Understanding Your Energy Bill

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 1. Common Terms And Definitions You Should Know   

In this discussion we will focus on three terms: electrical energy, power, and energy consumption. All other terms commonly used in this article are related to one or more of these. The electric power that your appliances use to operate should be specified on your bill as “electric energy”. The amount of electricity used by your system may be listed as “megawatts” on your bill, while the unit of ” kilowatt” is usually written as “kWh”. This last term is often used interchangeably with “megah”, but a megah actually refers to 1000 watts, while a kilowatt is typically written as 1000 watt. You can learn more about energy conservation from the Energy Star website.

The amount of energy your household uses will usually be broken down by the amount of electrical energy used, and the amount of “other energy” consumption, which includes climate control, heating, cooling, and ventilation. “Other energy consumption” is basically all of the things that directly effect how much you are spending on your energy bill. For example, if you have air conditioning, then you are using “excess energy”, which means that the amount of electric you are consuming is greater than the energy you are producing. Excess energy consumption is what causes your Ameren bill to go up.

A climate control device can be described as any part of your home, other than your central heating and cooling system. It is usually a thermostat, but it can also be a window shade or window air conditioner. A refrigerator is another example of an energy consumption facility commonly found in homes. A boiler is a type of energy consumption facility used in water heaters. In the past, a refrigerator was used solely to keep your food cold; today most refrigerators are used to keep frozen foods as well.

When determining what services you need, your energy bill usually lists them under the category of “demand electricity” or “electrical energy consumption”. In addition to having services listed under these headings, your energy bill also describes the number of kilowatts (kW) of energy delivered to your serviceable appliances. Your serviceable appliances may include any type of electric appliance that can be plugged into the grid. An example of this might be your refrigerator, air conditioner, washer and dryer.

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In addition to the common household utilities, there are other types of common commercial and industrial gases, electricity, and communications lines which are sometimes billed separately from your normal utility company charges. Common gas and electricity rates include natural gas, propane, electricity, and telecommunications lines.

 2. How Is Energy Usage Calculated   

One of the most important questions one can ask oneself is how is your homes energy usage calculated? While this is a simple question to answer, it is also a very important one. How you ask it is as important as what you answer it too. In order to be able to have an intelligent conversation about energy efficiency in your home, it is necessary to understand exactly how your homes uses power.

To start with, your heating and cooling expenses will definitely be calculated. These are costs that are not measured in terms of dollars, but they are measurable in terms of kilowatts per hour (KWh). Your homes heating and cooling expenses will include all of your central air conditioning (AC) costs. You need to add up all of your KWh payments to see where your energy costs are. If they are over one thousand (1000) then you will want to take action to lower your energy consumption.

How is your homes energy usage calculated for the lights in your home? Each light in your home consumes electricity in some way or another. For example, every time you turn the light on, you are consuming electricity. Likewise, every time the light is off, you are saving electricity. There are many ways to save electricity and save money by being aware of the way you are using your lights at night.

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A majority of people in Illinois do not realize that the central air conditioning system in their home consumes more electricity than the heating system does. This means that even though they are paying less for their monthly heating and cooling bills, the central air conditioning unit is still costing them money. It is important that you have regular maintenance performed on this unit to lower the amount of electricity that it consumes and to increase the life of the unit. To find out how your homes energy usage is calculated for your air conditioning unit you will need to add up the amount of electricity that is consumed by your air conditioning unit and divide it by the number of days in a month that your air conditioning unit is in use.

If you have a light at night in your house, it will consume electricity. You can find out how much electricity your house is consuming every month based on how much electricity your light needs to function. If you know the amount of light that is used during different times throughout the day you will be able to determine the amount of electricity your house is using that month and what the monthly average is.

With the help of electricity suppliers and gas suppliers you will be able to receive an estimate on how much energy your house is using on a monthly basis. It is vital that you are aware of your usage as it can affect the efficiency of your house and could lead to problems such as blackouts. Some people do not realize how much they are using until their electric bills come in the mail. By knowing how much energy your house uses you can ensure that your house is as efficient as possible.      

 3. Best Ways To Lower Your Energy Bill 

In our economy right now, it is not surprising that people are looking for the best ways to lower your energy bill. Everyone is feeling the pinch of the economy and trying to cut corners wherever possible. When it comes to energy costs, we are all at risk. If you do not put some thought into how you are going to reduce your energy bill, you could be in for a rude awakening when the bill comes in. You need to find some ways to reduce your bill quickly and easily, so that you can keep more money in your pocket.

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It is unfortunate that in our current economy, there are so many individuals that are looking for the cheapest ways to save money. When it comes to paying your energy bill, you want to get a reduction. That is why you have to look at several options that will allow you to do so. You want to find out which ones are the most effective and which ones will work the best for you.

One of the first things that you should do is to check your water and sewer bills. These are probably the two bills that go hand-in-hand with your monthly electric bill. If you find that they are constantly high and you have never done anything to change them, you should call your city and find out what is causing them. In most cases, these are simple fixes that you can do yourself. Just make sure that they are fixed before you have to call the technician to come out and do it for you.

Another of the great ways to lower your bills is to replace appliances that are wasting energy with newer more efficient models. This may mean that you will have to replace your washer and dryer. There are other items that you can use to help your home become more energy efficient. For example, replacing windows will not only save you money but also help to reduce the amount of heat loss in your house. Changing the light bulbs in your home as well will also help to save energy.