A Personal finance blog for saving money and earning more and thus having a better life
I got a flyer earlier this year about using our rooftop to host solar cells. Our local energy company Florida Power and Light has a program to net meter the solar energy. That means if I produce solar energy then they’d buy back the excess from me. And if I produce less then I’ll have to pay regular bills which were underproduced.
Most of us could use a helping hand when it comes to our finances. Below, we guide you through several small ways to make big savings on your bills and help our environment.
When you leave one room for another, make sure to switch off the lights. Doing this could help you make substantial savings over the course of a year.
This guest post is geared for my Australian readers. Enjoy the post!
The below services are specific to Australian households but most developed countries have similar financial assistance through non-profits and government programs. Below is a good list to see what types of programs exist. The tips provided can be used anywhere.
If you are having trouble paying your utility bills each month, it may help to know that you are not alone. Many families across the country are dealing with the same issues, but there is help available. Not only are there several great thing you can do today to reduce your monthly fees, but there is governmental help available to help you if you have fallen behind on your bills. Below is a look some great tips and ideas for conserving water and energy, and where you can turn for help.
Spring is here and summer is just around the corner. If you’re a northerner, you might be welcoming the heat since it’s been so cold for the last few months. But, when the weather warms up, guess what also spikes? You got it – your electric bill because of your air conditioning unit.
We are beating the heat with fan
I was born and brought up in India where we grew up without AC. AC was luxury for us. Naturally summer months were not pleasant at all. Perhaps readers from Arizona, Texas or Nevada can understand how it feels like to be without AC at 110 F temperature. In India, that heat was not just a passing wave but, it was a way of life, it still is.
The image below shows our monthly energy bill. We do not have a separate gas connection for heating needs. Our bills are abnormally high during the summer months. We finally nailed it to the old air conditioning system. Our landlord will soon replace the AC system, before the summer really kicks in here in Florida. So far, we have been saving summer energy bills by few simple methods. We consume 40% less energy than the national household average of $2024 per year, a little solace! Still we feel we can save more.
One of the best ways to save money and build your savings account is to work hard at reducing your electric bill. Think about it: the lower your power bill (and other utility bills), the more money you have in your pocket that you can either save or use for other things you need. Here are some practical and important ways to save power while substantially increasing your savings.
Ninety percent of the energy used by an incandescent bulb is wasted, while only 10 percent is converted into light according to EnergySavers.gov.
The new age light bulbs save energy by turning much more electricity into light. The engineering behind the manufacturing make it possible. The Natural Resource Defense Council says by 2020 the law will reduce energy costs by $100 to $200 per household each year. That is equivalent to shutting down 20+ power plants across the world.
As a special tribute to our readers, Gridpar has provided OCAAT readers with a custom solar calculator to estimate approximate energy saving you can achieve by adopting Solar. Estimate how much you can save money and contribute to environment by using the calculator below today!
Readers, can you share some other methods you are following or have followed all along? Let’s make this article an useful resource for all future readers.
