25. Save on light and gas bills, reading tips
Here we are, we have come to the last chapter of this post on personal finance and as an advice to conclude this long list we will talk about bills of light and gas. We have seen water above and it is better not to torture ourselves too much as we have come to conclusions. The bills, those letters that every time, looking in the mailbox, we hope not to find and that we are afraid to open.
Moreover; yes, because these are really what goes to send our bank account into a river of tears. Use of technology, computers, televisions, stereos, use of appliances and, above all, use of the bulbs, is the cost with the higher weight on our pockets and what forces us to limit ourselves in other areas of life, because of the risk of not being able to pay them. But we can also make sure to save on these, if reading them carefully you realize your real consumption.
First of all, let’s start from reading the bills, try to understand the real consumption and what you really are going to pay.
The bill remains, in the eyes of the consumer, indecipherable, despite the companies of light and gas try to make it as transparent as possible. Being able to read the bill gives us a clearer view of our consumption.
The first information we find on the bill reminds us if we are part of the free market or we are in the most protected.
Below we find the data related to type of contract,which is the features of the supply, for example the power of the meter and what is the supply that we have (e.g. maid).
The Technical Information section shows the codes that indicate our supply as the POD and the PDR, related to light and gas. Near the issuing date and the amount we can find the amount to be paid and the deadline within which must be paid.
Below are reported the Contact Details to call in case of complaint or information.
The total bill is divided into four subheadings:
· Costs on energy or natural gas, in which the energy and gas prices applied to consumption are present;
· Cost of transport and management of the counter: These costs are related to the transport of energy from the power plants to the houses, also including the expenses for reading and maintenance of the counters. These are costs that all pay apart from the vendor.
· Expense for system charges. This item covers all the expenses that are used to keep the electrical and gas service in balance.
· The RAI fee, which is present in the bills of those who have a television.
After this, we can find information about the Meter Readings. These readings are made by the customer and not by the supplier and are said, in fact, self-service readings. If the readings are estimated, it is worth to be careful if these will be subject to adjustment.
Now let’s talk about detail elements. These are the unit prices and the consumption to which the costs are applied. These will be available according to the type of contract.
· If you have an energy supply on the protected market, need to apply to the supplier;
· If instead you are part of the free market, you must check the contract with the supplier;
· If you present a complaint about an invoice or a request for a correction, this information must always be sent by mail.
In Italy, electricity and gas bills are the most Expensive in Europe. Each family spends 15% more than the European average. According to the data, estimated by Facile.it, if in Italy the average European rates were applied, the cost of the bills would lighten by about €240 per year.
Starting from the electricity bill, considering the average consumption of a family of about 2700 KWh and a power of 3kW, the electricity bill will cost €537 per year.
As for the gas bill, always considering an average consumption of an Italian family, or 1400 m3 by year, the cost will be about €1050 per year.
The first rule to save on your bills is to consume as little energy as possible. You can observe a series of small tips, which in addition to reducing the consumption of light and gas in your home, would lower it globally, contributing to a more sustainable model. If every family user were to observe these small rules, the bill could come down by several Euros. Let’s see what these precautions are:
· Turn off the lights in the empty rooms;
· Use the dehumidification mode of the air conditioner lowers the perceived heat;
· Adjust the water heater to 40 °C in summer and 60 ° C in winter, and turn it on only
when needed;
· Set the temperature of the washing machine to 30 °C, and use the ECO function;
· Perform the washing of cloths and crockery at full load;
· Clean the air conditioner filters regularly;
· Close the fridge well and do not put hot food in it.
· Do not leave the apparatus in stand-by, for example using an electricity socket with a switch;
· Close the shutters in summer on very hot days and in winter at sunset;
· In winter, keep heating at a temperature of 20 °C;
· Do not cover radiators with panels or curtains;
· At night close well shutters or dampers;
· Make sure that no air passes through doors and windows.
You have also to pay attention to time slots. The meter that we mostly find in the Italian homes, allows to measure the electricity in the different time slots of consumption (monohourly, bihourly and triclockwise). Both in the free market and in the protected market, during the evening hours in the F3 slot, you have a lower price of energy. It is possible to obtain a small saving in the bill, orienting our consumption towards this time zone, as far as it is possible. For example, we can start the washing machine and the dishwasher late at night or in the morning before seven o’clock.
