How to Save on Utilities

In these difficult economic times, it is no wonder that people are not only cutting down on luxuries, but also on ordinary daily expenses.  One of the most important of these is utilities.

Some people try to use less light by doing most of their work in the daytime, or by buying light-saving bulbs.  They try to eat food that can be cooked quickly, or heated in a microwave oven rather than on a stove.  However, the “big bucks” in your electric bill usually come from your use of heating or air-conditioning.  If possible, try to take other measures to adjust your body temperature, such as wearing appropriate clothing and ingesting food of the appropriate temperature.  Look at your own habits of electricity usage: are you the type of person who likes to turn the air-conditioning on full-blast, then sleep with a warm blanket or relax with a hot drink?  If so, re-check the economics of cooling your home to the extent that you have to go out of your way to keep warm.   Such habits have come to seem normal to many of us, but it is time to re-evaluate them.  Also, if you plan to live in your current home for several years, investing in insulation measures like double-glazing on windows might be a good idea.

The new prevalence of the Internet in daily life means that we can count Internet service as a significant household utility or expense.  If you have several internet-users in your home who go online several hours a day for work and recreation, look into investing in Wi-Fi service.   Many providers offer unlimited service for a monthly fee.  It can be much more cost-effective than dial-up service, or service purchased via Internet pre-paid cards, which is also often slow and unreliable.

In sum, saving money on utilities is not just about cutting back on your regular usage patterns.  It is also about radically re-thinking your habits to see if they really make sense, and also about making wise investments that save you money over the long term.