Women are finding it slightly harder than men when it comes to keeping up with the rising cost of power bills.
A recent survey conducted by finder.com.au has revealed that one in five women struggle to pay their energy bills in comparison to one in ten (11 per cent) men.
Energy is not something you can cut out of your life entirely, but there are ways you can cut down your usage to make it a little easier to pay your bills each time they roll around.
Here are some things you should consider if you want to reduce your energy spend.
Opt for au naturel
Appliances that are used to heat things usually require the most electricity. Whether it’s a microwave, heater or oven, it takes a lot more energy to heat things up than it does to cool them down.
This means a handy little device that you might be using every day is actually a hidden money grabber.
The good old hair dryer is one of the highest wattage small appliances in your household, with some models using more power than a microwave.
If you are using it every day, it can really add up as can other heat-styling appliances you might use. Perhaps it’s time to go au naturel and let your hair air dry.
Don’t underestimate standby mode
You might think that turning things off at the power point doesn’t save that much electricity, not to mention the hassle involved in remembering to switch the TV off once you’re ready for bed.
But household items like televisions, gaming consoles, charges and microwaves are all contributing to your household’s energy consumption, even when not in use.
These electricity drainers are the equivalent of a leaking tap. You might not think you’re wasting much water, but it all adds up.
Shop around and compare
Switching providers or plans for any utility is often the last thing anybody wants to do. With so much choice, it can be hard to figure out the cheapest energy deal.
But doing your research and comparing different deals is a sure-fire way to save on your electricity bill.
Open up the house
It’s coming into summer, which means aircon season, but rather than reaching for the switch on your air conditioner just yet, find ways to cool your house that don’t require electricity usage.
On a scorcher of a day, shut your blinds and curtains to keep the sun’s rays out, and as soon as sundown hits, open up your home to let in the cooler air.
This may not seem like much, but as soon as a southerly wind hits, your home will be cool in no time.
Start timing your showers
Another small change you can make to really start saving on your energy bills is investing in a shower timer. Try to cut your showers down to four minutes to really see results.
During winter it can be tempting to stay in the shower for half an hour or more to warm up, but in summer you should be able to reduce that to under 10 minutes.
If you don’t think you’ll have enough time to cover all the bases, why not turn the water off while you shave your legs?
In winter this may be a little hard, but the summer’s warmer weather makes it doable.
