[Update 2021] Changes on your electricty bill and how to save money with these tips ⚡

Whenever we hear that “the electricity bill will be higher again” this year, all the alarm bells start going off. Nobody likes it when prices rise, especially when it concerns electricity, which is already not the cheapest of utilities.

We have been hearing, more than ever, that prices are increasing, and that is because your electricity bill has changed.

What has changed, is that all energy users will see an increase in their rate starting from 1 June 2021, whether your supplier is on the regulated market, where the rate changes according to the time and day and the demand for electricity, or on the free market, where prices are set by the electricity supplier itself.

If you have any doubts about how the new electricity bill will affect you, keep reading, because this article will be of interest to you. We will also give you 7 practical tips on how to save on your electricity bill.

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Table of Contents

Last update on energy bill: changes from 1 June 2021

As we have mentioned before, these changes will affect all households with a contracted power of 15KW or less, where the time of use tariffs have changed.

Why all these changes?

The new time of use tariffs have mainly been created to become more environmentally friendly, and to stimulate the reduce of electricity consumption.

Most of the time we use less power than we have contracted, which means we are paying more, and this is unnecessary.

Almost all of us use up the same amount of electricity and even at very specific times. This means that there are electricity consumption peaks throughout the day, which saturate the market and result in an increase in the price per Kilowatt.

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The first new feature of your new bill, is the possibility of contracting two different power ratings: a lower one for the hours when less electricity is being consumed, and a higher one for the hours when more electricity is being used.

We normally use less electricity during the night, as we do not use any household appliances or other electronic devices (or not that much). During the day, however, the demand is significantly higher because we use more electricity.

With this new tariff they hope to achieve that we change our habits a bit by using the off-peak hours more, resulting in a more efficient use of electricity and saving on our electricity bill.

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New time of use tariffs: What are the most expensive hours for using electricity?

The second change you can see on your electricity bill is the different hours of use of electricity and the price for each period.

From now on, there are 3 instead of 2 different time frames, which means that there will be hours when electricity is more expensive, and at other times electricity is cheaper.

The new time frames are as follows:

Peak hours: During these hours the cost of electricity will be the highest. Peak hours are from Monday to Friday, from 10:00-14:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00.
Shoulder period: Shoulder times are from Monday to Friday, from 8:00-10:00, from 14:00-18:00, and from 22:00-24:00. These are the hours in between peak and off-peak times.
Off-peak hours: This is the cheapest period of all. Off-peak hours are from Monday to Friday from 00:00 to 08:00, and on all weekends and public holidays.

Save on electricity: follow these 7 tips

So let’s get to work. There are many ways to save energy inside the house, but some ideas are easier to implement than others, because they need some time or planning before you can see the effect on your monthly invoice.

Let’s start with the energy saving tips you can do right at this moment:

Pay attention to your heating

Without a doubt, heating is one of the biggest parts of your monthly energy consumption. During the winter we need to be able to stay comfortably inside our homes, but not heating our home in an efficient manner, produces energy peaks that have a direct impact on our electricity bill.

The ideal temperature inside the house is between 19 and 21 degree Celsius during the day, and during the night when we sleep, this is between 15 and 17 degrees Celsius. So how can you arrange for the temperature to stay within these values? That’s where a thermostat comes in handy. You can program it, and set specific temperatures for specific times during the day.

If you can prevent temperature fluctuations, then you have found the best way to efficiently heat your home with less energy consumption.

📌 Take advantage of the sun during the day, by opening up your curtains and let your home be heated naturally. Once the sun sets, you can close the curtains again.

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Related article: Apps To Help You Save Money

Check appliances that are on standby mode

Remember the typical red light you see when your appliances are turned off? Exactly, they are not switched off at all, because the light is on and this consumes energy.

Turning appliances off completely prevents vampire power (that’s what it’s called), and this could save up to 10% of your electricity bill. On average this comes down to an estimate of 52 euros per year.

Efficient use of appliances

As with heating, the same counts for other electrical appliances: use them smart and efficiently. Read the following tips to save on this large part of your energy bill:

Refrigerator: This appliance consumes most, especially when the door to the refrigerator is opened. That is why you should know, before opening the door, what you need from the refrigerator. Also make sure that it is not too close to an oven or cooking stove.
Dishwasher: Save electricity by using a short or ECO program, operating at 50 degrees Celsius.
Washing machine: If possible, wash with cold water and on a short washing machine program. Remember that regular, everyday clothes don’t need to be washed at high temperatures to get cleaned thoroughly!

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Select energy-efficient gadgets

Many electronic gadgets have been classified with energy efficiency labels: A, A+ or A++. As a result, these gadgets can use up to 55% less energy.

Checking the energy efficiency label on gadgets or other electrical appliances before buying them, is recommended when trying to save on energy. They can be a bit more expensive to buy, but in the long run they will reduce costs on your energy bill.

Replace light bulbs

Energy-saving light bulbs are very popular and commonly used nowadays. They give more light and consume less energy. If you have not yet switched to these bulbs, do it now.

LED lighting is also available, and, this too, generates more light while consuming only little energy. If you still have old light bulbs in the house, and you want to invest in more energy efficient lighting, start with the rooms you spend most of your time in when it gets dark. This will already help you save a little on your energy bill.

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Now that you have learned about the elements inside your home that use the most energy and how to change them or your habits, we can talk about other methods that can help you save money on electricity. Check out the following tips:

Check you energy supply contract

Dive into your administration to check the paperwork for what type of contract you have. 15KW equals roughly 52 euros per year. Have you had power problems where there was no power at all? This can happen when you have high energy appliances running at the same time.

The power peak can then not be handled according to the amount of electricity you are being provided, and the power turns off completely. If you have never had this problem up until now, then it might be possible you have the wrong contract and are paying too much.

It’s then time to check energy consumptions in your home!

📌 Don’t know how to check energy consumptions? Look at every appliance for its consumption and also check if this is correct by turning it on. Add a margin for lighting and small appliances. This should give you an estimate of the amount of energy you really need.