Bills: who likes them?
Whether monthly or quarterly, power bills are one of those things that nobody looks forward to. And unless you plan on living off-the-grid, there isn’t anything you can do to avoid them entirely.
That having been said, there are ways to bring them down!
While electricity bills are unavoidable, there’s nothing saying that they need to be excessive.
And our residential electricians can help with that in a number of different ways…
Why is my electricity usage so high?
You’ve lived at your place for years and kept the same habits, so you’re pretty familiar with what your quarterly power bill looks like.
So why is your most recent one so much higher? You haven’t changed anything or bought any new power-hungry appliances…
Any homeowner would immediately start looking for the reason behind the sudden electric (bill) shock.
Faulty wiring
Damaged, faulty and frayed electrical wirings contribute to your high electric consumption by causing electric leakage.
In addition to the fairly self-explanatory way it drives up your power bills, faulty wiring can also pose a danger to your home as well!
Damaged wiring, when connected to your appliances, can cause them to heat up – not only that, but they also dramatically increase the risk of an electrical fire as well as electrocution.
Faulty meter
Installed outside your home, your electrical meter is responsible for measuring your electricity consumption.
In addition to helping you, it’s also how electricity providers find out what to charge you.
Whether it’s a meter that needs to be inspected manually or one that automatically records and forwards information, a faulty electrical meter that gives incorrect readings can result in higher power bills.
Sometimes, it might still be ticking up, even if the house is empty!
In these cases, the best thing you can do is let your electricity provider know about this so they can make some adjustments.
How do you know if your electric meter is faulty?
But how do you know if your electric meter is faulty in the first place? It might be a bit painstaking, but one of the simplest ways to check for a faulty meter is to read it daily and look for any abnormalities.
Check your meter and record the reading for 7-10 consecutive days to see if energy use is consistent. We know it will fluctuate depending on factors like weekends, but generally, it should remain pretty constant.
If not, you might have a faulty meter on your hands.
So what do you do next?
The best thing to do is to let your residential electrician and confirm whether or not your meter is faulty.
Leaving appliances on
In particular, we’re talking about lights here!
It’s so easy to leave a light on without even realising it, or forget to switch off an appliance as you get ready in the morning.
It’s an easy mistake to make – and it’s also relatively easy to fix as well, if you’re willing to put in just that little bit of effort.
In addition to doing a quick spot check every once in a while or before you leave for the day, our electrical team can also set you up with smart plugs and sockets for high-energy appliances.
Essentially, these automatically shut off devices after a while if they aren’t being used (hello, hair straightener!).
When it does, it’ll start flashing, giving you some time to stop it – all you need to do to stop it is hit a small button on the plug that tells it you’re still using the connected appliance.
What appliances use the most electricity when turned off?
Yep, you heard us right: many appliances continue to use power, even when they’re switched off!
Even if they are turned off, as long as they are still plugged in the outlet, they’re still using power.
For some, it’s only a small amount of electricity – for others, it’s a lot.
Some of the biggest culprits include:
- Wi-Fi routers and modems
- Televisions (especially smart TVs)
- Laptops
- Landline phones
- Sound systems
- Video game consoles
- CCTV systems
- Phone chargers
- Night lights
While some of these can’t be helped, others can be by simply turning the plug off when not in use (or unplugging them altogether.)
Faulty appliances
Faulty home appliances like washing machines, air conditioner, dishwashers, and ovens usually consume a great deal of energy.
And when they’re faulty, they can end up using even more!
Maybe the internal wiring is starting to wear out, or there’s other sort of issue at play. Whatever it is, your appliances have internal electrical issues that are driving up your power user.
What appliances use the most power?
Take a look at the list below, and it’s quite easy to see why these culprits can use up the most power.
They’re either incredibly energy-hungry units (like your dryer) or are on 24 hours a day, such as your refrigerator.
- Air conditioner
- Washer and dryer
- Refrigerator
- Electric ovens
When trying to find the “guilty” appliance, these ones are great places to start!
How do you find out what’s using so much electricity?
Worried about the safety of your electrical appliances? While we aren’t appliance repair specialises, a commercial electrician in Highett can help you identify any appliances with issues.
It’s one thing to know that you’re using more power than normal, and that one of your electrical appliances is to blame – it’s another to try and discover which one exactly is causing the issue.
Using specialist tools, we can narrow your electricity usage down to the exact appliance, helping you figure out which ones need repairs or replacing.
How can we reduce energy consumption at home?
Turn off lights and appliances when not in use
This one’s pretty straightforward, and is 100% painless, too!
One of the most basic ways to save on energy is to turn off lights and appliances when not in use – in particular, all the ones that you know for a fact continue to use power even after they’re switched off.
Run one load in your washing machine
Unless some of your clothes use dye that washes out easily, when using your washing machine, it is best to put full loads of clothes in your washing machine at once to optimise its capacity and performance.
Worried about colour transfers? If so, try to use a cold wash instead of a hot one.
Replace your light bulbs with LED lights
More and more people are now switching to LED lighting. And it isn’t hard to see why – LED lighting saves you up to 80% compared to traditional halogens, incandescent, and Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs).
Choosing the type of LED lighting that will fit your home starts by making sure that you get energy-efficient and long-lasting lighting.
Buy energy-efficient appliances
Really, this should go without saying! The more stars, the more energy-efficient is the appliance. Find out more about the Energy Rating Label here.
Save on energy with the help of Powermaster Electrical!
Figuring out why you have such high electrical bills is not always easy.
Luckily, our electrical team can help with that!
From fixing faulty wiring to upgrading your home with more energy-efficient lighting, our team is ready to help you save electricity – and money.
Whether you need help with your home, your business or a construction project, our electrical contractors are here to make sure that you aren’t spending any more for electricity than you absolutely need to.
And it isn’t just these issues, either – our team of reliable commercial electrician in Mordialloc provides a wide range of different electrical services, including electrical installation, repairs, upgrades and more.
Stop spending and start saving! Call us today on 1300 410 141, or click here to get in touch online. Together, we’ll help you figure out how we reduce your energy cost.