in use.
Compare suppliers to pay less:
Do you pay attention to your energy consumption? Are you trying to apply practical gestures daily? Then all you have to do is look at the price per kWh set by the electricity suppliers. This is the last point on which you have an influence.
Take the opportunity to learn about all the existing companies, new ones appearing regularly in the energy landscape. Then come the two crucial steps to save money:
Take an interest in the offers from each supplier: take your consumption habits and your type of electricity meter into account. These are essential criteria so that the chosen offer best meets your needs. Ask yourself if you prefer green electricity or not, if you want a variable or fixed energy prices… Many formulas are available to you;
Compare the prices per kWh of each company. It is by opting for the cheapest rate that you will be able to reduce your electricity bill. Also, pay attention to the amount of the annual fee determined by each supplier.
