Are you finding that no matter what energy-saving habits you practice at home, you still can’t lower your monthly electricity bill? It might be time to see if your energy provider offers a prepaid electricity plan, which requires customers to pay a fixed cost at the beginning of each month, the amount of which is determined by the customer, in exchange for a set amount of electricity. Prepaid electricity plans allow customers to stick to their own monthly budget as opposed to finding out how much they owe based on their usage at the end of the month. They also promote energy conservation by providing real-time insight into how much energy is used on a daily basis and incentivizing customers to stay within their budgeted energy amount. Read below to learn about ways you can save money on your prepaid electricity costs.
How to Save Money and Energy on a Prepaid Electricity Plan
There are many free and low-cost ways to save energy on a daily basis and drive you prepaid electricity costs down in a short period of time. Whether it’s utilizing your programmable thermostat or relying on fans instead of air conditioning to cool and warm your home, Payless Power will make sure that you use way less energy than you were before. Learn about how you can save energy and money when you sign up for a prepaid electricity plan.
1. Program your thermostat.
The heating and cooling of homes is a major contributor to the high cost of the prepaid electricity bill each month. However, if we make the right adjustments to how we manipulate our thermostats, there is an opportunity for considerable savings. According to Energy Star, adjusting your programmable thermostat to run at higher temperatures while you are at work can cut your electricity bill by $180 each year. You can also set the temperature on your programmable thermostat to be a few degrees higher or lower while you sleep, guaranteeing easy savings. A general energy savings tip is to run things a bit warmer at home during hot months or a bit cooler during the winter months.
2. Upgrade your bulbs.
Replace burned-out light bulbs with energy-efficient ones. LED bulbs are the most efficient on the market, can last up to 50 times as an incandescent bulb, and converts 80-90% of their energy into light. Non-efficient light bulbs can only convert around 20% of their energy and the other 80% is emitted as heat which raises the temperature within homes. Switching out even a few of the most commonly used lights with energy-efficient bulbs will have a major impact on saving money on your prepaid electricity bill.
3. Bring the breeze inside.
Open your windows to allow the natural breeze to cool your home. This works well for beating the heat at night when the temperature starts to dip. You can also use ceiling fans to cool down your rooms while using considerably less electricity than the air conditioner. Remember, fans do not change the temperature of a room, they merely circulate cool air. So unless someone is in the room when a fan is being used, don’t turn them on, and always be sure to turn them off when you leave otherwise you are wasting money.
4. Not using it? Unplug it!
Microwaves, cell phones, laptop chargers, and other small appliances can generate heat and use electricity when not in use. This electricity consumption is known as vampire energy and costs Americans roughly $19 billion each year and individual households several hundred dollars each year. As you plug in your devices to be operated or charged, use a power strip to connect all of them to the same source of energy. When you are done using it, turn the power strip off to cut the power of all the electronics. This simple act will allow you to see a five to ten percent drop in monthly prepaid electricity costs.
5. Use the dishwasher.
Given the amount of energy used by dishwashers and other large appliances, it may seem that the best choice is to rely on hand washing. However, washing dishes by hand likely costs you more money as many people leave water running, consuming energy to heat it while wasting water. Though dishwashers require a lot of water to operate, they can use it more efficiently to clean. Additionally, the temperatures that dishwashers can reach are much greater than can be achieved by hand washing, thus more effectively sanitizing your dishes. Note that the electricity consumption dishwashers engage in requires its use to be maximized, so make sure you refrain from running it until it is full.
Save Energy and Money with Prepaid Electricity Today!
By implementing the energy efficient habits described above, you will be well on your way to saving energy and money on your prepaid electricity bill. Remember, a prepaid electricity plan, with its month-to-month and no deposit structure, is meant to offer flexibility, so if you find that you are using more electricity than you budgeted for during the warmer or cooler months, you can always replenish your prepaid electricity balance. Save energy and money with a prepaid electricity plan today!
