Behavioural change needed to reduce energy bills

People have a way of consuming energy without thinking about it. In recent years, overconsumption of energy has been becoming a growing challenge, especially as the world is dealing with gas shortages and climate change is affecting societies around the world. 

Energy consumers are often not aware of how their energy consumption habits affect the Planet so they do not pay much attention to finding out more about sustainable energy practices. 

Then, even those who know how important changing the way we consume energy is, do not take any action. There are many reasons for that with the main one being that they have no incentives to do so. Governments do not offer any financial benefits to those who are more energy-efficient and the impacts of overconsumption might not be visible in people’s day to day life so they ignore the problem.  

If people do not change the way they make energy-related decisions, the world will not be able to complete energy transition and slow down climate change.  

Significance of energy efficiency 

As explained by Energy Star, ‘energy efficiency means using less energy to get the same job done – and in the process, cutting energy bills and reducing pollution. Many products, homes, and buildings use more energy than they actually need, through inefficiencies and energy waste. Energy efficiency is one of the easiest ways to eliminate energy waste and lower energy costs. It is also one of the most cost-effective ways to combat climate change, clean the air we breathe, help families meet their budgets, and help businesses improve their bottom lines.’ 

Benefits of energy efficiency are numerous: 

Overall, energy efficiency protects the environment, reduces nations’ dependence on fossil fuels, and it helps consumers save money.  

Why do people over consume energy? 

Before talking about how people can consume less energy, it is important to analyse why they consume so much of it. Of course, people need energy to fulfil their basic needs but, at this point, many tend to use so much energy that a big proportion of it is wasted. An additional problem associated with that is that if people in developed countries use a lot of energy, there is little energy left for developing countries that are already facing fuel shortages.  

One of the main reasons why people consume so much energy is because they do not realise that the world might run out of fuel. Even though nations around the world still rely on fossil fuels, which are not renewable, people often just assume that these resources will never run out. That is because when they use energy in their everyday life they do not see these things getting more and more scarce.  

Similarly, people are not aware of the fact that the way they consume energy can be harmful to the environment. Sure, they understand that if they throw their rubbish away in the streets, it will be bad for the Planet but they do not know that the same applies to consuming too much energy, especially if it is sourced from fossil fuels.  

Then, energy consumers often are not aware of how much energy their appliances actually need to operate. They have never done an energy audit to find out how much energy everything at their home uses so they cannot put things in perspective. But then when they receive their energy bill they are surprised.  

‘Electricity is an essential part of modern life and important to the U.S. economy. People use electricity for lighting, heating, cooling, and refrigeration and for operating appliances, computers, electronics, machinery, and public transportation systems,’ EIA writes. That is why people assume that they can just use as much as they want because it is a natural thing. They do not think about the way they approach using electricity and they do not realise that there are good and bad energy-consumption habits.  

Sustainable energy practices to implement 

For people to be more energy-efficient, behavioural changes are needed. Several sustainable energy practices that everyone can follow are: 

Saving water – many people tend to leave the water running when brushing their teeth or they take very long showers. Timing showers to make sure they do not last longer than 10 minutes and only opening the tap when we are using water is a great way to start saving energy.  

Recycling – thanks to recycling we can help save energy, curb global warming emissions, and preserve natural resources. 

Walk and use bicycles – many people drive everywhere, even on short distances. Switching to bikes or walking instead of using cars can help reduce emissions.  

Switch the lights off when leaving the room – people often leave the lights on all the time, even when they are not in the room. It is important to think about switching them off to avoid wasting energy. Even if we are going to turn them back on in a few minutes, it’s better to turn them off and then on again than leaving them on all the time.  

Do not let devices plugged in – electronic devices such as mobile phones or computers consume energy when plugged in, even if we are not actively using them. Hence, it is important to always unplug them when we do not need them.  

Switch to a green energy tariff – more and more suppliers offer energy tariffs where energy is sourced from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels. Now, these tariffs are not much more expensive than regular ones and switching to one is an easy way to be more sustainable.  

Improving energy efficiency at home – installing devices such as timers or thermostats might require an upfront investment but it brings financial benefits in the future and it helps lower our energy consumption.  

Insulate buildings – good insulation at homes and offices is crucial for people to be able to consume less energy. If the building is well insulated, less energy is lost when heating the place.  

As rightly observed by Energy Sage, ‘there are many reasons why homeowners should consider optimising their energy use, from the clear environmental and financial benefits of cutting energy use to potential improvements in mental and physical health. In fact, energy optimization  has become one of the common features that prospective homeowners look for when purchasing a home. 

Whether your motivations for energy conservation are economic, environmental, or personal, the benefits of energy efficiency will have something to offer for everyone.’  

Behavioural change is needed for all of us to live in a cleaner, more sustainable reality. Some can wrongly assume that changing the way we consume energy is difficult. That is because people get used to acting a certain way and they do things automatically, without thinking. Nevertheless, even small changes to our behaviour regarding consuming energy can make a difference. No one is expected to start following all of the practices discussed here overnight but gradually implementing them can be highly beneficial and is urgently needed.  

Even if someone is not too concerned about their impact on the environment, the possibility of cutting costs and spending less money on energy bills should be a good enough motivation. ‘Energy expenses are often thought of as a fixed cost of owning a home or business, with reductions only possible through pricey renovations. However, you can easily reduce your utility bills through simple energy conservation behaviours or small energy efficient purchases,’ explains Energy Sage. Thanks to energy efficiency, one can notice energy bills getting lower very quickly.