How I Save On My Electric Bill

It really annoys me how much energy bills are. I work hard to earn money and then have to give it away to the energy firms just because I want to have the light on or cook a family meal. 

Since the beginning of my frugal living journey I have done my best to cut our electricity consumption. This time last year we lived in a small 2 bedroom flat and had a prepayment meter which are more expensive than other tariffs. Our average monthly usage was around £90 (we had no gas supply). This month we have only used £26 which is a huge difference considering we now live in a big 3 bedroom house.

1. Always check for the cheapest tariff that you can get. There are comparison websites that do this for you.

2. Once you have found the cheapest tariff, check cashback sites to see if they have that provider listed. They often offer money for people switching between providers.

3. Now you have got the best deal, you can work on reducing your energy consumption. Everything you have with a plug is costing you money! 


It might seem like common sense but I didn't realise what a difference it would make to my monthly bills just turning things off at the wall. Leaving TV's on standby, cookers switched on at the wall, phone chargers plugged in, these are all draining electric.

We don't turn lights on and off as we go to each room. If we are going to be upstairs we put the landing light on and this is sufficient to light each room up there. Same with downstairs when we try and stay in the living room all evening with a small lamp on.

Check that your bulbs are energy efficient ones. They take a little while to come bright but they cost a fraction of a normal bulb to use.

Wait until you have a full load of washing to do, rather than doing a half wash. This saves on both electric and water. If your clothes aren't stained and just a bit smelly, see if your machine has a 'quick wash' setting which should freshen them up in half the time.

Batch cook to save on using your cooker so much. If I make a lasagne for example, I cook enough to do 8 portions and freeze what I don't need. That way I can get away with not using the cooker for so long on another night.

Have a quick shower. I usually allow myself 4 minutes in the shower and I find this more than sufficient to get myself clean. Bath times are a once a month treat.

If you have a work mobile phone then always charge it at work. Even if you have a personal mobile see if you can charge that at work too.

Most importantly, I'd advise keeping a check on how much electricity you are using by checking your meter and giving regular meter readings to your supplier. They often guestimate what your consumption is and can drastically overcharge you this way. When I moved in to this house they told me my direct debit for electric would be set at £108!!! I had to wait 3 months until they would re-evaluate it and because of that I am now massively in credit with them.

What suggestions can you give me to help further save on my bills? Any help is always appreciated! Lets not give any more of our hard earned money than we have to to those big companies!

Thanks for reading 
xx