How in the States do not go broke on paying for electricity

Фото: Depositphotos

For the first 1,5 months of living in a new apartment in California, we received an $ 179 electricity bill. This situation did not greatly delight us, but it taught us a lot. And we decided to conduct an experiment "how not to go broke on electricity." Looking ahead, I can say that it is very successful. I share experience.

Home electricity distribution - Pacific Gas and Electric companywhich has broker, allowing you to track your expenses. There is created an account, and it is a kind of personal account. The site is very user-friendly, understandable and user-friendly, you can go to it at least every day and see how much electricity you have consumed the previous day. Moreover, it is completely and completely sharpened so that people use electricity intelligently and economically.

Actually the cost of electricity here is: from 0,14 to 0,32 cents per kilowatt. In our apartment from electricity there is an electric stove, kettle, dishwasher, refrigerator and plus sockets. And most importantly, these are electric batteries, which make up the lion's share of all electricity costs.

Globally, the system is this: the more electricity you burn, the more you pay. Look at the picture below. She says that there are four levels of tariffing. Total billing is calculated from the average consumption. Thus, the month always begins with the calculation of the cost at a lower price, and ends at the largest.

In our example, it looks like this. The first period we paid for was from August 2nd to 25 September. If in money, then at first we considered kilowatts for 0,14 cents, and at the end for 0,26:

In truth, we ourselves are to blame for the fact that the amount for this period was so big. We thought that since we had rented an apartment, it means that now we just have an electricity bill at the end of the month. But he did not come, and we only got in touch with this very PGE. As a result, while they brought us to the base, while we created the account, almost two months have passed. Here is some money and came running.

What did we do after receiving this predatory electricity bill? First, we found that for our house the average amount of electricity consumed 180 kW per month. Secondly, we simply began to turn off the heating for the period when we are not at home. We have not done this before. But what's the point of paying for what you do not use? This is exactly the question of what exactly forms the electricity bill.

And what do you think? Such a simple way, and he became SO efficient. By comparison, it looks that way.

Period number one from 2 August to 25 September (burned, how many wanted):
nailed - 961 kW, paid - $ 179

Period number two from September 26 to October 24 (burned sensibly):
nailed - 280 kW, paid - $ 43

That is, even though the first period was almost two months, it turned out to be really predatory. And yes, yes, on average, 180 kW is spent in our homes, and even with minimal use, we spent 280 kW. But the average temperature in the hospital is so average ????

If we still talk about general features, then, of course, there are several different tariff plans to which you can connect. There is, for example, a “Standard” tariff plan - when you just burn as much as you need and pay the bills. We have just this. There is the “Special” tariff - it can suit those people who do not quite live in standard mode, for example, they work at night, not during the day. In such a plan, using electricity at night is cheaper. And then there is a special rate for owners of electric cars. All rates are presented on the site. And, of course, it is better to get acquainted with them first.

The site is still so cool that you can see how you use electricity depending on the temperature of the weather.

Moreover, on this wonderful site there are recommendations on how to save electricity. There is something useful and easy to use. And people say that he uses ????

Here, take a note.

1. Always turn off the light, leaving the room for a long time. When leaving the house, turn off all household appliances, except the refrigerator. Even if you have a TV or a PC of the newest model, they consume 0,2 kW and 3,6 kW per month in a standby mode, respectively, and older models are several times larger, respectively.

2. Replace incandescent bulbs with energy efficient ones. They not only save electricity, but also serve 5-8 times longer. The cost of buying energy-saving lamps pays off in less than a year. When buying energy-saving lamps, pay attention to the light they emit - warm or cold. Warm light is closest to incandescent light or natural sunlight, while cold light is similar to fluorescent light and sometimes cuts the eyes. Cold light lamps can be used in a common area or for lighting a balcony. The only drawback of energy-saving lamps is that they go out at full brightness after turning on 1-2 minutes, so it is advisable for the hallway to buy a larger lamp, it will provide lighting even in warm-up mode, but will consume a little, because in the hallway it is used only when you enter or leave the house.

3. Buy home appliances class A, A +, A ++. Due to this, the energy savings at the end of the month will be obvious. Compared to lower-end appliances, they consume 30-40% less electricity.

4. Use the electric kettle correctly. It consumes 2 to 3 kW. To save energy, follow simple rules: boil as much water as you need at the moment, and promptly descale the kettle. If you have an electric stove, then for preparing soups, pasta and cooking vegetables, it is more advisable to boil water in an electric kettle and pour it into a saucepan on the electric stove, because Water in an electric kettle boils faster and uses less electricity.

5. Do not allow the refrigerator to be heated by direct sunlight and do not place it near a stove or radiator. If the temperature in the room where the refrigerator is located reaches 30C, then their electricity consumption doubles. Also, to save electricity, it is necessary to defrost the refrigerator in a timely manner and never put hot dishes in it.

6. During ironing, try to start and finish the process of ironing things that require low temperature conditions. Then the last scarves and kerchiefs can be ironed with the iron turned off.

7. The main condition for the rational use of washing machines is not to exceed the maximum load of laundry. Incomplete loading of the washing machine should also be avoided: in this case, an excess energy consumption may amount to 10 – 15%. It is recommended to sort the clothes every time before washing, and in the case of low or medium degree of pollution, to abandon the preliminary washing. If the washing program is incorrect, energy overspending is up to 30%.

8. Do not forget to change or clean the filters of the vacuum cleaner, otherwise they will impede its work, reduce the draft of the air and, as a result, increase its energy consumption.

9. Set up a power saving mode in your computer that can save up to 50% power. All computers manufactured to date support this mode.

Original article published in personal blog Maya Buriakina and reprinted with permission of the author.

ForumDaily is not responsible for the content of blogs and may not share the views of the author.. If you want to become the author of the column, send your materials to [email protected]

Read also on ForumDaily:

6 main lessons I learned from life in America

Personal experience: 5 tips for those who are thinking about emigration

Personal experience: how to earn $ 40 thousand a year for a hobby

Five things that surprise Americans about Russians

Prisoner of Fahrenheit Castle: how to get used to the American system of weights and measures

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.