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It is very common in India for people to have high electricity bill during summers. The summer in our country can get easily as hot as 45-degree Celsius. In such conditions, people use a variety of appliances to ease the scorching heat of India.

We know all the above for a fact but also know that our electricity bills roar during the summer season. In winters, you have the option, if not one then two blankets but what to do in summer. How to save money on electricity and save our pockets from getting ripped?

For this we have made a list of tips that you can use to reduce your electricity bills by a great margin, So follow on and save on electric bill in these summer.

1. Start using CFL and LED Bulbs

Your average incandescent bulb is of 100 watts each, I know it might not sound like much. Although, If you have 10 bulbs in 10 different places.

It is going to cost you a lot, then what can you do??? Simple, Just use LED and CFL. A 30 watt CFL or a 20 watts LED bulbs emit the same amount of light in Lumens as that of an incandescent bulb. Also, you don’t have to bear that annoying yellow light.

The government is also working on promoting the usage of LED and CFL. You can actually purchase them on the subsidised rate from any post office or electricity office.

Note: You can even purchase CFL and LED bulbs via online website like Amazon and Flipkart. A lot of companies sell them in pack of three, five, or ten with great discount and you have the luxury of availing them at your doorstep.

2. Use Greenery to your advantage

This can actually help you cut off on your electricity bills, and also it is good for the environment. During summers the trees release moisture into the atmosphere thus keeping the air around you cold.

Also, the shade from the trees doesn’t let the sunlight reach your house. If you have an AC unit installed under the shade it will consume almost 10% less electricity.

3. Make use of the Timer on your Air Conditioner

Ohkk, has this ever happened that you turned ON your Air Conditioner and after 2-3 hours, you need a blanket. I suggest you e the timer on your Air Conditioner.

A single ton AC unit consumes almost a unit of electricity in 1 hour. Using the timer will help you save a lot on your electricity bill.

An Air conditioning unit sucks out the humidity from your room while replaces the hot air inside the room with cold one. Therefore, after 2-3 hours your room becomes comfy enough to sleep with just the ceiling fan ON.

Note: In case if your Air conditioner doesn’t have a timer, you can install one externally.

4. Always turn your Desktop and Laptop Off when Idle

I had this habit of just closing the lid of my laptop and forgetting about it. You are spending your battery doing that, Also I can be blamed for a running idle desktop.

Doing, What I stated above, You are spending a lot of electricity unknowingly and adding extra to your electricity bill without even noticing. I suggest you just turn them off if you’re unsure exactly when you’re going to resume your work.

A lot of times your laptop are just left for charging, keep an eye on that too to avoid adding those extra bucks on your electricity bill.

Note: If you are incapable of turning of your laptop or desktop because you always need to be online, then you can set the screen time off to less time.

5. Don’t Overcharge your Smartphone

It’s another thing on the list that I can blame myself for, and also I have seen a lot of people doing it. We often leave our phone to charge, can’t complain old habits die hard.

Earlier, our smartphones used to take hours but now all the latest phones come with fast chargers. Even, if your smartphone doesn’t have a fast charge, the rate of charging your phone has still increased immensely.

What we can do is remove our smartphones from charge and disconnect the charger from your outlet completely. This may seem like a small deed but it adds on saving an extra buck on your electricity bill.

Note: Overcharging your smartphone also affects it life in the long term. If you’ve seen swollen batteries, overcharging is the reason.

6. Ensure Proper Insulation

If your household doesn’t have proper insulation chances are that you might be giving extra on your electricity bills. A lot of times, electricity tends to leak due to improper insulation.

Make sure that the internal wiring of your house is well insulated, this not only helps you save money but also protects you from any hazard. Improper fittings can even cause a fire or any other kind of hazard like electric shocks. So, save money and also save your life.

7. Don’t use a Dryer in Summer

No one is blaming you but we all are the beneficiaries and victim of advancement of technology. We are dependent and we know that. We all whether it be now or then be blamed for using our washing machine dryer in the summers.

