In search of ways to save the family budget, citizens often resort to various tricks, while ignoring the affordable and simple ways to save money. A striking example is the receipt of benefits and other concessions in terms of payment for housing and communal services. Only certain categories of citizens can get them, for example, families in which there are people with disabilities, parents with many children, and poor people. You can learn more about the possibility of obtaining benefits by contacting the relevant legislation.
In addition, the question often arises - how to pay less for utilities. Proven methods and a number of simple recommendations allow you to save about 30% of the amount per month.
Thermal insulation test
Recently, many have put plastic double-glazed windows instead of wooden frames. They are undoubtedly more reliable, but over time, mounting foam dries out, coarsen the rubber bands. It’s worth checking if it’s blowing from the windows. If so, then you need to close the cracks, otherwise in the winter, in addition to the room, the street will also be heated. Check also the front door.
Room temperature adjustment
Many are interested in how to pay less for utility bills in winter? When going to work or leaving for the country, you can reduce the radiators (if this is provided by the design). It is pointless to heat empty rooms. Upon returning the valve, you can turn and heat the air in the room to a comfortable level. It is most convenient to carry out temperature control using a thermostat with a timer. If the house is hot, it is better to lower the temperature than open the window.
Installation of multi-tariff electricity meters
Multi-tariff metering devices allow you to vary the payment of electricity depending on the time of day. How to pay less for utilities and save in this case? At present, daily rates are allocated when one kW / hour is conditionally 4 rubles, and nightly, when the same kW costs 2 rubles. In addition, semi-peak evening tariffs are allocated when electricity is cheaper than during the day, but more expensive than at night.
If you use a dishwasher or washing machine after the night tariff has begun to operate, you can save a lot. However, if the devices do not have a delayed start function, and a person rarely is awake at the indicated time, then it is more profitable to use a single-rate meter, according to which the electricity charge is calculated at the average cost of kW / hour.
Replacing incandescent bulbs with LED
This approach requires investment, but they quickly pay off. LED consume about 8-10 times less electricity than incandescent lamps.
Light off
Useful advice: how to pay less for utilities is turning off the light. Many people simply neglect it. The most important thing is to teach children to turn off the light. Sometimes a person is in the same room, and the light is on throughout the apartment. As a result, the amount of electricity charges is only growing.
Installation of motion sensors
How to pay less for utilities using motion sensors? Such devices are relevant for installation not only in the hallways, but also in pantries, on balconies, in corridors, in the attics and terraces of private houses, as well as in other rooms where people do not often look in but often forget to turn off the lights.
Testing the energy efficiency of household appliances
All modern household appliances are classified by energy efficiency. The higher the class of technology, the less energy it consumes per hour. If the oven or refrigerator, for example, is labeled lower than C, you should consider replacing the equipment. This will undoubtedly require investment, but in the long run the benefits will exceed the costs.
Revision in the refrigerator
Check the rubber bands on the doors and the ice in the freezer. Cooling is ineffective if the gaskets are loose. The freshness of the products suffers, while the energy is actually wasted.
The presence of ice in the freezer and refrigerator compartments also negatively affects the efficiency of the household appliance. It is necessary to regularly defrost the refrigerator - this should be done, not only on the basis of hygiene rules.
Pre-extracting food from the freezer
Natural defrosting is healthier. You should not use an oven or microwave for defrosting products, because in a few hours they perfectly thaw themselves.
Timely shutdown of the electric stove
The surface of electric tiles is usually made of ceramic materials. They retain heat for quite some time. Therefore, if according to the recipe, the dish should be stewed at the end of cooking for 5-10 minutes over low heat, then the stove can be safely turned off. While the hob cools down, it will reach.
Using fast-cooking dishes
How to pay less for utilities with kitchen utensils? Cookware made of copper, glass and ceramics heats up much faster than that made of steel and cast iron. This is a simple physical law. The faster the pan heats up, the less energy will be spent on it. In addition, you should not use a three-liter pan if the dish is steamed. Large capacity heats up for a long time, which means that money is wasted.
Using the amount of water you need right now
Electric kettles consume quite a lot of energy. It takes about 5 minutes to boil two liters of water, but, as a rule, all heated liquid is not immediately used.
One cup will take about a minute to heat water. That is, in order to pay less for utilities and save at least two dozen watts, which in terms of a monthly indicator will be very noticeable - about 20 kW / h, you should not heat a full kettle if you do not need water in the near future.
It is also recommended to descale the appliance. A clean kettle will boil faster, which means that energy will be consumed more economically.
Vacuum cleaner cleaning
Vacuum cleaners also consume a lot of electricity. If the appliance is contaminated with dust, its use is practically zero. You have to vacuum the same places several times. This, accordingly, a waste of not only time, but also electricity.
Wash at lower powers
Almost everyone usually erases, not paying attention to the recommendations for the care of things contained on the labels. To heat water to 60 degrees, four times more electricity is required than up to 30 degrees.
Washing in hot water is not always necessary. It is worth remembering. Another trick - how to pay less for utilities - is spinning laundry at lower speeds (for example, 600 instead of 1200). Sure, the laundry will be wet after washing, but this approach will save electricity.
Plumbing Services
If a drain tank leaks on the toilet or a faucet drips, then not only water, but also money leaks into the pipe. The master will eliminate all leaks, which will significantly reduce the cost of paying for it. You can fix the plumbing yourself, thereby saving on repair services.
Water saving
When applying detergent to dishes, while shaving and brushing your teeth, remember to close the faucet. Useless flowing water is a waste.
Aerators are called special nozzles mounted on mixers. They spray water, reducing its consumption by half or even three times and, therefore, allowing as little as possible to pay for utilities. The savings are significant, especially when you consider that such a device costs about 150 rubles. To save on its purchase, you can purchase an aerator on any Chinese site.
The purchase of a dishwasher
Such a household appliance, on the one hand, consumes a lot of electricity, and on the other hand, it can significantly save on water. A typical dishwashing drains about three times as much water as using a dishwasher.
The benefits will be even more obvious if you adhere to a number of rules:
- It is recommended to purchase a dishwasher that has the highest energy efficiency class.
- You should run the dishwasher once a day, having accumulated the dishes for the whole day.
- If a multi-tariff electric meter is installed, it is better to use the machine in the evening, when electricity is cheaper.
Payment of housing services only for registered residents
Often the cost of overhaul, cleaning the porch, the use of the elevator depends on the number of people registered in the living room. You will have to pay even for those who have not lived in an apartment for a long time, but who have not been deregistered.
An additional way - how to pay less for utilities - is to write out people who do not live in it from the apartment.
Utility Accounting
About 71% of people believe that the main problem of housing and communal services is not in the quality of services provided, but in their high cost. But about half of them are not able to name the exact amount that they pay for utilities. In our country, it is not customary to maintain communal records and to doubt the correctness of charges, but in vain.
It is always necessary to verify the numbers indicated in the receipt with the current tariffs and meter readings.
Do not be shy to demand a recalculation of payments, including for the time of absence in the premises.
If you use these tips comprehensively, the savings will be quite noticeable. In addition, to pay less for an apartment and to do in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, as practice shows, is real.