Electricity bills have skyrocketed in recent years, to the point of being unaffordable for many families.
The truth is that many of us still don’t know everything we need to know about our air conditioning equipment and to cover all the monthly expenses we resort to taking out a personal loan . For example, we don’t know how to use them to achieve optimal performance to save as much as possible, avoiding getting cold.
If you don’t want to spend all your savings on heating every time you get the new electricity bill, just avoid these mistakes to really save money.
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The worst mistakes you can make with your heating appliance
1. Hiring an inadequate power
Did you know that most people do not contract the power they actually use? They are guided by the power that was previously contracted (if it is a rented house or an old contract) or influenced by friends and family. We may think that it is necessary to contract a high power for our heating appliance, but this does not have to be the case.
The truth is that inadequate power can gradually cost you money , as it will represent a fixed cost on your monthly electricity bill .
To correctly calculate the power, these criteria must be considered:
- Orientation: Homes facing south have longer periods of solar contact, so they usually invest less in heating .
- Cubic meters: the cubic meters of the home have a lot to tell us when calculating the power.
- Type of property: The type of property has a significant impact on the electricity bill . For example, a ground floor, a duplex or a mezzanine may have different needs.
- Connected appliances: Consider the power of connected appliances, especially heating appliances and those that consume the most energy, to determine if you have enough power.
2. Put the heating on maximum all day.
This is another drastic mistake that can completely increase your electricity bill.
There is an ideal temperature for every moment of the day.
- During the day, this temperature should be between 19-21ºC .
- At night, the optimum temperature will be 15-17ºC .
To avoid being cold in winter, the ideal is to maintain a comfortable temperature of 21ºC . For every degree that increases from this value, you will pay up to 8% more on your electricity bill.
We will only achieve real savings if we do not exceed these temperature levels. Once we reach them, we will only have to focus on maintaining them.
3. Do not use low power modes
Our heating devices have modes that will allow us to consume as little as possible and avoid spending our savings every month.
The most common mode is ECO, which is characterized by offering a temperature of between 8-19ºC . It will keep the home at a comfortable temperature, significantly reducing our spending on the electricity bill.
It is very important to read the instructions for these devices to know the features in detail and to know which mode will help us save more energy.
4. Leaving the heating on at night
This is another important mistake. We tend to think that we consume more energy if we turn it off and turn it on the next day, but the truth is that the consumption of the electricity bill will skyrocket if it is left on during sleeping hours.
Today’s smart devices allow you to program the schedule so that you can set times when they turn off and times when they turn back on. For example, it is interesting to have the system turn on again an hour before you wake up or before you get home.
There’s no point in heating the house if you’re not going to be there.
5. Always keep the same electricity rate
The Spanish electricity market is more liberalized than it was a few years ago. It is possible that you simply do not know how to save on your electricity bill by keeping a rate that does not interest you.
Different rates appear regularly that can be adapted to your needs.
For example, some rates allow us to choose 8 hours a day with off-peak pricing (i.e. the cheapest price). Others even have associated hours where the kWh is at a cost of 0.
Don’t hesitate to check your rate, as there is surely something cheaper on the market.
Keep these 5 tips in mind and you will see how you can save on your electricity bill.
