As mentioned in my first post this is the first thing that you should do on your energy saving journey when looking at ways on how to save energy. You have to know exactly just what you are currently paying for your energy.
If you do this correctly and take enough time to determine what you are currently spending on energy, you will be in a much better position to determine which areas you can possibly save with. Obviously, in every state there are different rates, co ops and various different types of fuel to take into consideration.
All you basically have to do is to find out what you are paying for your energy and the best and most obvious place to look is your monthly bill payments. When you look at your monthly energy bills you should try and focus on two things:
• How much do I pay per unit of each fuel type?
• How much of that fuel type do I use per month in units?
Once you've determined that you should then ask yourself how you can change these. This is where you will start thinking ok, I could save on electricity by buying energy saving light bulbs, or insulting your water heater properly. While there are many ways on how to save energy these steps do help, there are numerous other ways to save energy. I am not saying that you shouldn't install energy saving light bulbs or properly insulate your water heater (please do it, it is definitely worth it!), I am saying that you should be thinking more out of the box. For some really great ideas on how to save energy in the home have a look at Save On Home Energy. If you combine these techniques with the obvious ones you will be amazed at the results you get.
On a side note, here's how I cut down on some of my energy costs. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending which way you look at it), this has nothing to do with reducing energy usage, so it will not impact your life style in any way. You could lower the cost per unit of each fuel type you are using?
Here's a little tip. When you go shopping do you buy brand X, Y or Z? Do you buy brand X, Y or Z based on cost? Well, cutting down on your energy costs is exactly like shopping. Ask yourself this, do you have the most cost effective provider of each fuel type that you are using?
Nowadays there are several suppliers of each type of fuel. If you think about it, you may have a choice between which gas company you use or which electric company you use. If this is so, then you should find out which company can give you the best deal with the lowest rate per unit of fuel used.
Simply contact your local government, if you want to find out if you have an option in this service. They should be able to easily tell you which providers are available as well as provide contact information to you.
Once you have all the necessary details give each provider a call and ask them if they do in fact provide to your home. If they do provide to your home, ask them what their rates per unit are, as well as any transfer or account set up fees that they may have. Do this for all of the providers in your area until you find the best deal. I found that doing this exercise on a excel spreadsheet makes the decision taking process a lot shorter. Simply fill in the rates, any comments you may have and then sort your data in ascending order. The rate at the top should be the lowest and your choice (depending on any comments you may have jotted down).
By doing the above, you can save some money without having to break your head about investing in a state of the art piece of equipment that will cost you a lot of money. You just need to spend a couple of minutes of your time. There is much more information in my free eBook that you can download here, it's called Ways On How To Save Energy.
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