Finally, you should try to choose a light and gas offer more convenient than the one you use. The free market always offers affordable prices.
A great way to save on energy is to improve energy efficiency, both in plants and in household appliances. Some tips that you can implement are:
· Use energy-saving LED lamps;
· Buy class A appliances;
· Do not use a boiler;
· Install thermostatic valves;
· Replace the fixtures with insulating thermal cut models;
· Improve the thermal insulation of the walls and the roof.
All these precautions will save up to 50% on gas and light consumption.
THIS ADVICE WILL ALLOW YOU TO SAVE €268.50 ON THE ELECTRICITY AND €525 ON THE GAS PER YEAR.
Another way to save money on gas and electricity costs is the Energy Bonus introduced by the Italian Government in 2007. This bonus is intended for the less rich users. You have to apply to have it and it allows you to save considerably on bills. The bureaucratic process is complex, but this advice can be adopted by those who are not economically enabled to make all those changes listed above, to make a home warmer and cheaper.
The discount in the bill on the energy bonus is variable. The bonus is €125 yearly for families composed of 1 to 2 people, €153 If the family includes up to 4 individuals and, finally, €184 If the household is even more numerous. Paying a bill from €412 to €354 per year.
The gas bonus instead goes from a minimum of€34the year to €273, spending from €2016 to €1777.
It can apply to any household that has the requirements of economic hardship, submitting the application to the municipality of residence or to centre for fiscal assistance, attaching the ISEE form and other necessary information.
THIS
ADVICE WILL ALLOW YOU TO SAVE FROM €125 TO €184 ON THE COSTS OF ELECTRICITY,
AND FROM €34 TO €273 ON GAS COSTS.
Conclusion
We arrived at the end of the long list of our tips on how to save and keep our Money Management under control. Following these 25 tips you can now start your journey towards safeguarding our heritage and the best management of our daily lives.
The advices are obviously based on the generic habits of an average Italian person. The daily routine can’t be the same for everyone, each of us uses to do different actions and programs, so the topics covered relate to the more generic lifestyle of a person in Italy.
In fact, in addition to those situations that we talked about earlier, there are several other ways to be able to put your money aside; This depends on what is your point of arrival, from your willpower, on the importance that has for you this path towards savings and Money Management.
Summarizing the advices expressed and the various possible situations, we can say that savings start from the moment we have breakfast, eliminating the appointment with the bar. The second important moment, that of lunch, instead can save us thanks to a nice packed lunch, prepared with our hands, during the work break. This new daily habit will bring you to live more healthily and can give you more time for you. There are also offices that offer employees relaxation or meditation rooms to use while enjoying lunch or just before starting work again.
Often the time frame to be used for sports in the morning is not long enough, so we often tend to go jogging or running, after we have finished working, but it would be better for the organism to do physical activity in the morning before we start our day. The body burns the fats of the previous day, while in the evening it will do a bier effort and will only burn the fats taken during the day. Following the advice given regarding not going to the gym, using the one we have at home, let’s try to find a moment of the day that is before going to work.
In addition
The day continues and our wallet could easily be emptied because of a packet of cigarettes, a scratch card or an extra that would be better not to be allowed.
Let ‘s always stand before your goal and take care to note all our expenses, keeping the receipts. Try to be more autonomous from industrialization and try to create products for home, to cultivate fruits and vegetables in your garden and we aim straight to the goal.
This is not a lifestyle or health manual but let us remember that the economic aspect of our life is firmly linked to how we live it. If we adopt a minimalist lifestyle we will learn to save and optimize our lives and all aspects of it, including money.
At the end of our journey we would have really saved a lot and this will make us happy and satisfied. And if you’re afraid of changing habits, your own routines, your own ways of doing something, then you just need a little courage. Change is not a negative event, but it is something that will lead us to make a revolution in our lives. Think of change as a new beginning to live a more peaceful life, with more money that will allow us to realize what we have always wanted.
