We have some power saving tips for cutting your power bill when renting. You don’t have to make drastic changes to your power habits, nor do you have to endure the freezing cold. It may be a matter of thinking a bit smarter when it comes to your usage that will help make a difference.
Financial power breakdown
- First thing’s first: Work WITH your flatmates to establish your expectations so that everyone is on the same page in regard to bills.
- Paying your power bill weekly can break down that monthly cost to a smaller amount, and make it way more manageable. Simple breakdowns like this can really help with your budgeting. Financial breakdowns can help avoid mental breakdowns.
Use the facilities available to you!
- Another great idea is to use the University’s library internet, and then hot spot your phone when you’re at home! Two bills in one! There are unlimited data phone plans (which start from around $39), which could save your flat an entire WiFi bill. The only thing to consider with this option is that you may sometimes get stuck with a poor connection.
- Using the University’s library is also a great place to go to cut down on heating costs. Going here to study during winter could save you big bucks!
Turn off your appliances when you’re not using them
Whether it’s the warmer or colder months, one of the simplest ways to reduce energy costs in your home is to turn your appliances off at the wall when you’re not using them. Even when appliances are turned off, they still keep drawing power when plugged into the wall. This won’t make you rich, but it will definitely save you money!
Wash your clothes in cold water
Yes, cold water does still clean clothes! There’s a long-standing belief that you have to wash your clothes in warm water in order to kill the bacteria in the fabric, but this is not the case. This is a great way to save power as a cold wash can draw 10x less power than a hot one.
Run appliances at specific times
As we touched on before, some companies offer lower rates or ‘off peak hours’. If you are going to commit to this option then be mindful that the ‘on peak’ hours will be more expensive than just having one general rate. Putting timers on appliances such as your washing machine, dryer and dishwasher can also save you heaps. You just need to be mindful and plan how/when you are going to use these appliances each day, for example, when you’re going to have your shower or cook dinner. Don’t forget to check if/when your off peak times are.
Choose your power company carefully!
It is really helpful to use a power company that uses an app and is able to break down the individual price of each appliance. It is also really helpful to check which appliance is using the most power at what times and to see if you can modify this in any way. For example, if your oven is costing you a crazy amount to cook dinner, perhaps you could pre cook your dinner at off peak times, or invest in an air fryer which is way more efficient and cheaper to run than an oven.
There are many misconceptions about how much it costs to run different appliances. This is a breakdown of the average costs of running appliances in your flat:
