If you’re interested in reducing your monthly costs, you’re not alone. After all, one of the best ways to attain greater financial stability is to increase your income while decreasing your expenses. Even if you’re debt-free and own your own home, you’ll still need to pay for utilities. This is why it’s so important to think about the energy costs you incur on a monthly basis.
While it’s easy to say it’s a good idea to understand how energy costs are calculated, some topics are a bit more confusing to the average customer. One perfect example of this is the fridge and freezer rating system. Here’s a quick explanation of how that system works, as well as a few tips to help you reduce your overall costs each month.
Know how the rating system works and pick an energy-efficient appliance
When it comes to buying an energy-efficient appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer, you need to know how energy efficiency is calculated. To make this more understandable to the average consumer, these products are given an Energy-star rating. The more stars an appliance has, the more energy-efficient it is. But what exactly makes appliances energy efficient? Put simply, in order to gain an official Energy Star rating, appliances need to meet strict standards by the Environmental Protection Agency and other government agencies focused on helping the environment. Under these standards, a refrigerator needs to, at minimum, be 15 percent more efficient than other fridges in its class and size.
Properly maintain your refrigerator to save on annual costs
Once you’ve bought the right refrigerator or freezer, it’s important that you take good care of it in order for it to last a long time and work properly. Many times, your refrigerator may start performing more poorly without proper maintenance, which could make you think that you have to replace it entirely instead of just getting it cleaned or repaired. Even having an annual check-up on your fridge each year could help you extend the life of your appliance. Finding a company that specializes in Subzero refrigerator repair (or whichever brand your fridge is) can make this task even easier, connecting you with experts to help you make the right decisions about how to keep your fridge working great.
Compare electricity providers to reduce your utility bill
Of course, knowing how the refrigeration energy rating system works is only one side of the coin if you really want to save on your utilities each month. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you’re getting the best electric plan for your needs if you really want to cut back on costs. The internet makes it easier than ever to compare electricity providers, helping consumers just like you make an informed decision about how to best go about saving on their utilities right at the source: the electric company.
For example, iSelect.com.au is one of the best and most straightforward ways to compare multiple electric providers at once. When you go online to compare electricity plans with iSelect, you’ll be faced with a few questions that help better understand your needs as a consumer. From there, you can filter results and compare each electric company based on the criteria that matter the most to you. Want to know how environmentally friendly your electric supplier is? You can find out with iSelect. Curious about how helpful their customer service representatives are? Ditto. When you make a decision about your energy provider as a customer, having iSelect in your corner can not only save you money — it can also help you get the service you deserve.