Utility companies can help lower electric bills
If you are still reeling from high electric bills driven by summer cooling costs, you may finally be of the mind-set to do something about it.
Many local utility companies actually want to help you spend less on electricity, and are introducing new ways help lower electric bills.
With consumer incentives and smart technologies, consumers can be rewarded for conservation efforts in tangible ways for efforts to live green and protect the planet:
- Smart grids and smart meters: Around the country, power grids are becoming smarter with technological advances that prevent outages and other issues through the informed participation of consumers. Smart home meters, which are now beginning to replace the traditional, lower-tech models, incorporate sophisticated communication capabilities to help homeowners make an immediate connection between the power they're using and the price they're paying. Some utilities offer other helpful real-time communications with customers, such as phone or e-mail messaging in advance of peak use or pricing periods and in-home monitors that help track rate changes and oncoming grid overloads.
- Pricing incentives: Many electrical utilities help homeowners power down throughout the grid's busiest times of day with pricing plans that reward use during off-peak hours.
- Rebates for energy-saving appliances and home upgrades: Your local utility likely has an extensive menu of rebates for purchases that help trim your power and green up your home. The EPA's Energy Star Web site also offers a rebate finder tool that can deliver the hidden gold in your area. Offers apply to everything from individual appliances to bigger home improvements like roofing and insulation installations that can compound the value of choices you make for your home.
The first step in lowering costs is to get informed about programs and offers like these. Contact your utility company today and find out how you might take advantage of programs and get ideas to lower electricity costs and make you a smarter consumer of electricity.
Tom Kraeutler is the AOL'S Home Improvement Editor and co-author of "My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure." He delivers home improvement tips each week as host of The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated home improvement radio program.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-19-2009 @ 5:54AM
Simon Icke said...
Utility companies are using the global green environmental debate, to rip-off the public,
in reality the whole 'green thing' is largely just another political and capitalist scam. Just another false reason to rip- off the consumer and there are so many fools who buy into this new false religion, without any real evidence to support the false theories of the so called experts. Governments use it to introduce false new green stealth taxes and meanwhile the fat cat utility bosses are enjoying their luxury life styles, whilst major shareholders are laughing all the way to the bank; as they see their utility company profits nearly double in just one year. And the trendy green PC fools have the gall to tell us how good it is for us all. (The utility bosses can't believe they have such a merry band of gullible fools, supporting their continued daylight robbery domestic consumer pricing policy).
The poor and the old are the real victims of this nonsense and they have no one to protect their interest from this blatant extortion. Sadly before something is done to bring fairness and a public conscience in what domestic consumers are charged for electricity and gas usage, many poor people will have died of hypothermia; as they were too frightened to use their heating during the cold winter months.
This is the scandal of the century and the trendy green brigade are aiding and abetting this government approved theft from ordinary people by trying to peddle the lie that it's in our interest. I have never heard such rubbish in all my life. And the government quango, Ofgem tries to convince us there is no cartel between the big six utility companies; the truth is there is no need for a cartel, as they all just follow the first one to move and charge the highest prices to the domestic consumer that they can get away with. There is no real competition between the utility companies as they all charge the same; more or less.
The utility companies are taking the poor and the old for a ride, but as they freeze to death don't forget to tell them it is good for them and they are helping the planet!
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