A dryer is a heavy equipment and consumes a decent amount of electricity. India every year gets very hot summer so you just don’t need that dryer. Just take your clothes out of your washing machine and let them air dry in the natural weather. This will help you cut off something extra on your electricity bill.

8. Don’t Just Turn it Off, Switch it Off

Until, I started researching about this article, just like everybody even I used to think that just switching your appliance off will completely shut it down, well I was wrong.

Whenever we put our appliances or equipment on standby it's internal circuitry still consumes electricity, just waiting to be turned ON. It is estimated that an appliance on standby consumes almost 7-10% of its actual consumption, therefore, adding to your electricity bill.

9. Maintain your Electronic Equipment

This one will not only help you save money on electricity bills but also affect the longevity of your expensive appliances. The appliances and equipment that we use on a daily basis need regular maintenance.

The most common example of this could be your Air Conditioner. As shown in the picture, the air filter on the AC needs regular cleaning, also the exhaust unit needs cleaning for dust. If not well maintained, the AC unit won’t cool properly and consumes the same amount of electricity, maybe more.

If your equipment is not maintained on a regular basis the internals fitting of that appliance starts taking stress due to inefficiency. The hard your appliance try, the worse it's condition get thus affecting it's life also.

If not maintained properly, your appliance starts consuming more electricity over time and delivers less output.

Note:You can even download a maintenance scheduler or set reminders for maintenance of your appliances.

10. Refrigerator coils should be cleaned from time to time

A Refrigerator is one appliance which is used 24 x 7 in any household. Although, I’ll just ask you one thing, When was the last time you turned your refrigerator and saw it's back facing the wall???

If this hasn’t happened in a long time, trust me, you need to take a look. You will definitely find a lot of accumulated dust on the coils. This is one great reason why your refrigerator might not be working that efficiently and consuming more electricity.

Make sure you clean your refrigerator coils from time to time, this will improve its efficiency and help you save money on your electricity bill.

11. Insulate your Outlets and Light Switches

A bet you knew about insulating your internal fitting properly but did you know that you need to properly insulate your outlets and light switches too.

The outlets in our homes actually leak a lot of electrical energy if not insulated properly. Improper insulation of your outlets and light switches can also be the reason for flux generation. Flux is the electrical spark that you might see while plugging something or switching on your light.

Insulating your outlets and light switches will save you on the electricity bill and ensure that you are even safe. Flux generation can sometimes cause fire and is also not good for your appliance.

12. Use Blinds and Curtains

This can be the most common technique being used in offices or household and if you don’t use it during summer, Start now.

The sunlight when strikes your windows eventually ends up increasing the temperature of your room. The solution, just start using those blinds or curtains you setup to make your house look good.

The tint on your windows filters a lot of light but it is not enough, using your curtains gets you that extra insulation from the heat you need. You will see a noticeable change in your surrounding, also your air conditioner will start cooling the room early. This will lead to lesser usage of your air conditioner and will help you on saving electricity.

Note : In case if you’re quite choosy regarding the choice of blinds and curtains, you can always check online to get great options and offers on website like pepperfry.

13. Use Rugs Made of Jute or Hemp

It is another great way of cooling your room.You can use rugs made of jute or hemp and hang them as curtain.

If you keep these rugs wet, the hot natural air will flow through them and make your room cool. This will help you save a lot as you won’t need an Air cooler or an Air conditioner cooling.

Note: It is not advisable to use them in humid weather.

14. Use Natural Cooling Techniques

Well, we have a long list of cooling techniques available to us and they are as simple as they can be. For instance, opening your windows when the breeze is cool outside. These tips can help you a lot in saving money during summers on the electricity bill.

