7 reasons why your power bill is high

Bill shock has become a 21st century phenomenon how many times have your dreaded seeing your electricity bill in the mail or inbox thinkingthinking is going to hurt!!

We need electricity to survive, unless you've perfected the science of living off the grid and have become totally self-sufficient for your power needs, we still need to rely on power companies for our electricity. 

However, you can examine and take steps to minimise the cost of your electricity.  There are many reasons and causes for high power bills and each business and household will have different circumstances as to why their power bill is high.

Here are 7 of the most common reasons why your power bills may be so high.

1. Heating/cooling - these are probably two of the biggest culprits for high power bills.  In summer we rely on air conditioning (if you have it).  Even on mildly warm days, we have a habit of turning to the air conditioning.  Even electric fans running for extended periods of time, particularly if you have few of them, will add up.  And of course in winter, again we may rely on A/C to heat our rooms or electric heaters and even worse, an oil column heater many people underestimate the power usage of these types of heaters.  Curtains are a very good way to keep out the heat in summer and keep in the heat during winter.
2. Do you have a pool? - Most homes that have a swimming pool will find that its electricity consumption is responsible for more than 30% of their energy costs.  Swimming pools use electricity in two main ways.  Firstly, the filter pump is used to circulate water and run the pool cleaner.  Secondly, the heating system, if present, requires additional electricity for its pumps.  Pool shops and swimming pool installers are notorious for adding to this problem.  Despite considerable improvements to swimming pool pump efficiency over the years, they still install high capacity, over-spec filter pumps.  Also, they set the pump to run for 8 hours or more per day.  Running a pump for this long is simply not necessary in most cases.  If you have a pool, check your filter/pump settings particularly how long it needs to run during summer and winter.
3. Electric water heater - is the single biggest energy user in most homes, so it's not hard to see why drastically changing your hot water consumption can have a big impact on energy bills.  If you have a leak in a hot water pipe you could inadvertently be using hot water all day.  If the leak is near your hot water tank it could be weeks until you even discover the problem, let alone its impact.  On the other hand, your problem could merely be a teenager or other family member who likes to take extra-long showers.
4. "Vampire appliances" - one of the main reasons your electric bill may be high is that you leave your appliances or electronics plugged in whether you're using them or not.  While that might not have been such a problem years ago, most modern appliances and gadgets draw electricity when turned off.  This is mostly because much of modern technology never really powers down.  When you press the "Power" button on your DVR, computer or television, it actually transition to a standby mode so it can be turned back on faster, either for continued use or to carry out a scheduled task like recording a TV show or brewing a pot of coffee.  Start the practice of actually turning off the power to your electric/electronic devices.
5. Lighting - when it comes to lighting, many people make the mistake of using lights to affect the brightness of an entire room, which can contribute to high electric bills.  However, lighting is efficient only when used directly to provide light to specific areas of a room, such as couches, chairs, kitchen tables and workspaces.  Full room ceiling lights are much less effective than individual lamps for providing the light you need. Also replace the bulbs with energy efficient ones a 25 watt warm light bulb can provide enough lighting compared to a 75 watt incandescent globe.
6. Old appliances - using old appliances is probably one of the bigger reasons why you're paying more on your electric bill.  The fact is old appliances simply use more energy than new energy-efficient models.  That old-fashioned refrigerator or oven might be cute and trendy in your retro kitchen, but they also drive your electric bill through the roof.  Maybe it's time to invest in newer more energy efficient appliances and remember, look for the energy rating stars the more stars, the better.
7. Devices -  how many 'things' do you currently have plugged in at this moment?  All the technology that uses chargers: mobile phones, MP3 players, iPads and tablet PCs, electric razors, electric toothbrushes, laptops, portable game systems and so on.  The more tech and gadget oriented you are, the more likely you are to have these devices plugged in and sucking energy from your home and the more likely you are to pay an expensive electric bill because of them.  Only charge whey you need to and turn the power off when not charging.

There are many other ways of being more energy efficient in your business or home. 

To find out more or for a quick energy audit, contact Simon Caddy Electrical on 0400 110081 or contact us.