Student life comes with many expenses. Therefore, in this article we tell you how to save energy in your shared flat and how to choose the best fee.
Despite some recent fluctuations in electricity rates, the truth is that electricity bills have been rising steadily in the last few years. According to a study published by the consumer association Facua (Consumers in Action), the electricity bill has increased by more than 85% in the last 15 years for Spaniards. This is why more and more consumers are willing to reduce their energy consumption in order to reduce the amount of their bills.
A good way to achieve this is to choose a suitable power supply when we are renting a flat and still are not subscribed to any electricity fees.
One of the requirements when you register the electricity is to choose how many kW of light output your power supply will have. Ideally, it’s better if you choose only the power you truly need.
On the other hand, when registering it, you can choose the rate you want: you can use a gas and electricity price comparison tool. What is this tool used for? To be able to subscribe to a contract at the best price. In this way, by using a gas and electricity comparison tool, you can easily find the rate you are most interested in.
Even though a big part of the bill comes with a fixed rate, the other one, related to electricity, also includes a part related to electricity consumption; yes, it’s true that we cannot avoid some energy costs in our daily life, but it is also true that we waste a lot of energy on things we do not need.
Here are some tips to help you start saving energy:
- Turn off all devices on standby mode. You know, all those red and green lights that indicate that the device is plugged in and ready to turn on. Standby leads to an electricity cost.
- Change your home lighting to LED bulbs. You will save more than 60% in lighting costs compared to traditional bulbs.
- Fill the washing machine cylinder only when you are going to use it and iron the clothes all together and in one go. Both of these devices generate significant energy costs.
- Keep the right temperature in your home. You don't need to wear short sleeves in winter! In addition to an expensive bill, an excessive temperature difference between the inside and the outside can cause health problems.
- With the new electricity rates, the cheapest hours to consume energy in Spain are at night from Monday to Friday (from 00h to 08h) and during the weekend. Therefore, we recommend that you use the washing machine, the dryer and dishwashers at these times to save as much as possible on your electricity bills.