You can even google some natural cooling techniques based on the area you actually reside in. Some natural techniques are as follows:

• Use xerophytes like cactus, Aloe, palm etc to absorb that extra moisture inside the room during humid climate. This technique can save you on a dehumidifier and put less stress on your Air Conditioner.
• Maintain cross- ventilation inside your home, this will keep your rooms cool and will also enable you to use a cooler in spite of an air conditioner.
• Use the solar panel on your terrace. Solar panel absorbs a lot of sunlight and reflects the rest of it back. This will keep your ceiling cool and will also provide free electricity in return.
• You can also change your room during summers. In case if your bedroom receives direct sunlight during summer then shift to a room which receives the least sunlight. Vice-versa could be done during winters thus saving electricity because of your heaters.

Note:

• Xerophytes are plants that can survive under harsh conditions like desert or ice. Most of these plants have evolved to absorb moisture around them for survival.

• The cross-ventilation techniques can work great in dry weather condition. Avoid it if the conditions around you are humid.

15. Use High Energy Star Rating Electronics and Electricals

I know a 5 star rated appliance can cost a few thousand bucks extra but see the return in future. Whenever you purchase an appliance it is a one-time investment so it is best to spend those extra bucks on a 5 star rated one.

Your average 5 star rated appliances consumes a lot of electricity in comparison to a single star or two-star energy rating appliance. The money might feel a lot during the time of purchase but it will save money on electricity bill.

Just keep this thing in mind that you pay your electricity bill on a monthly basis so it is worth the effort.

Note

•  Appliances like Iron, Refrigerator, Air conditioner etc are used on a daily in summer so take a serious look at their energy star rating especially.

• Make sure, you at least purchase 3-star rated product if the price of 5-star is too heavy on your pocket.

16. Always use Standard Quality Products for Fitting

Another one for your safety from hazards and saving you an extra buck. If you’re someone who compromises on the quality of fittings like wiring, plugs point, switches etc to save money, please don’t.

Please don’t find me rude but this is downright stupid. It is dangerous and will also cost you more on your electricity bills. You can hear a lot of news regarding house fires. If you will see the news, you will notice that a lot of house fires happens due to some electrical fault. Your internal fittings are directly responsible for it.

Although, one thing that you can check before going for any product is to check the ISI mark. The ISI is a standard by the government ensuring the minimal quality of the fitting you’re using. It means that the product you’re using for fitting is of a standard quality.

Note: Some companies even fake the ISI standard mark so make sure to check the company background online if unsure.

 

17. Have Control Over Start and Stop

You have a wide range of IOT(Internet of Things) products available to you in order to make your home smart. IOT devices make you have control over your home just by a single remote or even your smartphone.

Although, these could be expensive so what you can do is keep an eye on all the heavy appliances. Once, the purpose has been fulfilled make sure to turn them off. It needs to develop into a habit and trust me, this habit will end up saving you a lot of money in a longer run.

18. Go Solar

I know not everyone can afford a solar panel but if you can, it is pretty good on saving electricity bills in the long run. You can even use them as an alternative way of storing electricity.

In case if you can’t afford solar panel then go for alternative solar options like a solar charger for power bank, solar cell, solar cooker etc. These devices run solely on the sunlight and are good in terms of return if used properly.

Note: Government has taken initiative so if you want you can purchase solar panels on subsidised rate through NABARD in India.

 

19. Install Energy Saving Apps

You have a wide range of applications available both on IOS and Playstore if you need an assistant for saving energy. These applications can help you determine the cost of electricity you might have to pay.

You can check the hourly consumption of each device, set alarms to turn off appliances for control. You can also estimate your monthly bill and also get a suggestion to drop your consumption and know which device to turn off.

20. Online Electricity Bill Payment

This might seem a little bit abrupt but online payment comes with great electricity bill payment offers. Pay your bills using an online platform and you can avail all those offers.

Many websites offers you cashback offers like Paytm Cashback Offers which can actually save you a couple of bucks if you use there promo codes and offers. Other websites like Mobikwik and Freecharge also have many other offers on electricity bill payment.

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