Why Is My Electric Bill so High?
Firstly, we just want to reassure you by letting you know that you are not alone. There are literally millions upon millions of people out there at the moment asking with exasperation, “Why is my electric bill so high?” It has become an increasingly frustrating subject over the years, thanks to the rising consumption of household energy.
Today, we want to highlight where and how you might be going astray with your power-related expenditures so that you can safeguard against further financial burden.
Not only that, but we want to show you how and why switching to either a partially or fully solar-fuelled household might just end up being one of the best decisions you have ever made in the pursuit of long-term savings. Read on and feel your financial stress start to decline.
Why Electric Bills Can Be Very High
So, we know that no one intentionally sits at home and conjures up ways to make their utility consumption shoot through the roof. But when you get your latest bill, it can sometimes feel like that is exactly what you have done.
Frustratingly, the answer as to why it has gone up so much is not always immediately evident either. This can often leave you scratching your head in the pursuit of a solution that you have no idea how to even start searching for.
Luckily, we are now going to present you with a few of the most common high electric bill causes so that you can start to win what probably feels like an endless battle against your utility company.
Old low-efficiency items
When we first set out to buy a new TV set or fridge, we are often looking for something that will last. And while that is obviously a sensible decision to make, there is such a thing as having too much of a good thing.
The older your electronic equipment is, the less “friendly” it is towards your electrical usage. You can easily draw comparisons with a motor vehicle here where the older it gets, the more resources it drains to keep it going.
The same is true of anything that requires an electrical current. As the parts age with use, they become less and less able to effectively and efficiently make use of the circuitry in your house, and the circuitry has more difficulty functioning through the components it contains.
This basically leads to more current or electricity being required to sustain them. If you are still using the same items you were 10 years ago, one of the most obvious answers as to why your bill has shot up is probably already in the room.
Always on
This is probably the most common cause of a high electric bill and not even in the way that most people think. Instead of only considering the stuff in your home that you use every day (kettles, toasters, etc.), think outside the box. This is where you will probably find the culprits that are causing you to lose a lot of money at the moment.
We are all very good at unplugging and switching off the items we constantly use, but it is the sockets in our bathrooms, bedrooms, attics, and even backyards that we are not usually checking on a regular basis. It pays to regularly check all internal and external sockets.
You would be surprised at how many are constantly left switched on and with things plugged into them. Again, it is a small thing, but it will make a huge difference to your savings. Oh, and do not forget to switch off every light before leaving the house!
Increased rates
Have you ever called your utility company to say, “My electric bill is too high”? Before you call, make sure that it is not completely correct because it might be. This is a classic case of “I didn’t get the memo,” but do not worry. Thousands of others didn’t either.
Sometimes your electric company will increase their rates, which will in turn naturally lead to a higher bill. They should, and usually do, contact you to make you aware of this either by post, email, text, or using all of the above.
Sometimes, however, they do not. In instances like this, you are completely within your rights to take them to task over it provided you can prove it and to look into terminating your service. Usually though, people just completely miss the notification.
Modern life is hectic, and it is easy to miss information like this especially considering that we are hard wired to ignore all communication from utility companies by default. But you should sift through your email and text inbox or any old mail with a utility return address on it. You might just find that your bill is supposed to be higher after all.
New toys
This may seem a little too obvious. Have you ever innocently asked, “Why is my electric bill so high?” It might just be because you are using more electricity than ever. This can be a very subconscious thing. If you have new technology in your home like a computer or television, you are probably going to be using it more than you normally would.
Even if it is a phone or tablet that requires frequent charging, this still means that you are going to be using more electricity than you normally would especially if the products have a lower efficiency rating. Think carefully about your recent use because often that is where the solution to the puzzle actually lies.
Reducing Electric Bills with Solar
By far, one of the most effective ways you can bring costs down in this area is via the integration of solar into your home. There are so many ways that you can use it to positively impact your home environment whether it is through lighting, heating, water temperature control, or even home security. Regardless of your desired outcome, there is a product that will cater to your needs.
One of the most efficient ways of sourcing all power from the sun is through the installation of roof- or ground-mounted voltaic cell arrays that absorb photons that are emitted from the core of the sun and redistribute them as usable energy throughout the home.
Although initial installation can seem somewhat expensive, rebate programs will allow you to claim back up to 30% of the costs in some instances provided you can use this technology in your area.
The reasons why you would want to do this are numerous. Basically, once the solar cells are in place, you will not pay another penny for your energy use because you will be getting your electricity all from the sun instead.
This means no more bills, no emissions that are harmful to the ozone layer, and no more dealing with electric companies, and generally, a much easier and hassle-free lifestyle. Examples of how solar technology can be applied include the following.
- Water heating and cooling
- Standard electronic devices (All plug sockets can draw their power from a voltaic cell bank.)
- Internal lighting
- Security devices like cameras and motion lighting
- Outbuilding or shed power
- For agriculture to power small installations including home-based plots
- Some electric ATVs, golf carts, and tractors
Regardless of what you want to do with electricity, there is now almost definitely a solar solution available to allow you to do it. If you happen to be manually minded and skilled, do-it-yourself kits are even available to avoid paying someone else to install the solar system.
You can also benefit from this technology without having to resort to relying on it for absolutely all of your utility needs too. Thin-film cell arrays can be attached to available windows and even other surfaces to provide a modest but still effective degree of constantly renewable power.
Whether you wish to make use of the sun as a main power source or a supplementary one, You are never going to look back when you see the long-term impact it has on your household consumption. Getting bills will no longer be the most stressful event of the month.
Also, a great option to reduce your electric bill is Backyard Revolution. It is a guide for how to make a solar panel for your home by yourself and what is needed for it. More details about it can be found in our Backyard Revolution review.
Conclusion
There you have it. Here are both the incredibly obvious and the not so obvious reasons why you are paying so much for your energy consumption. It is easy to see how so many people miss some of the points raised here, which makes it come as very little surprise that many are paying so much more than they expected for going about their day-to-day business. Luckily, all the tools are now in your hands to be able to make enormous, life-changing savings.
Whether it is through performing a few small but efficient actions or installing technology to make a world’s worth of difference to your long-term finances and day-to-day consumption, you can now finally breathe a little easier and make your wallet significantly heavier.
