It’s one thing to try and save money on your hydro bill, but it’s
entirely different to do that when you have time-of-use pricing.
This article will give you tips on how to do that, but
first, we need to discuss time-of-use pricing.
What Is Time-of-Use Pricing Exactly?
In the simplest of terms, time-of-use (TOU) pricing entails
that you’re paying your hydro bills according to a set rate of kilowatts per
hour. The prices are different depending on the time of day and the season
you’re currently in. There’s a significant difference in pricing between summer
and winter.
Most provinces in Canada offer TOU pricing as an option, but
in Ontario, it’s mandatory. The amount you have to pay is calculated by the
smart meter that you have installed in your home.
As there are a lot of differences in the pricing, thispage can help you see the exact prices for each hour in the day
depending on the season.
How to Reduce Your Hydro Bills
●
Find out how much
you’re spending
The first thing that you need to do is investigate your
bills thoroughly. You want to find out exactly how much you’re paying out when
you’re spending it, and on what is causing the consumption. Once you do that,
it will be easier to stop turning on the appliances that consume a lot and
which you don’t need at the times the electricity is the most expensive. If you
want to find out how much energy each appliance uses, you can check an online
tool that’s most likely offered by your energy supplier.
●
Use a programmable
thermostat
A lot of the power goes to heating (usually about 60% of the
annual hydro bill is heating), but many people overspend in that department
because they leave the thermostat on for no reason. With a programmable
thermostat, you can choose at which times the furnace will work.
●
More ways to save on
heating
As for other ways to save on heating, you can also
lower the temperature in empty rooms. Furthermore, there’s no need to turn the
thermostat as high as possible, because that won’t heat the home faster; it
will just give you a bigger bill to pay.
●
Switch to LED bulbs
It might sound insignificant, but there’s still a big
difference between regular bulbs and LED bulbs. LED bulbs are a lot more
cost-efficient as they use less power and last much longer.
●
Don’t use the ‘big
spenders’ on peak hours
Consult the page we gave you to find
the exact peak hours when your rates are the highest and avoid using the big
spender during those times. By big spenders, we mean the dishwasher, washing
machine, etc. You can also start drying your clothes and dishes the good
old-fashioned way that doesn’t include you spending even more electricity.
The Bottom Line
That’s about that – there’s not much that you can do to save
on power and thus reduce your hydro bills. There are some other smaller things
that you can do, but by doing the things we talked about here, you won’t have
to do much more in the way of sacrificing your comfort.
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