Slash Your Electric Bill with 11 Savvy Hacks

What you pay for your electric bill depends on several factors. There are standing charges for being connected to the infrastructure, and various added surcharges and taxes. These parts of your bill, you can’t do much about. The rest of your electric bill is what’s called “usage.” In other words, the electricity that you actually use. This is where you can affect change and lower your bill.

Your electricity usage is measured in kilowatt hours, and you are billed a certain amount for each kilowatt hour that you use. Running an appliance rated at 1000 watts (1 kilowatt) for 1 hour will use 1 kilowatt hour of electricity. So, it’s worth knowing how much energy everything you plug into the wall consumes. You should also educate yourself about your electric company’s rates. Per kilowatt charges can change depending on the season and time of day. So, get informed, and be a smart consumer.

What are you waiting for? Click through to see how you can make simple changes that will lower your electric bill.

Related: 14 Secrets of People with Low Energy Bills